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TODAY. UK High Court caving in before USA’s power, leaving decision on Julian Assange’s future up to USA’s “kindness”?

Well, well, what better example of America’s dominance over the anglophone world could you find?

The UK High Court was charged with making a decision on whether or not Julian Assange could appeal against the British government’s decision to extradite him to the USA on charges of ” complicity in illegal acts to obtain or receive voluminous databases of classified information and for agreeing and attempting to obtain classified information through computer hacking”, under the rarely used Espionage Act of 1917

This High Court case is the latest in the series of legal cases around the issue of extradition.

Julian Assange has languished for almost five years, in solitary confinement, in the notorious Belmarsh prison, Britain’s “Guantanamo Bay” for the worst criminals. Now he has to endure this for more weeks. Talk about death by a thousand cuts. ( Perhaps Russia is kinder – they just poison their problem people, or crash them in a plane – it’s quicker)

All this because Assange revealed and published the truth about America’s military atrocities.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UaqY12VHFv4%3Fsi%3DIxBEJUrzUu2GkFQ0

So – now we know.

If a journalist anywhere in the world should have the temerity to reveal inconvenient facts about the USA military, then look out!

Not only are the Western political leaders, and especially in the anglophone countries, subservient to their master – the USA, but now we know that even their legal systems are subservient too.

Dame Victoria Sharp, took 66 pages to explain why the High Court couldn’t actually make a decision, without the blessing of the USA government.

So – the High Court will reconvene in three weeks, after receiving “assurances” from the USA government – about no death penalty (on the present charges, they could make new ones?),  that he  is permitted to rely on the First Amendment, – he is not ‘prejudiced at trial’ .

Of course the USA government will come up with kindly phrases – not worth the paper they are written on.

It’s a sad day for justice.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

UK court orders delay to extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to US on espionage charges

https://youtube.com/watch?v=V-6-oiIAfaY%3Fsi%3DAg5AZI6X5FUiAYWl

By Associated Press, By OLIVER PRICE , 27 March 2024  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13239885/Julian-Assange-appeal-against-extradition-court-rules.html?fbclid=IwAR05bAhgRzHKwygiC0ljNnPEU_bL1uwPz2mIRy7vU9RzSU0J_Qbi4aOpK_M_aem_AahKjiDK6G3wRltDvIaC_MtPOcRzYRMwUFpdRPeR7yiJcdMyJyjQi03SWVMX6MWQenTiiAm9LmgWVamqopIy9ZT_

The United States must give assurances that Julian Assange will not face the death penalty before judges will consider dismissing the WikiLeaks founder’s bid to bring an extradition appeal, the High Court has ruled.

Assange, 52, faces prosecution in the US over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

In a 66-page ruling, Dame Victoria Sharp said: ‘Before making a final decision on the application for leave to appeal, we will give the respondent an opportunity to give assurances.

‘If assurances are not given then we will grant leave to appeal without a further hearing.

‘If assurances are given then we will give the parties an opportunity to make further submissions before we make a final decision on the application for leave to appeal.’

These assurances are that Assange would be protected by and allowed to rely on the First Amendment – which protects freedom of speech in the US, that he is not ‘prejudiced at trial’ due to his nationality, and that the death penalty is not imposed.

The judges said the US authorities had three weeks to give those assurances, with a final hearing potentially taking place in late May.

In her ruling, Dame Sharp said any assurances from the United States would need to include ‘that the applicant (Julian Assange) is permitted to rely on the First Amendment, that the applicant is not prejudiced at trial, including sentence, by reason of his nationality, that he is afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen, and that the death penalty is not imposed’. 

Speaking after the judgment, the Australian’s wife Stella Assange described the ruling as ‘astounding’.

She said: ‘What the courts have done has been to invite a political intervention from the United States… send a letter saying ‘its all ok’. I find this astounding.

‘This case is a retribution. It is a signal to all of you that if you expose the interests that are driving war they will come after you, they will put you in prison and will try to kill you.

‘The Biden administration should not issue assurances. They should drop this shameful case that should never have been brought.’

Addressing Julian Assange’s legal ground about freedom of speech guarantees in the US, Dame Victoria Sharp said: ‘The applicant wishes to argue, at any trial in the United States, that his actions were protected by the First Amendment.

‘He contends that if he is given First Amendment rights, the prosecution will be stopped. The First Amendment is therefore of central importance to his defence to the extradition charge.’

She continued: ‘If he is not permitted to rely on the First Amendment because of his status as a foreign national, he will thereby be prejudiced, potentially very greatly prejudiced, by reason of his nationality.’

Dame Victoria concluded: ‘It follows that it is arguable that the applicant might be treated differently at trial on the grounds of his nationality.

‘Subject to the question of whether this could be addressed by means of an assurance from the respondent, we would grant leave to appeal.’

WikiLeaks initially reacted positively to the news, saying Assange had been granted ‘leave to appeal’ his extradition, but he will only be allowed to do so if ‘assurances’ are not met.

Reacting to the ruling on X, formerly Twitter, this morning, WikiLeaks posted: ‘Julian Assange has been granted leave to appeal extradition to the US.

‘Having spent almost five years detained at the UK’s most secure prison the publisher will continue his long detention separated from his young family for revealing war crimes. #FreeAssangeNOW.’

WikiLeaks has now deleted this tweet.

WikiLeaks later added: ‘The court has given US Gov 3 weeks to give satisfactory assurances: That Mr. Assange is permitted to rely on the First Amendment to the US constitution; not prejudiced at trial by reason of his nationality; and that the death penalty is not imposed. #FreeAssange.’

The hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice today was attended by Assange’s wife Stella, dozens of journalists and members of the public, with hundreds observing remotely.

Dozens of people stood outside the central London courthouse to await the judgment, holding placards bearing the message ‘Free Julian Assange’ and chanting ‘There is only one decision, no extradition’.

Speaking at a press conference after Julian Assange’s bid to appeal against extradition to the US was delayed, Jennifer Robinson, WikiLeaks legal counsel, said the decision raised ‘fundamental concerns about free speech’.

She added: ‘It is absurd that we are five years into this case and the US has not offered assurance to protect him from (the death penalty).’ 

Ms Robinson added: ‘The judgment today demonstrates that if Julian was extradited to the United States there is a real risk and concern that he would not be afforded free speech protections.

‘We say the US should not be offering assurance in response to this judgment, they should be dropping the case and it is a case that should never have been brought in the first place.’

Speaking after the latest Julian Assange ruling, Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: ‘A temporary reprieve is clearly preferable to an extradition that would have taken place in the coming days.

‘However, the conditionality around the grounds of appeal, which are contingent on the examination of US government assurances that he will not face the death penalty and has the right to free speech, mean the risks to Assange and press freedom remain stark.

‘Assange’s prosecution by the US is for activities that are daily work for investigative journalists – finding sources with evidence of criminality and helping them to get their stories out into the world.

‘If Assange is prosecuted, free expression the world over will be damaged.’

She added: ‘The nuanced nature of this appeal judgment makes an alternative ending to this situation even more pressing.

‘In recent months there has been increasing speculation about some kind of plea deal, to bring this saga to a swift and straightforward conclusion. I urge the US to return to these options.

‘Media freedom is under threat all over the world, compassion and common sense from the US Department of Justice would do much to restore Washington’s reputation as a bastion of free expression.’ 

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for the US to drop the charges against Julian Assange.

Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Mr Corbyn said Tuesday’s decision was ‘big step forward’ for Assange’s case but that it is ‘not the victory’ his supporters are looking for.

Mr Corbyn said: ‘Above all, the pressure has to be on the US administration to drop the charges against Julian Assange.

‘He’s a brave journalist who tells the truth.’

When asked why Assange’s case was important to him, the Corbyn said: ‘Because he’s told some very uncomfortable truths about the military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places around the world, but also the effects of corporate greed on the natural world and environment.

‘If Julian goes down for that, then every serious journalist around the world is going to be feel a bit constrained, and that’s dangerous.’

n a January 2021 ruling, then-district judge Vanessa Baraitser said that Assange should not be sent to the US, citing a real and ‘oppressive’ risk of suicide, while ruling against him on all other issues.

But later that year, US authorities won their High Court bid to overturn this block, paving the way towards Assange’s extradition.

During a two-day hearing in February, lawyers for the 52-year-old asked for the go-ahead to challenge the original judge’s dismissal of other parts of his case to prevent his extradition.

And in a judgment today, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson dismissed most of Assange’s legal arguments but said that unless assurances were given by the United States, he would be able to bring an appeal on three grounds.

The judges said the US authorities had three weeks to give those assurances, with a final decision to be made in late May.

At the start of Assange’s bid last month, Mark Summers KC argued the US’s prosecution would be retribution for his political opinions, meaning it would be unlawful to extradite him under UK law.

However the two judges rejected this argument.

Dame Victoria said: ‘The applicant’s case before us amounts simply to a reassertion of his case on this issue, and a disagreement with the (district) judge’s conclusion.

‘It does not engage with the judge’s reasoning. Far less does it identify any flaw in her factual conclusions.’

March 26, 2024 Posted by | Legal | , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear news this week – 25 March

Some bits of good news –   

TOP STORIES. Julian Assange and the Plea Nibble. Report: Justice Department Considering Plea Deal for Assange. 

House Democrats Tell Biden To Enforce US Law and Suspend Military Aid to Israel.

Dozens of countries pledge support for nuclear power, despite lingering concerns. 

Filling Nuclear Power’s $5 Trillion Hole Is Beyond the Banks.Glorious new financial jargon from the nuclear lobby – the “International Bank for Nuclear Infrastructure (IBNI)”.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Cannot Both Police Proliferation and Promote Nuclear Power.

BASE study: Alternative reactor concepts do not solve the repository problem.
Climate .  

Mainstream climate scientists run the risk of becoming the new climate deniers. Hundreds of groups for climate action reject nuclear power at Brussels Summit.

State of the Global Climate 2023.

Environment. Where have all the insects gone?

Noel’s notes. Antony Blinken would get into bed with the devil, if it meant lucrative sales of USA weapons and nukes to Hell. Desperation of the nuclear lobby! Its new financial fantasy scheme, couched in impenetrable jargon!”  In talking about nuclear matters, why is money the only game in town?

********************************************

NUCLEAR ISSUES

ARTS and CULTURE. A One-State Solution Could Transform the World.  

ECONOMICS. 

