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The Price of the Sentinel Nuclear Weapons Program Keeps Going Up—But the True Costs Are Even Higher 

 analysis of the root cause of the Sentinel’s ballooning cost estimates has not been released to the public.

policymakers have not made a compelling or coherent argument about how silo-based ICBMs make the country more secure.  

Because of their vulnerability, silo-based missiles can be destabilizing in a crisis.

August 14, 2024 Jennifer Knox,  https://blog.ucsusa.org/jknox/the-price-of-the-sentinel-nuclear-weapons-program-keeps-going-up-but-the-true-costs-are-even-higher/

Early this year, the Air Force notified Congress that the proposed Sentinel program—which would replace every single US nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and update related infrastructure—would be at least 37% more expensive than the previous estimate in September 2020. After another round of review, the program’s estimated costs have further ballooned to $140.9 billion, an 81% increase from the 2020 estimate.

The staggering growth in price triggered the Nunn-McCurdy Act, which was passed to give Congress and the public more oversight of out-of-control defense spending. Once a defense program exceeds its initial cost estimates by a certain percentage, the Department of Defense is required to notify Congress and provide information about the cost overruns.   

The most severe cases, however, also require the Department of Defense to conduct an investigation into the factors driving cost growth. The program in question will be automatically terminated unless the department certifies that: 

the program is essential to national security, 

the increased costs are reasonable,  

the program is more important than other programs that will need to be cut to cover cost increases, andprogram managers will be able to control additional costs.

On July 8, the Department of Defense certified that the Sentinel program met all relevant criteria to continue. Unfortunately, its analysis of the root cause of the Sentinel’s ballooning cost estimates has not been released to the public. This leaves several outstanding questions for the public, which limits the ability of the Nunn-McCurdy Act to achieve its goal of effective oversight. 

What are driving cost increases in the Sentinel program?

During a press conference, Undersecretary of Defense William A. LaPlante said there were “reasons, but no excuses” for the cost growth of the Sentinel program, but provided few details. The majority of cost growth has been attributed to the program’s “command-and-launch segment, which includes extensive communications and control infrastructure” that allow US ICBMs to be launched within minutes of an order.  

But there is evidence that mismanagement contributed a great deal to the Sentinel’s explosive costs.  Aerospace and defense company Northrup Grumman was awarded a sole-source contract for the program in 2020. Since then, the company has experienced staffing problems, delays with clearance processing, information technology infrastructure challenges, and supply chain disruptions, according to a 2023 report from the Government Accountability Office.  

Relying on a single contractor has obvious risks, and the Pentagon failed to intervene when Northrup Grumman’s performance fell below standards. Representative Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said, “There’s gross malfeasance here both by the people who oversee the project and the contractor.” 

What defense programs will be cut to make room for the Sentinel program?  

One of the requirements of the Nunn-McCurdy act is for the Department of Defense to evaluate which programs will be reduced to cover the increased costs of the Sentinel program. As part of its review, the department certified that the Sentinel program is a higher priority than those that would need to be cut as a result.  

Yet there is no indication of what programs will be cut—or even if the Department of Defense made concrete assessments about such trade-offs in the first place. While the overall budget for the program has exploded, the Associated Press reports that, “The majority of the cost increases to the Sentinel program will take place outside of the next five fiscal years of budget planning, meaning no difficult choices on program cuts will need to be made immediately.”  

This attitude of kicking the can down the road is not unusual in defense planning, but it means that the consequences of the Sentinel’s cost overruns on national security remain to be seen.

What alternative solutions were considered?

Part of the root-cause analysis required by the Nunn-McCurdy Act is an evaluation of “reasonable alternatives to the program.” Without access to the report, the public cannot know which, if any, alternatives were considered because of the Sentinel program’s cost overruns.  

In 2014, the Air Force completed an Analysis of Alternatives to the Sentinel program, which included the possibility of extending the life of the current fleet of US ICBMs rather than replacing them entirely. This report has not been released publicly either, so we cannot know exactly what metrics or assumptions were involved. But based on its analysis, the Air Force concluded that a full replacement of US ICBMs was the “’most cost-effective option’ for nuclear modernization.” 

When its Analysis of Alternatives was conducted, the Air Force estimated that replacing US ICBMS would cost $60 billion. Since then, the price tag has increased by more than 134% to the current estimate of $140.9 billion. This certainly warrants a re-investigation of alternatives, especially since the justification for the Sentinel program was its supposed cost advantage.

Is the Sentinel program actually essential to national security?  

The biggest unresolved question is the most important—and demands the full attention of our leaders. Whether the Sentinel program has been mismanaged or whether there are cheaper alternatives, policymakers have not made a compelling or coherent argument about how silo-based ICBMs make the country more secure.  

The United States traditionally maintains three different ways to deliver nuclear weapons to a target: by air from bombers carrying cruise missiles or gravity bombs, by sea from submarines carrying ballistic missiles, and by land from silos containing ICBMs. This three-pronged structure is referred to as the nuclear triad, and proponents argue that each “leg” of the triad brings different characteristics to the table.

In the case of the Sentinel and its predecessors, what distinguishes it from other options is its fragility. Compared to aircraft and submarines, the silos that house these missiles are sitting ducks, easy to target and destroy by an adversary’s nuclear forces.

Because of their vulnerability, silo-based missiles can be destabilizing in a crisis. Since they are such obvious, fixed targets, a decisionmaker has very little time to decide whether to use these weapons in a conflict—or during a false alarm. This pressure shortens decisionmaking time and requires the missiles to be on high alert at all times.  

Advocates for the land-based leg of the nuclear triad often rebrand this weakness as “responsiveness,” but a hair trigger is a liability that increases the risk of accidental use and escalation.  

The Pentagon’s policymakers have failed to offer the public their vision for how silo-based nuclear missiles improve US security, instead repeating the same empty platitudes about nuclear deterrence. Because it offers no strategic value and introduces unacceptable risks, the Sentinel program should be cancelled, regardless of its cost. One penny is too much to spend on weapons that are unsafe and unnecessary.

August 16, 2024 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Fans of peace call for nuclear-free Northeast Asia

 https://cathnews.com/2024/08/14/fans-of-peace-call-for-nuclear-free-northeast-asia/

A three-nation Catholic peace meeting in Japan has appealed for an end to militarisation and nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia. Source: UCA News.

In a joint press statement on August 10, the participants of the Catholic Peace Forum at Nagasaki also released the “Nagasaki Appeal for Peace”, seeking peace and reconciliation in the region.

In his keynote address, Bishop Emeritus Peter Kang U-il of Jeju, co-president of Pax Christi Korea, recalled the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II and urged Christians to denounce militarisation.

“Political leaders who believe in and promote security through nuclear weapons in the face of such human tragedies can only be seen as prisoners of madness, incapable of normal thinking,” Bishop Kang said.

“It is up to Christians, who know and practice the peace of Christ, to constantly criticise and call attention to such illusions and beliefs so that they may be awakened.”

This year’s forum, themed “Nagasaki Catholic Peace Forum for a Nuclear Weapon-Free World,” was attended by more than 40 participants from Japan, South Korea, and the US.

Bishops of Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and Santa Fe dioceses were among the forum participants.

The forum was held as part of the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Japan and the first anniversary of the Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, which was launched on August 9, 2002.

The forum’s appeal consisted of five “Key Asks” that were aimed at reducing militarisation and nuclear weaponry and promoting reconciliation in the region.

The forum urged to stop and reject militarisation and the arms race, a peace treaty among parties to the conflicts on the Korean peninsula, and ratify and implement the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, among others.

The forum also called for the promotion of a Common Security Framework and the Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone and reconciliation among the nations and peoples of the countries of past conflicts.

FULL STORY

Catholic forum seeks nuclear-free Northeast Asia (UCA News) 

August 16, 2024 Posted by | Japan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

EDF cuts nuclear production in reaction to soaring temperatures

euro news, By Eleanor Butler,  14/08/2024

The energy provider insists there are no looming safety risks as three French regions face heatwave warnings.

EDF has reduced its electricity production at nuclear sites in France in response to soaring temperatures.

Three reactors are currently affected, although the energy provider has said “there is no safety risk”.

A reactor located at the Bugey nuclear power plant, a site near Lyon, has been closed since 12 August. 