ENERGY. For France’s EPR at Flamanville, the objective of loading fuel before the end of March is no longer tenable.ENVIRONMENT. Oceans. Fourth discharge of treated Fukushima water completed. 
Canadian officials found radiation levels in these northern Ontario homes ‘well above’ the safe limit. Their response: ‘¯\_(ツ)_/¯’ also at https://nuclear-news.net/2024/03/23/1-a-canadian-officials-found-radiation-levels-in-these-northern-ontario-homes-well-above-the-safe-limit-their-response-%c2%af_%e3%83%84_-%c2%af/
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility – Re: Radiation in Elliot Lake homes .		ETHICS and RELIGION. Just Seeing Through The Propaganda Isn’t Enough – We’ve Got To Open Our Hearts As Well.
HEALTH. Nuclear test veterans demand compensation and medical records access.INDIGENOUS ISSUES. Heavy resistance to Canada’s 1st nuclear waste repository, while Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) says it is safe..MEDIA. Normalizing starvation and massacres: Flour Massacre Called ‘Aid-Related Deaths’—Rather Than Part of Israel’s Engineered Famine.
PUBLIC OPINION. In Japan, Opposition to restarting nuclear power plants has grown, especially among womenSECRETS and LIES. “Anonymous” claims it has infiltrated Israel’s nuclear plant in Dimona.

 AUKUS: Red flag for arms industry corruption. 		SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. US and Japan seek UN resolution calling on all nations to ban nuclear weapons in outer space.
Space tourists and crew suffer high radiation risks – regulation is needed to protect them.
To Mars and Back: Will NASA’s Ambitious Endeavor Be Worth It?
SPINBUSTER. The Lying Piper of Nukeland: the IAEA’s nuclear fairy tales are leading nations — and all of us — into climate catastrophe.
Zion Lights and her lying, climate-denying mentor Michael Shellenberger
TECHNOLOGY. The questionable promises behind new nuclear power.
WASTES. 100,000 years and counting: how do we tell future generations about highly radioactive nuclear waste repositories?
Japan finishes first-year ocean discharge of nuclear-tainted wastewater amid backlash.
Inside Fukushima: Eerie drone footage reveals first ever look at melted nuclear reactor with 880 tonnes of radioactive fuel still inside – 13 years after disaster.
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Opened 25 Years Ago; It Was Supposed to Close Next Week.		WAR and CONFLICT. Ukraine’s losses ‘in the millions’ – retired Polish general.
Atrocities. ‘We are the masters of the house’: Israeli channels air snuff videos featuring systematic torture of Palestinians		WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.How Biden’s budget plunged the Aukus submarines pact into doubt.
Can the U.S. Develop A Nuclear Bomb Without Ever Testing It? We’re About to Find Out.US Air Force tests very expensive third-stage rocket motor for next nuclear missile

NATO Builds Largest Europe Base Near Black Sea.
Nuclear weapons: France to restart tritium production with EDF.Nuclear Deterrence At Sea – France Begins Work On ‘Cutting Edge’ Nuke-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine.Canada to stop arms sales to Israel – Foreign Minister.
UK launches ‘national endeavour’ to reinforce nuclear deterrent. Iranian Cleric Calls For Nuclear Arms.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | , , , , | 2 Comments

UK Court to Decide Tuesday If Julian Assange Can Appeal Extradition

The decision will be issued at 10:30 am London time

by Dave DeCamp March 25, 2024,  https://news.antiwar.com/2024/03/25/uk-court-to-decide-if-julian-assange-can-appeal-extradition/

London’s High Court will rule on Tuesday whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the United States, where he would face trial for exposing US war crimes.

According to WikiLeaks, the written ruling is due to be delivered by 10:30 am London time.

Last month, Assange’s legal team presented its case for the appeal. His lawyers also introduced new evidence, including a bombshell report from Yahoo News that revealed the CIA in 2017, under Mike Pompeo at the time, considered kidnapping and even discussed assassinating Assange over WikiLeaks publishing detailed the CIA’s hacking tools, known as Vault 7.

Assange did not attend the two-day hearing due to his poor health, and he remains in London’s Belmarsh Prison, where he’s been held since 2019. Assange’s family and legal team believe he will die if extradited to the US.

The news of the High Court’s impending decision comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that the US was considering offering a plea deal to Assange and that Justice Department officials had preliminary talks with his legal team. However, Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said in response to the report that the US has “given no indication” that the US will take a deal.

Assange faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one charge for conspiracy to commit a computer intrusion for obtaining and publishing documents from a source, a standard journalistic practice. If Assange is convicted, it would set a grave precedent for press freedom in the US and around the world. A plea deal that criminalizes the journalist-source relationship could also set a dangerous precedent.

WikiLeaks has been asking Americans to put pressure on the Biden administration to stop its pursuit of Assange by contacting their House representatives and telling them to support H.Res.934, a bill introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) that calls for the US to drop the charges against Assange.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | Legal, UK | Leave a comment

UN Security Council ceasefire resolution a turning point in Gaza war

March 26, 2024, by: The AIM Network, m https://theaimn.com/un-security-council-ceasefire-resolution-a-turning-point-in-gaza-war/

Australian Council for International Development Media Release

Australia’s peak body for international humanitarian organisations welcomes the United Nations Security Council’s resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages as a crucial turning point in the war.

Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) CEO Marc Purcell said it marked a significant breakthrough despite the United States’ decision to abstain from voting.

“This passage of this binding resolution, following four failed attempts since the start of the war, shows global leaders are no longer willing to accept the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, many of them children, as collateral,” he said.

“The US’ decision to abstain is disappointing, particularly since it put forward its own failed proposal for a ceasefire just days ago. It is essential the US use its influence and relationship with Israel to obtain a permanent ceasefire.

“We are hopeful the passage of this resolution overnight marks a crucial turning point in the war that has killed nearly 32,000 civilians through bombing, starvation and dehydration.

“It is vital that both the state of Israel and militant groups immediately lay down arms to allow for the passage of humanitarian assistance, which is still being blocked from entry into Gaza, and the release of all hostages.”