Also near Lyon, the Saint-Alban nuclear plant has experienced production cuts since 11 August, and similar measures are being taken at the Tricastin site. This is located in the South East of France, north of Avignon.

Heat-related incidents aren’t a new complication for EDF but rather a recurring problem, as exemplified when the firm published a climate change action plan last month……

High temperatures can interfere with nuclear processes as reactors are heavily reliant on water.

Heat from nuclear reactions is used to transform water into steam, which then drives turbines to produce electricity.

Another current of water, outside of the closed loop system, is then drawn from surrounding rivers to cool the reactor…..

During periods of extreme heat, this can produce a number of complications.

If surrounding water sources are warmer than usual, reactors cannot be cooled as efficiently.

French regulations also prevent sites from discharging water that is too hot back into rivers and lakes, to avoid the accidental killing of fish and other wildlife.

EDF told Euronews that it had temporarily reduced production to “respect regulations relating to thermal discharges”.

The firm explained that “discharge limits are established individually for each plant” by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).

Three departments in France are currently affected by heatwave warnings, with storms now replacing hot weather in some areas. https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/08/14/edf-cuts-nuclear-production-in-reaction-to-soaring-temperatures

August 16, 2024 Posted by | climate change, France | Leave a comment

‘The dumbest climate conversation of all time’: experts on the Musk-Trump interview

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hnob7-jaUu0%3Fsi%3DnUxPuVtPt0Czz8y_

Trump talked about ‘nuclear warming’ while Musk said the only reason to quit fossil fuels is that their supply is finite

Oliver Milman, Wed 14 Aug 2024  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/13/trump-musk-x-climate

Donald Trump and Elon Musk both made discursive, often fact-free assertions about global heating, including that rising sea levels would create “more oceanfront property” and that there was no urgent need to cut carbon emissions, during an event labeled “the dumbest climate conversation of all time” by one prominent activist.

Trump, the Republican US presidential nominee, and Musk, the world’s richest person, dwelled on the problem of the climate crisis during their much-hyped conversation on X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Musk, on Monday, agreeing that the world has plenty of time to move away from fossil fuels, if at all.

“You sort of can’t get away from it at this moment,” Trump said of fossil fuels. “I think we have, you know, perhaps hundreds of years left. Nobody really knows.” The former US president added that rising sea levels, caused by melting glaciers, would have the benefit of creating “more oceanfront property”.

Trump, who famously once called the climate crisis a “hoax”, also said it is a “disgrace” that Joe Biden’s administration did not open up a vast Arctic wilderness in Alaska to oil drilling, claimed baselessly that farmers are having to give up their cattle because of climate edicts and that a far greater threat is posed by the prospect of nuclear war.

“The one thing that I don’t understand is that people talk about global warming or they talk about climate change, but they never talk about nuclear warming,” Trump pondered during the exchange.

Musk, meanwhile, said it was wrong to “vilify” the oil and gas industry, the key driver of planet-heating pollution, and that the only imperative to ditch fossil fuels was that they will one day run dry.

“If we were to stop using oil and gas right now, we would all be starving and the economy would collapse,” said Musk, who is also chief executive of the electric car company Tesla. “We do over time want to move to a sustainable energy economy because eventually you do run out of oil and gas.

“We still have quite a bit of time … we don’t need to rush and we don’t need to like, you know, stop farmers from farming or, you know, prevent people from having steaks or basic stuff like that. Like, leave the farmers alone.”

Musk said the main danger of allowing carbon dioxide to build up in the atmosphere was that at some point it will become difficult to breathe, causing “headaches and nausea” to people. This would occur with CO2 at about 1,000 parts per million of the Earth’s atmosphere, more than double the current record-breaking concentrations.

Scientists have been clear that current global temperatures are hotter than at any point in human civilization, and probably long before this time too, which is causing mounting disastrous impacts in terms of heatwaves, droughts, floods and the destruction of the natural world.

Governments have agreed to restrain the global temperatures rise to 1.5C above the preindustrial era, with researchers warning of cascading catastrophes beyond this point. The world faces the steep task of rapidly cutting emissions in half this decade, and then to net zero by 2050, to avoid these worst impacts.

Despite Trump’s claims of new beaches, sea levels are rising faster along the US coastline than the global average, with up to 1ft of sea level rise expected in the next 30 years – an increase that equals the total rise seen over the past century, US government scientists have found.

Instances of significant flooding have risen by 50% since the 1990s, with millions of Americans set to be affected as homes, highways and other infrastructure are inundated. In Florida, where Trump has his own coastal property at Mar-a-Lago, several insurers have decided to exit the state due to the increasing costs of flooding from the rising seas and fiercer storms.

Trump and Musk’s discussion on the climate crisis, therefore, “spelunked down into entirely new levels of stupidity”, according to Bill McKibben, a veteran climate activist and co-founder of 350.org. McKibben wrote it was “the dumbest climate conversation of all time”.

“The damaging impacts of climate change, and in particular from more extreme weather events, such as wildfires, floods, heatwaves, more intense hurricanes, are actually in many respects exceeding the predictions made just a decade ago,” said Michael Mann, a leading climate scientist and author. “It is sad that Elon Musk has become a climate change denier, but that’s what he is. He’s literally denying what the science has to say here.”

Mann said that if CO2 levels get so high breathing becomes difficult, then the impacts of the climate crisis “will be so devastating as to have already caused societal collapse. It’s actually Elon’s ill-informed and ill-premised statements that are causing headaches and nausea.”

Mann added that Trump’s statement that sea level rise will lead to more oceanfront property “does not betray a lack of understanding of climate physics. It betrays a lack of understanding of grade school geometry.”

During his election campaigning, Trump has routinely denigrated electric vehicles but has recently changed his stance towards them after an endorsement from Musk, who previously described himself as a moderate Democrat.

Trump, the former president convicted of 34 felonies, has vowed to undo the “lunacy” of Biden’s climate policies should he return to the White House, with his presidency expected to unleash a glut of new oil and gas drilling, accelerate gas exports and remove the US, once again, from the Paris climate agreement.

August 16, 2024 Posted by | media | Leave a comment

Data centers want to tap existing nuclear power. Is that good or bad?

Tech giants are working to divert round-the-clock nuclear power to massive new data centers. Regulators and climate advocates are concerned.

Canary Media, By Jeff St. John, 14 Aug 24

Across the U.S. East Coast, nuclear power plant owners are proposing marriages to tech giants who are both desperate for electricity to fuel their massive data-center expansion plans and publicly committed to using clean energy. The proposals go like this: Build data centers that connect directly to our round-the-clock, carbon-free nuclear power, and secure long-term financial and clean-energy benefits for the both of us.

The companies looking to tie the knot say these are matches made in heaven. But a growing number of critics are objecting at the altar.

The first such announcement came in March, when Amazon Web Services agreed to spend $650 million to buy an existing 960 megawatt data center campus that’s already hooked up to Talen Energy’s 2.5 gigawatt Susquehanna nuclear power plant in northeastern Pennsylvania. Several similar proposals are in the works, with nuclear power plant owners Constellation Energy, Vistra, Dominion Energy, and Public Service Enterprise Group eyeing prospects, according to company statements and analyst reports.

Nuclear energy and tech company trade groups say these ​“colocation” projects will bring stability to a nuclear industry that provides the country’s largest share of zero-carbon energy. By allowing data centers to circumvent the overtaxed U.S. grid and get online faster, these linkups will also bolster U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence and other high-tech fields, they say, positioning the deals as a partial solution to the problem of meeting fast-rising electricity demand from industrial customers.

…mounting scrutiny from energy analysts and climate advocates, who fear that a rush to divert existing zero-carbon nuclear energy to power-hungry data centers could end up raising ratepayer bills, reducing grid reliability, and increasing power sector emissions overall.

Those are the risks outlined in a July blog post by Jackson Morris, director of state power sector policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. ​“We’re not anti–data center and anti–load growth,” Morris told Canary Media. ​“But we want to make sure that actions being taken don’t lead to negative impacts in terms of emissions reductions or costs to consumers.”

Lawmakers and regulators in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are raising similar concerns……………………..

When a new data center comes online, new electricity generation has to be built — either to support the facility directly or to plug the massive hole created when the data center siphons off electricity from an existing power source.