ACFID is urging the Australian government to commit additional and ongoing funding for the humanitarian response in Gaza and the West bank, including for Australian non-government organisations providing lifesaving assistance.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, politics international | Leave a comment

BASE study: Alternative reactor concepts do not solve the repository problem

2024.03.21 https://www.base.bund.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/BASE/EN/2024/alternative-reactor-concepts.html

A new scientific study commissioned by the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) indicates that the market launch of alternative reactor concepts (also known as “Generation IV”) is currently not on the horizon.

“Despite some intensive advertising by manufacturers, we currently see no development that would make the construction of alternative reactor types on a large scale likely in the coming years. On the contrary: “From a safety perspective, we should expect the potential advantages of these reactor concepts to be outweighed by the disadvantages and the questions that remain unresolved,” says BASE President Christian Kühn, and emphasises that “The concepts solve neither the need to find a repository for radio-active waste nor the pressing issues of climate protection.”

The alternative reactor concepts, which include SMRs, are also often linked to the hope that they can minimise or even resolve the safety risks and disposal problems associated with nuclear power. To examine these claims, BASE commissioned the “Analysis and evaluation of the development status, the safety and the regulatory framework for so-called novel reactor concepts” study. The scientific work was carried out by the Öko-Institut, the Technical University of Berlin and the Physikerbüro Bremen.

“No alternative reactor type would make a repository superfluous”

The study analysed seven technology lines for alternative reactor concepts, which have been discussed internationally for many years, and are sometimes referred to as “fourth-generation reactors”. These include, for example, so-called lead and gas-cooled reactors, molten salt reactors and accelerator-driven systems. “Anyone who is euphoric about alternative reactor concepts today is ignoring unanswered questions and safety risks. As far as the safety of nuclear waste management is concerned, one thing is clear: no alternative reactor type makes the construction of a repository superfluous,” thus BASE President Kühn.

According to their developers, the reactors of the generation IV reactors will offer advantages over today’s nuclear power plants in terms of fuel utilisation, safety and reliability, economic efficiency and nuclear non-proliferation. Another advantage is said to be that less high-level radioactive waste is produced or that even existing waste can be disposed of with the help of these reactors.

The study compared the reactor concepts in terms of their safety, efficiency, proliferation resistance and fuel consumption.

“Individual technology lines could – with a systematic design – achieve potential advantages over today’s light water reactors regarding some of the criteria. However, none of the technology lines can be expected to have an overall advantage; in some areas, disadvantages compared to today’s light water reactors are also possible,” says Christoph Pistner of the Öko-Institut.

An analysis of six countries revealed as follows: “Even in an international context, alternative reactor concepts neither call into question the current trend towards light water reactors, nor do they represent a feasible, economical option for future energy supply,” says Christian von Hirschhausen of TU Berlin. “The study explains this on the basis of six detailed country studies (USA, Russia, China, South Korea, Poland, Belgium). Especially the United States, who are often the subject of public discussion, have not achieved any breakthroughs in the development of non-light water reactors, and have even cancelled previously announced inventions (“travelling wave reactor”).”

Findings of the study

The BASE-funded research project draws the following conclusions:

  1. State of development: All the concepts that are currently being discussed as belonging to the term “Generation IV” have been under development for decades, in some cases since the 1950s, and have not yet reached market maturity. There is still a considerable need for research and development. If the technical hurdles and safety issues can be resolved, further development would most likely take several decades. Against this background, we cannot assume that such reactor concepts will be used on a relevant scale by the middle of this century. In particular, individual country studies show that a system change from light water reactors to alternative reactor concepts ready for series production is not in sight.
  2. Waste generation: The alternative reactors would still generate high-level radioactive waste, some of which would be very different to the waste from light water reactors, for example because it would not be present as solid fuel elements but as molten salt. This would make waste treatment much more difficult, as current repository plans are generally not designed for this kind of waste. The volume of high-level radioactive waste could be reduced in conjunction with reprocessing technologies, but the volume of intermediate and low-level radioactive waste would increase significantly.

  3. Transmutation     properties:     Some of the reactor concepts studied could, in theory, be used to split (transmute) individual parts of the existing high-level radioactive waste. This would involve a great deal of effort over a long period of time. However, the foreseeable effect of these measures would only make a comparatively small contribution to reducing the space requirements of a repository and to its long-term safety. This is due, in particular, to the fact that the substances with the greatest impact on safety (long-lived fission products) are difficult to transmute, and are therefore not intended for this purpose.
  4. Regulations: The regulations of international organisations (e.g. IAEA) and national regulations (USA, Canada and the UK) examined in this study sometimes make very detailed, technology-specific provisions based on decades of operating experience with light water reactors. These regulations are, therefore, not directly applicable to the alternative reactor concepts studied. Revisions are currently underway, but due to a significantly lower level of operating experience, the time required to produce a similarly well-founded set of rules is likely to be very long.

  1. Transmutation     properties:     Some of the reactor concepts studied could, in theory, be used to split (transmute) individual parts of the existing high-level radioactive waste. This would involve a great deal of effort over a long period of time. However, the foreseeable effect of these measures would only make a comparatively small contribution to reducing the space requirements of a repository and to its long-term safety. This is due, in particular, to the fact that the substances with the greatest impact on safety (long-lived fission products) are difficult to transmute, and are therefore not intended for this purpose.
  2. Regulations: The regulations of international organisations (e.g. IAEA) and national regulations (USA, Canada and the UK) examined in this study sometimes make very detailed, technology-specific provisions based on decades of operating experience with light water reactors. These regulations are, therefore, not directly applicable to the alternative reactor concepts studied. Revisions are currently underway, but due to a significantly lower level of operating experience, the time required to produce a similarly well-founded set of rules is likely to be very long.