Unless those data center owners can build enough clean energy to make up that gap, that replacement power will largely come from existing fossil-fueled power plants………………………………………………………………………………………………….more https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/nuclear/data-centers-want-to-tap-existing-nuclear-power-is-that-good-or-bad

August 16, 2024 Posted by | ENERGY | Leave a comment

Iran’s future FM says nuclear deal broken, favors military-diplomatic path

Niloufar Goudarzi, Iran International, 14 Aug 24

Iran’s foreign minister-designate has dismissed the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal as irreparable, advocating instead for a strategy that blends military force with diplomacy, according to an Iranian MP.

Abbas Araghchi, who has openly aligned himself with IRGC values, firmly rooted in anti-Western and anti-Israel stances, is currently defending his proposed action plan in parliament, where he seeks approval as the nominated minister.

Speaking after Araghchi’s parliamentary session, MP Mohsen Fathi quoted him as stating, “The JCPOA is beyond revival. In the new government, our focus is not on restoring the nuclear deal but on lifting the sanctions. We are dedicated to a strategy integrating diplomatic efforts with military strength.”

It is not clear how Tehran wants to have the sanctions lifted without a nuclear agreement, unless Araghchi was referring to using diplomatic-military pressure on the United States.

In 2015, Iran and global powers signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to limit Iran’s nuclear activities for sanctions relief. In 2018, then-president Donald Trump withdrew, claiming it failed to address Iran’s missile program. Since then, efforts to revive the JCPOA have involved indirect talks, with European diplomats mediating between US and Iranian officials.

Araghchi’s remarks mirrored those of the outgoing Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri-Kani who asserted in July that the primary objective of the JCPOA was lifting sanctions………………………………https://www.iranintl.com/en/202408142991

August 16, 2024 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Latest leak accident in Fukushima ‘once again exposes management chaos of TEPCO’

By Liu Xin Aug 14, 2024  https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202408/1318029.shtml
The recent report of 25 tons of radioactive water leaking from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)’s troubled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant once again exposes TEPCO’s internal management chaos. It also highlights the unreliability and risks associated with Japan’s moves to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea, analysts said. 

Approximately 25 tons of water containing radioactive materials leaked into the spent fuel cooling pool of Reactor Unit 2 in the Fukushima plant. TEPCO has stopped water injection into the pool and is investigating the cause of the leak. To ascertain the precise location of the leak and its underlying cause, TEPCO plans to deploy robotic equipment for an inspection scheduled for this week, Japanese media NHK reported on Tuesday.  

Although TEPCO claims that there has been no discharge into the outside environment, the report raises concerns about Japan’s current practice of dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea given TEPCO’s notorious history of cover-ups related to the Fukushima disaster, analysts said. 

This incident exposes TEPCO’s internal management chaos and disorganization. Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences said that both TEPCO and the Japanese government bear major responsibility for handling the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater and should be transparent about any incident that has occurred in Fukushima. 

Despite using the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s report as a shield, Japan continues to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean, disregarding objections from neighboring countries and calls for international oversight. If this attitude continues, it could lead to further catastrophic incidents, causing severe and irreversible damage to the ocean and the environment, Lü told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

As of press time on Wednesday, IAEA has not responded to Global Times’ inquiries on the incident. 

This is not the first time this has happened in the Fukushima plant. In February, approximately 5.5 tons of wastewater, which may contain 22 billion becquerels of radioactive materials such as cesium and strontium have leaked from equipment at the nuclear power plant. Also, in October, 2023, five workers were accidentally splashed with liquid containing radioactive materials while cleaning at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to Japanese media. 

On August 7, despite persistent opposition at home and abroad, Japan started its eighth round of dumping of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. In response, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan said in a statement that Japan is irresponsibly shifting potential pollution risks onto the entire world. It is continuously discharging nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean without addressing international concerns about the safety of the discharge, the long-term reliability of the purification equipment and the effectiveness of monitoring arrangements. 

The spokesperson urged Japan to fully cooperate in establishing a comprehensive, independent and effective long-term international monitoring arrangement involving relevant stakeholders, including neighboring countries. 

August 16, 2024 Posted by | Fukushima continuing, safety | Leave a comment

Peace Is Not On The USA Ballot In November

Caitlin Johnstone, Aug 15, 2024,  https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/peace-is-not-on-the-ballot-in-november?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82124&post_id=147730515&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1ise1&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

I keep seeing liberal commentators like George Takei trying to frame Kamala Harris as the best candidate to bring peace to the middle east, despite her coming directly out of the administration which has been lighting the region on fire with its insane warmongering.

So let’s be clear here: Peace is not on the ballot in November. Americans are voting for Red War or Blue War. That’s it. Those are the choices.

I repeat: Peace. Is. Not. On. The. Ballot. Nobody who stands an actual chance at winning is going to bring about peace, because the US president is a manager of the US empire, and the US empire depends on constant warmongering.

Any debates over whether Trump or Harris are the one to bring about peace are nonsensical, because neither of them are. It’s like arguing over which car salesman might start handing out free cars — that’s not the job. It’s not what the people who have that job do.

Americans don’t get to vote on changes to US foreign policy; that can only come by way of mass-scale direct action. These elections are here to give Americans the illusion of democratic control and to let them feel okay about their political systems so they don’t start thinking about revolution. It’s all about feelings, so if you want to vote then vote in whatever way makes your feelings feel nice. That’s all this performative spectacle is ever about.

All this murderousness will only come to an end when enough people use the power of their numbers to force it to end, and people will only use the power of their numbers to force it to end when enough of them have awakened from their propaganda-induced coma to get a real revolutionary movement happening.

So that’s where the focus needs to be. Not on which empire manager you should vote for, but on sowing the seeds of revolution by showing as many people as you can that everything they’ve been trained to believe about their nation, their government and their world is a lie. Showing them how depraved their rulers are and how badly they’re being screwed over by exploitative status quo systems, and letting them know that a better world is possible.

There’s always something you can do every day to help accomplish this. Attending demonstrations. Participating in activist organizations. Distributing literature, online and offline. Making videos. Making memes. Having conversations. Today I saw a video of a young woman on a train giving a short speech about the genocide in Gaza and distributing flyers. Anything you can do to spread awareness of what’s really going on and how the media and politicians are lying about it all.

So the bad news is that not until a critical mass of people have reached a sufficient level of awareness will there be a real chance at meaningful change. But the good news is that you absolutely have the power to work towards expanding that awareness.

August 16, 2024 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

NATO Countries Think Ukraine Won’t Be Able To Hold Territory in Russia’s Kursk

Biden called Ukraine’s ground invasion in Kursk a ‘real dilemma’ for Putin

by Dave DeCamp August 13, 2024  https://news.antiwar.com/2024/08/13/nato-countries-think-ukraine-wont-be-able-to-hold-territory-in-russias-kursk/

NATO countries think it’s unlikely Ukraine will be able to hold territory in Russia’s Kursk Oblast even if it takes weeks for Russian forces to drive the Ukrainians out, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing a Western intelligence official.

Despite that assessment, the report said NATO doesn’t “harbor reservations” about Ukraine’s invasion of Russian territory, which the US and NATO claim they were unaware of until the attack started. Another NATO official told Bloomberg that the incursion shows Ukraine can challenge Russia.

Heavy fighting has been raging in Kursk since over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers and dozens of armored vehicles, including many provided by the US, entered Russian territory last Tuesday. While Ukrainian forces have captured dozens of villages, they are also taking heavy losses.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that in the past day, Ukraine lost 420 soldiers and said it had lost over 2,000 since the invasion started, although the numbers are not confirmed since Kyiv doesn’t release information on its casualties.

The invasion is seen as an attempt by Ukraine to gain leverage in future negotiations. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said Tuesday that Ukraine was not interested in “taking over” Russian territory. “The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace… the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defenses forces into Russia will stop,” he said.

While the US claims it was unaware of Ukraine’s plans to invade Kursk, it is also strongly backing the invasion by allowing Ukrainian forces to use US weapons. President Biden was asked about the offensive on Tuesday and said it was a “real dilemma” for Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The US-backed operation, which is the largest invasion of Russia since World War II, marks a significant escalation of the proxy war and risks a major Russian response. Putin has said he views the incursion as the West using Ukrainians to attack Russia.