Conclusion: The expectation expressed both in public debate and by developers that the alternative reactor concepts can make a significant contribution to solving today’s problems in nuclear technology cannot be considered realistic in view of the current state of development of these systems and the actually proven and expected advantages and disadvantages of the individual technology lines.

The summary of the study results (in German only)

Conclusion: The expectation expressed both in public debate and by developers that the alternative reactor concepts can make a significant contribution to solving today’s problems in nuclear technology cannot be considered realistic in view of the current state of development of these systems and the actually proven and expected advantages and disadvantages of the individual technology lines

Studie zu alternativen Reaktorkonzepten

March 26, 2024 Posted by | technology | Leave a comment

Flour Massacre Called ‘Aid-Related Deaths’—Rather Than Part of Israel’s Engineered Famine -Normalizing starvation and massacres

If we compare corporate outlets to independent media, in which reporting was based on ground sources, humanitarian actors and aid workers, we find very different content.

ROBIN ANDERSEN,  https://fair.org/home/flour-massacre-called-aid-related-deaths-rather-than-part-of-israels-engineered-famine/ 22 Mar 24

Over 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded on February 29, when Israeli snipers opened fire on people approaching a convoy of trucks carrying desperately needed supplies of flour. The attack was quickly dubbed the flour massacre.

Corporate media reporting was contentious and confused, mired in accusations and conflicting details that filled the news hole, even as media downplayed the grave conditions in Gaza created by Israel’s engineered famine. With headlines layered in verbal opacity, the massacre prompted yet another egregious moment in media’s facilitation of Israel’s continuing genocide in Gaza.

Linguistic gymnastics

On the day of the massacre, the New York Times (2/29/24) published this contrivance:

“As Hungry Gazans Crowd a Convoy, a Crush of Bodies, Israeli Gunshots and a Deadly Toll”

It was met with ridicule as it slid across online platforms. Assal Rad (Twitter, 3/1/24), author and research director at the Iranian American Council, called the piece of work “a haiku to avoid saying Israel massacres Palestinians that they’re deliberately starving in Gaza.”

Another Times headline (2/29/24) read, “Deaths of Gazans Hungry for Food Prompt Fresh Calls for Ceasefire.” Nima Shirazi, co-host of the podcast Citations Needed  (Twitter, 3/1/24), noted that “the New York Times just can’t bring itself to write clear headlines when Israeli war crimes are involved.” Shirazi offered this revision: “Israel Slaughters Starving People as It Continues Committing Genocide.”

Professor Jason Hickel (Twitter, 2/29/24), along with Mint Press‘s Alan MacLeod (2/29/24), flagged the use of the neologism “food aid–related deaths” when it turned up in a Guardian headline (2/29/24): “Biden Says Gaza Food Aid–Related Deaths Complicate Ceasefire Talks.” MacLeod noted, “Virtually the entire Western media pretend they don’t know who just carried out a massacre of 100+ starving civilians.”

Linguistic gymnastics—a longstanding plague pervading Western media coverage of Palestine (FAIR.org, 8/22/23)—were so popular in news headlines and reporting that Caitlin Johnstone (Consortium News, 3/1/24) compiled a list of them, adding  “chaotic incident” (CNN, 2/29/24) and “chaotic aid delivery turns deadly” (Washington Post, 2/29/24) to those already mentioned.

Sana Saeed, media critic for Al Jazeera, decoded the latter kind of construction for AJ+ (3/29/24), arguing that such passive language has been used “consistently to sanitize the violence that a powerful state is unleashing against civilian populations.”

As the genocide enters its sixth month, media analysts, investigative reporters and social media users have become adept at recognizing pro-Israeli contortions and patterns of language that justify Israel’s war on Gaza. This has become an essential aspect in exposing Israel’s genocide.

‘Anarchy rules in Gaza’

The Economist (2/29/24), under the headline, “A New Tragedy Shows Anarchy Rules in Gaza: A Shooting and Stampede Kill 122 and Injure Hundreds,” went into the worst pro-Israel spin, with reporting that seemed to blame Palestinians for their own murders. Parroting Israeli press directives, the piece claimed Palestinians were killed by “trampling” each other in their own “stampede.”

The piece was written in literary prose: “Death descended on a coastal road in Gaza,” the reporter (not present at the scene) wrote. Then “catastrophe befell an aid convoy,” as if it merely happened upon bad luck.

Then the writer made a prediction: “As with many events in the war between Israel and Hamas, the facts are destined to remain fiercely contested.” That’s likely to come true, especially when major media outlets abdicate their responsibility for evaluating claims.

Timeline of changing denials 

Many other writers and journalists have documented the string of vacillating Israeli statements that help explain the contorted reporting. Al Jazeera reporter Willem Marx (Twitter, 3/1/24) traced a timeline of how the Israeli military changed its story over the course of the day.

The IDF began by claiming there had been trampling and pushing that led to injuries around the aid truck. Then, hungry Palestinians had “threatened their soldiers,” or “appeared in a threatening manner,” so the IDF shot at them. Later that day, Israeli officials claimed there were two separate incidents, one that involved trampling and the other that led to shooting. By the end of the day, they alleged only to have provided support to a humanitarian convoy, and that no shots were fired at all by the military.

When the BBC (3/1/24) verified that a video released by the Israeli military exhibited four unexplained breaks in the footage and was therefore invalid, the outlet still used the passive voice, referring in the headline to “Gazans Killed Around Aid Convoy.” One sentence of the detailed, confused article quoted Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Awadeyah: “Israelis purposefully fired at the men…. They were trying to get near the trucks that had the flour.” Earlier, however, Awadeyah was problematized when identified “as a journalist for Al Mayadeen, a Lebanon-based news station whose broadcasts are sympathetic to groups fighting Israel.”