August 16, 2024 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Half a billion children live in areas with twice as many very hot days as in 1960s

Unicef analysis also finds children in eight countries spend more than half the year in temperatures above 35C

 Almost half a billion children are growing up in parts of the world where
there are at least twice the number of extremely hot days every year
compared with six decades ago, analysis by Unicef has found. The analysis
by the UN’s children’s agency examined for the first time data on
changes in children’s exposure to extreme heat over the past 60 years. As
the planet continues to warm, people worldwide are facing more frequent and
severe climate threats such as extreme heat and heatwaves. Children are
more vulnerable to such hazards.

 Guardian 14th Aug 2024

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/14/half-a-billion-children-live-in-areas-with-twice-as-many-very-hot-days-as-in-1960s

August 16, 2024 Posted by | climate change | Leave a comment

NFLA’s send ‘very best of luck’ to Peace Museum on reopening in historic Salts Mill

13th August 2024
https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/nflas-send-very-best-of-luck-to-peace-museum-on-reopening-in-historic-salts-mill/

Saltaire is a village in West Yorkshire that has much to commend it to visitors. It is a World Heritage Site, four miles north of Bradford, which was built by enlightened industrialist Sir Titus Salt in the 19th century. Now the village has one more attraction for the curious to experience – the UK’s only dedicated Peace Museum.

NFLA and Mayors for Peace Secretary Richard Outram was quick to send a note to the trustees, staff, and volunteers to wish them ‘the very best of luck for your reopening today (10 August) and for a successful future in your new premises…The Peace Museum does an incredible job in educating the public about the history of the peace movement and in raising their awareness of the importance of peace in their lives, in their communities, and between nations. That importance has become even more self-evident in recent days with race riots in many of our major towns and cities.’

The Peace Museum is unique in the UK in covering peace history, non-violence, and conflict resolution.

After a four year gap, the Peace Museum has moved from central Bradford to the third floor of the historic Salts Mill, eponymously named after the village’s employer and benefactor. The new home of the Peace Museum is fully-accessible and it can be reached by regular trains which stop at Saltaire Railway Station.

The renovated space will include a newly developed permanent exhibition which explores the often-untold stories of peace, peacemakers, social reform and peace movements. Visitors will be able to see objects from the Museum’s unique collection of 16,000 items, including banners that were originally used at Greenham Common Peace Camp and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s original drawings of the now well recognized peace symbol. It will also share personal stories of people’s motivations to campaign for peace and the impacts of conflict.

The new Museum will also have temporary exhibitions, an education space, research facilities and a shop.

This development, move, and re-opening have been made possible through the support of various funders, grants, and donations from supporters. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has enabled the creation of a new engaging and accessible exhibition and educational programmes. Generous capital funding has been received from Bradford 2025 and Bradford City Council, and other financial backers include the Key Fund, Art Fund, Association of Independent Museums, Pilgrim Trust, Museum Development North and Arts Council England.

The Peace Museum has a presence on Facebook – peacemuseum.org.uk – where it is possible to subscribe for a regular newsletter.

The Peace Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Entry is free, but donations are gratefully received and encouraged.

August 16, 2024 Posted by | culture and arts, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) welcome developments to move forward to an early poll in Theddlethorpe

 NFLA 13th Aug 2024

NFLAs welcome developments to move forward to an early poll in Theddlethorpe

The NFLAs have welcomed recent developments to move towards an early Test of Public Support of the proposal to bring a Geological Disposal Facility to Theddlethorpe in East Lincolnshire.

Nuclear Waste Services, a division of the taxpayer-funded Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, is seeking to identify a potential site for the GDF in West Cumbria or in Lincolnshire. The GDF would be the final repository for Britain’s legacy and future high-level radioactive waste. Most of this is currently in storage at Sellafield. Any final decision on the location of the nuclear waste dump would be based on two key factors – the suitability of the geology and the willingness of the community to accept it.

In Theddlethorpe, the shock revelation that the former Conoco gas terminal was being considered as a surface site generated an immediate public response. An opposition group, the Guardians of the East Coast, was soon formed and members now work with supportive elected Councillors to oppose the plan.