Independent and international media 

If we compare corporate outlets to independent media, in which reporting was based on ground sources, humanitarian actors and aid workers, we find very different content.

Al Jazeera reporter Ismail al-Ghoul (2/29/24), who was at the scene of the massacre, said that “after opening fire, Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the dead and injured bodies. It is a massacre, on top of the starvation threatening citizens in Gaza.”

EuroMed staff (2/29/24) on the scene confirmed that the Israeli military had fired on starving Palestinians. EuroMed’s findings were summarized in a videotape by Palestinian news agency Quds News Network and posted by the Palestine Information Center (3/4/24).

Mondoweiss (3/4/24) reported details of the massacre from eyewitness accounts. One survivor recounted how an Israeli checkpoint “split the crowd in two,” preventing those who had entered the checkpoint from passing back to the northern side. Then Israeli soldiers opened fire on the crowd. International observers visited the injured survivors at al-Shifa’ Hospital, “confirming that the majority of wounds from the hundreds of injured people were due to live ammunition.”

In context of famine

Reporting in the alternative press also placed the massacre within the context of the rapidly increasing famine in Gaza.

The headline for the Electronic Intifada (2/29/24) read, “Palestinians Seeking Food Aid Killed as Israel Starves Gaza.” The outlet said an “engineered famine has taken hold in Gaza, with people resorting to eating wild plants with little nutritional value and animal feed to survive.”

Middle East Eye’s reporting (2/29/24) included the dire condition Palestinians are currently facing: “Much of Gaza’s population is on the brink of famine as a result of the Israeli blockade, according to the UN and other humanitarian organizations.”

The day of the massacre, Democracy Now! (2/29/24) opened its broadcast with a clear statement and the relevant context: “Israel Kills 104 Palestinians Waiting for Food Aid as UN Expert Accuses Israel of Starving Gaza.” Its first guest, UN special rapporteur on the right to food Michael Fakhri, said, “Every single person in Gaza is hungry.” He accused Israel of the war crime of intentional starvation. He emphasized that famine in the modern context is a human-made catastrophe:

At this point I’m running out of words to be able to describe the horror of what’s happening and how vile the actions have been by Israel against the Palestinian civilians.

Common Dreams (3/3/24) reported on Israel’s obstruction of aid convoys, and cited UNICEF on the deaths of children who died of starvation and dehydration at a hospital in northern Gaza as Israeli forces continue to obstruct and attack aid convoys, fueling desperation across the territory…. People are hungry, exhausted and traumatized. Many are clinging to life.

It concluded, “These tragic and horrific deaths are man-made, predictable and entirely preventable.”

In the days before the massacre, numerous outlets had been documenting the growing famine looming over Gaza. This is the material independent media made use of for contextualizing the massacre.

The New York Times, on the other hand, put the massacre into an entirely different context. A piece (3/2/24) headlined “Disastrous Convey Was Part of New Israeli Effort for More Aid in Gaza,” cited as confirmation “Western diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity.” It said that international aid groups “suspended operations” because of “rising lawlessness,” as well as Israel’s refusal to “greenlight aid trucks.” It blamed starving Gazans by claiming that aid convoys had been looted either by “civilians fearing starvation” or by “organized gangs.”

‘How is this not a bigger story?

As Common Dreams and Mondoweiss reported, the flour massacre was not the first time the IDF killed starving Palestinians, and it would not be the last. As Mondoweiss (3/4/24) put it: “In less than a week, Israel has committed several massacres against the hungry. On Sunday, March 3, Israel bombed an aid convoy, killing seven people”

Quds News Network (3/2/24) reported that Israel targeted hungry civilians again at Al Rasheed Street in northern Gaza while they were waiting for humanitarian aid. And  Quds (3/4/24) reposted Al Jazeera footage that captured the moments when Israel’s military opened fire at other hungry Gazans, this time at the Al Kuwait roundabout, as they looked for food aid.

Al Jazeera (3/6/24) continues to document the murders of Palestinians desperate for aid as they come under Israeli fire. On a longer videotape, a spokesperson for Human Rights Watch says these attacks violate ICJ orders:

The idea that these people are being killed as they scavenge for meager rations of food is just appalling, and is a reminder why there must be international immediate action to prevent further mass atrocities.

Following the Al Jazeera report, Assal Rad (Twitter, 3/6/24) expressed dismay:

Israeli attacks on Palestinians waiting for or attempting to get aid have repeatedly happened this week, yet there has been no media coverage since the massacre that killed over 100 people. Israel is attacking civilians it’s deliberately starving. How is this not a bigger story?

Over 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded on February 29, when Israeli snipers opened fire on people approaching a convoy of trucks carrying desperately needed supplies of flour. The attack was quickly dubbed the flour massacre.

Corporate media reporting was contentious and confused, mired in accusations and conflicting details that filled the news hole, even as media downplayed the grave conditions in Gaza created by Israel’s engineered famine. With headlines layered in verbal opacity, the massacre prompted yet another egregious moment in media’s facilitation of Israel’s continuing genocide in Gaza.

Normalizing starvation and massacres

Sana Saeed (Twitter, 3/4/24) observed

So just to be clear: Much like how Israel normalized attacking and destroying hospitals, and it was accepted by the international community, Israel is now normalizing shooting and killing the people it is starving as they seek food.

Media have failed to inform the US public on the horrific conditions experienced by starving civilians in Gaza. They blamed Palestinians for their own deaths, covering for the Israeli military as it carried out a massacre. They further dehumanized Palestinians by characterizing starving people as an unruly mob who trampled one another.

To paraphrase Patrick Lawrence (Floutist, 11/16/23) on the distortion of language in defense of Israel’s violence against Palestinians: It corrupts our public discourse, our public space, and altogether our ability to think clearly. This corruption is as vital as US bombs to the Israeli genocide against Palestine: Without these verbal distortions that justify, distract, deny and consume corporate information spaces, the genocide could not be carried out.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Oil company chief urges investment in fossil fuels, as world heats at a record pace

Talk about unfortunate timing. At the start of last week, the head of the
world’s largest oil company, Saudi Aramco, was applauded when he told the
CERAWeek energy conference in Houston it was time to “abandon the fantasy
of phasing out oil and gas”. Amin Nasser said the world needed instead to
invest in fossil fuels to meet demand at a time when the clean energy
transition was “visibly failing on most fronts”.

One day later, the head of the UN’s World Meteorological Organization, Celeste Saulo, received no applause for issuing a report that showed climate records had been not
just broken but smashed in 2023, the hottest year on record. More than 90
per cent of the world’s oceans suffered heatwave conditions, glaciers lost
the most ice on record and the extent of Antarctic sea ice fell to by far
the lowest levels ever measured.

To an extent not widely appreciated, the
world is now warming at a pace that scientists did not expect and,
alarmingly, do not fully understand. At a Financial Times conference this
month, Jim Skea, the chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, said last year’s spike in temperatures was “quicker than we all
anticipated”. “It was a surprise,” he said. “Ocean temperatures
were just off the scale in terms of historic records. It was completely
unusual and we still need to do more work to explain it.”

FT 24th March 2024

https://www.ft.com/content/6f858196-0a9c-4f0f-9720-a0a81849a998

March 26, 2024 Posted by | climate change | Leave a comment

UK’s Energy Regulator ,Ofgem, flags concerns over Sizewell C costs

 https://www.energylivenews.com/2024/03/21/ofgem-flags-concerns-over-sizewell-c-costs/

The energy regulator has highlighted concerns in a letter to the Energy Secretary regarding potential modifications to the Sizewell C project, emphasising the need for certainty in project costs

Ofgem has conveyed its concerns to the Energy Secretary regarding proposed modifications to the Sizewell C project’s Regulated Asset Base licence.

In a letter, Ofgem underscores the importance of certainty in underlying project costs and contracts for the economic regulatory regime’s fairness to consumers, taxpayers and potential investors.

The letter emphasises the need for thorough progress on all aspects of the project before implementing any licence modifications, especially in light of “challenges” faced by EDF with the construction of Hinkley Point C.

The energy regulator said: “It is important to ensure all aspects of the project are appropriately progressed before making licence modifications.

“This is especially pertinent given the ongoing challenges being experienced by EDF with the construction of Hinkley Point C, which shares many design elements with the proposed Sizewell C plant.

“When considering responses to this consultation, our expectation is that the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will continue to ensure that value for money for consumers is a priority consideration in any analysis and decision making around potential changes to the licence, and that any changes made are well justified and evidenced.

“In addition, it is vital that DESNZ also takes into account the effect of any potential changes on the overall operability of the licence and Ofgem’s ability to effectively discharge our obligations over time.”

March 26, 2024 Posted by | business and costs, ENERGY | Leave a comment

MPs claim Zelensky has total control of Ukraine – media

 https://www.rt.com/russia/594576-ukraine-parliament-crisis-zelensky-media/ 24 Mar 24

The president has reduced the national legislature to a tool for rubber-stamping his decisions, a major outlet reports

Ukraine is now essentially under the personal rule of President Vladimir Zelensky, leading Kiev news outlet Ukrainskaya Pravda (UP) reported on Wednesday. He has virtually stripped the national parliament – the Verkhovna Rada – of its powers and reduced it to a mere rubber-stamp body, UP outlined in a piece based on numerous interviews with Ukrainian MPs.

The Rada has long been tightly controlled by the presidential administration, according to UP. The outlet claims that Zelensky’s office is not only determining the priority of bills on the agenda but also deciding “whether the parliament should convene at all or its MPs should be promptly sent to the trenches.”

“The president’s office despises the parliament,” an unnamed senior MP reportedly said. Zelensky and his team believe his party – the Servant of the People – which holds a majority in the legislature, “would vote for anything” the president needs, according to the lawmaker.

Meanwhile, Zelensky is losing support within his own party, UP claimed. In the last parliamentary election in 2019, Servant of the People won 254 seats in the Rada. This number has been reduced to 235 due to lawmakers leaving the president’s party. Many of them, who are still formally considered members, skip parliamentary sessions, according to the outlet’s sources. Only between 170 and 180 Servant of the People MPs still actively vote on bills, the sources stated.

”First of all, everyone is tired of the war,” a senior lawmaker told UP. Members also understand they are “not influencing the developments in the state and see no role for themselves in the Rada or any sense of being there,” he said.

According to the article, the president’s faction in the parliament is on the verge of “total disorganization,” with MPs apparently ready to surrender their mandates and leave altogether. Dozens have already attempted to do so, UP reported, citing its sources. A “lion’s share” of members would also like to see the parliament dissolved, it added.

Zelensky deals with the parliament “from a position of power,” the UP report observed, and the parliament essentially works only when the president “needs something.” Otherwise, it is “unable to function” and the Ukrainian leader could not care less about it, the outlet wrote.