Amongst the Labour, Green and independent members elected in May 2023 on a platform of opposing the GDF, Theddlethorpe Councillor Travis Hesketh and Sutton on Sea Councillor Robert Watson have been active in championing the need for an early ballot to determine public support for the plan. The two Leaders of East Lindsey District Council and Lincolnshire County Council have already agreed to hold a poll in 2025, but at the last meeting of East Lindsey District Council, the two Councillors brought a further motion to commit the authority to back a local ballot within twelve months or otherwise withdraw from the process.

Under the government’s established procedures for determining public support for a GDF, Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council are deemed to be ‘Relevant Principal Local Authorities’ with the right to decide when a ‘Test of Public Support’ should be held. However, the Community Partnership, which provides limited oversight to the process, determines the boundaries of the ‘Potential Host Community’, the geographic area within which the residents are eligible to participate in any test, and determines the nature of the ‘Test of Public Support’, which does not have to be a public referendum.

At the East Lindsey District Council meeting, the motion was carried, but with an amendment proposed by the Council Leader. Councillor Colin Leyland said he had now come round to supporting an earlier poll in principle, but with certain caveats; namely that the boundary of the ‘Potential Host Community’ be first defined and subject to Nuclear Waste Services being given an additional twelve months to provide more information to residents impacted by the proposal. Councillor Leyland indicated that, if after a year, no poll had been held and NWS engagement efforts remained unsatisfactory, he would recommend to his Executive that Council withdraw from the process. This would be subject to a review by the Council’s Overview Board.

After this amended motion was carried, the NFLA Secretary wrote to David Fannin, the newly elected Chair of the Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership, urging him to consider as his ‘urgent workstreams’ defining the Potential Host Community and preparing to hold a local referendum as a Test of Public Support.

The NFLAs have now received Mr Fannin’s response; in it the Community Partnership Chair said: ‘The Community Partnership will continue to press NWS (Nuclear Waste Services) to make this (open and transparent dialogue) a priority and produce information for the local community and supports the local authorities’ ambition for an early Test of Public Support. I can assure you that activities that lead to determining the Potential Host Community and preparing for the Test of Public Support are the top priority for the Community Partnership

In a second interesting development, newly elected Louth and Horncastle MP, Victoria Atkins, has invited her constituents to complete an online survey in which they are asked whether and when they would like to see a referendum on the GDF and who they would like to see invited to participate in such a ballot. Ms Atkins circulated a letter just before the General Election in which she made a welcome affirmation that she had ‘always argued for a swift conclusion to this and will support local residents in their quest for a prompt referendum’. In the preamble to her survey, Ms Atkins stated that ‘I will back the call for a public vote within the next 12 months if this is the will of the majority of constituents in Theddlethorpe’. 

The NFLAs hope that as many Theddlethorpe residents will participate in the survey. We look forward to hearing the result and hope that it will reflect a local desire to hold a referendum within twelve months and limit participation to those local residents who are directly affected.

A letter was sent by the NFLA Secretary to Ms Atkins the day after the general election is which the MP was asked ‘to use (her) influence as the local MP to speak with your Conservative colleagues, the Leaders of East Lindsey District Council and Lincolnshire County Council, to urge the Leader of East Lindsey District Council to throw his support, and that of his Conservative Group, behind (the recent) motion and for the Leader of Lincolnshire County Council to indicate his support for its aspirations, either to hold a poll by 2025 or withdraw from the process’. The letter remains unanswered.

Ends://… For more information, contact NFLA Secretary Richard Outram by email at richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk or by telephone on 07583 097793

August 16, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hinkley Point B: What happens after a nuclear power station stops making electricity?

After shutting down in 2022, the job now is to carefully
remove tonnes of nuclear waste to be transported for storage at Sellafield
in Cumbria. The team is halfway through that task with one reactor empty
and one more to go.

I was given exclusive access to the power station,
getting the chance to travel deep within the bowels of the building and see
something few people outside EDF Energy get to – the cooling ponds, where
spent fuel is cooled down before being sealed for transport and storage.
there will be another couple of years to finish defuelling operations, then
EDF hands this place over to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as the
painstaking job of decommissioning will continue for many years.

 ITV 13th Aug 2024

https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2024-08-13/what-happens-after-a-nuclear-power-station-stops-making-electricity

August 16, 2024 Posted by | decommission reactor, UK | Leave a comment