The absence of real power in the Rada also makes those on the other side of the aisle reluctant to take over the reins, according to the article. “Our ruling [party] has no power and the opposition avoids it as well,” an opposing politician said. He explained that “no one needs any authority or power” and everyone just thinks about escaping responsibility for current conditions in the country.

“We have a unique situation in Ukraine: one person decides everything,” another opposition MP complained. “There is one very specific decision-making center,” he said, referring to Zelensky.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | politics, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Iranian Cleric Calls For Nuclear Arms

 https://www.iranintl.com/en/202403243726

Mohammad Faker Meybodi, a faculty member at the Center for Islamic Sciences, has sparked controversy with his recent remarks advocating for the possession of nuclear arms.

Speaking on the historical context of military weaponry as outlined in the Quran, Meybodi emphasized the need for contemporary armaments to deter adversaries effectively.

“At the time when the verse related to military weapons was revealed in the Quran, the weapon of that era was the swords and spears… Today, it may be necessary for us to possess nuclear weapons to intimidate the enemy. We must equip ourselves with modern weapons,” Meybodi stated.

His statements contrast with the stance previously expressed by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who feigned to denounce the acquisition and use of nuclear weapons, citing religious prohibitions. Khamenei’s fatwa against nuclear arms dates back to the mid-1990s and has been reiterated on numerous occasions, emphasizing Iran’s commitment to “peaceful nuclear endeavors.”

Despite Iran’s assertions that its program is for civilian purposes, UN inspectors last year claimed Iran has accelerated its nuclear enrichment program.

In December, the UN’s atomic weapons watchdog agency, the IAEA, sounded alarm bells regarding Iran’s illicit enrichment of uranium. Tehran was reported to have reversed a months-long slowdown in the rate of uranium enrichment, reaching levels of up to 60-percent purity, approaching the approximately 90-percent threshold for weapons-grade uranium.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement reached in 2015, aimed to address these concerns by limiting Iran’s nuclear capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA in 2018 reignited tensions and cast uncertainty over the agreement’s future.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | Iran, politics | Leave a comment

Karma: After US vetoes 3 good UN ceasefire resolutions, its bad ceasefire resolution vetoed

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL , 24 Mar 24

The US watered down ceasefire resolution in Gaza failed to pass when the UN Security Council vetoed it. China, Russia and Algeria all cast vetoes compared to America’s lone veto in 3 previous non US sponsored ceasefire resolutions.

Why ‘watered down’?

It does not demand immediate ceasefire, just that ceasefire is “imperative.” It would require continued negotiations as promoted by the US designed to ensure Israeli priorities but none of the Palestinians. Nor is it permanent, with the implication that ethnic cleansing of Palestinians can continue if and when remaining hostages are released.

Furthermore, the resolution expresses no demand against, just “concern” that the impending Israeli invasion of Rafah, will cause major harm to the 1.5 million refugees sheltered there. But that’s meaningless happy talk when Netanyahu proclaims he’s ready to launch that grotesque invasion with or without US support.  

So the UN is back to Square One in the effort to end Israeli’s destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, , supported and enabled by their partner in genocide, America.

March 26, 2024 Posted by | Israel, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear ranks last on list of good investments by big institutions

Marion Rae, Mar 25, 2024,  https://reneweconomy.com.au/nuclear-ranks-last-on-list-of-good-investments-by-big-institutions/

Nuclear energy is last on the list of technologies that investors want exposure to, according to a survey of big financial institutions.

The vast majority of investors do not see nuclear power as a good investment, with less than one in 10 exploring this technology, the survey released on Monday found.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is spruiking nuclear reactors as an option for Australia’s future low-carbon economy although the energy source is illegal under existing laws and Labor has ruled it out.

Renewable energy is tipped to deliver the best long-term financial returns, with half the investors surveyed exploring opportunities to invest.

Investors have also become more confident about Australian climate policy under the Albanese government, according to the survey by the Investor Group on Climate Change.

“Investors have given the government a pretty good report card,” the group’s policy chief Erwin Jackson said.

But Australia will need globally competitive, targeted incentives to suit the nation’s economic strengths and values to stop “ongoing capital flight” to the United States and Europe where there are more generous tax breaks.

Clear timelines for the phase-out of fossil fuels by 2050 would also help investors manage transition risks and remain invested in the Australian economy, according to the group.

This year’s data includes 63 superannuation funds as well as other asset owners and managers, with more than $37 trillion in assets under management globally. Their beneficiaries include more than 15 million Australians.

Emerging priorities include clear timelines for phasing out coal, oil and gas and clear policies to build resilience and adapt to physical damage from climate change.

Opinions citing policy and regulatory uncertainty as a barrier to clean economy investment in Australia have changed dramatically, supported by four out of 10 investors compared with 7 out of 10 in 2021.

Renewable energy (47 per cent) was picked as the best option for long-term climate solutions, followed by nature-based schemes including biodiversity projects (34 per cent).

But investors are still in the dark on the federal government’s sector-by-sector decarbonisation plans for heavy polluters such as the energy, transport, agriculture and resources industries – and on the scope of the 2035 emissions reduction target.

“Credible and clear sector by sector decarbonisation plans to achieve a 2035 target with the highest possible level of ambition are critical for investment and it is critical to build on the steps already taken,” Mr Jackson said.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has said the 2035 target will be “ambitious and achievable”, with advice to come from Australia’s recently beefed-up Climate Change Authority.

The sectoral review by the authority has an August 1 deadline, and will be released shortly afterwards.

AAP

March 26, 2024 Posted by | business and costs | Leave a comment