TODAY. The Anglophone nations ganging up to dominate the rest of the world, mindlessly obeying the USA
What is it with this sychophantic obedience and grovelling to the USA? Does it come from memories of World War 2, or more likely, memories of how Hollywood portrayed World War 2? Many a Hollywood film, over the decades, told the glorious story of how America won the war, and saved the rest of us. In reality, that just was not true at all, for Britain, but partially true for Australia.
Then there was The Bomb – hastily dropped on Japanese civilians – despite Japan about to surrender anyway. But that wasn’t to save us, to end the war. It was done to intimidate the Russians.
Anyway, 79 years later, the danger is not the evil foreigners who don’t speak English. The danger is above all, the existence of nuclear weaponry itself. And this danger is now being landed especially on the Anglophone nations.
In the UK , only 3 weeks after Keir Starmer and the Labour Party took over, Labour amended the Eisenhower-era 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) that is crucial to Britain’s Trident nuclear missile system. Officials deleted a long-standing sunset clause that required it be renewed every ten years. All references to an “expiry date” have been removed “to make the entirety of the MDA enduring, securing continuing cooperation with the US”
This change, quietly made, with no discussion in Parliament, let alone any public information, ensures that Britain will continue to host American nuclear weapons technology , and as always, slavishly follow the USA into its next military adventure, whatever that may be.
The UK’s most dangerous sites would include Lakenheath , the UK’s largest American air force base , and the Clyde Trident nuclear base. What enticing targets for America’s enemies in time of war!
If the USA is using Britain (and Europe) to position these dangerous nuclear targets, its moves into the whole continent of Australia are even more breath-takingly bold. There’s always been the secret 5 Eye base at Pine Gap – but now – increasing military bases in Northern and Western Australia, and the nuclear submarine sage unfolds -with its potential to turn Australia into a USA/UK nuclear military waste dump.
What these Anglophone peoples don’t seem to “get” – is that nuclear military technology – if it ever was for “defence” has now become the biggest threat to our safety.
A crisis at Kursk?
IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, duly went off to visit the Kursk site, to remind whoever is listening from either side that having a war around nuclear power plants is frightfully inconvenient when your agency is busy telling the world how safe the technology is and how badly we need more of it.
Linda Pentz Gunter, 2024 https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2024/09/01/a-crisis-at-kursk/
The Russian war against Ukraine now threatens to envelop one of its own nuclear power plants, writes Linda Pentz Gunter
IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, visited the threatened Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia last week, but continues to promote nuclear power expansion.
The trouble with nuclear technology, of any kind really, is that it depends on sensible and even intelligent decisions being made by supremely fallible human beings. The consequences of even a simple mistake are, as we have already seen with Chornobyl, catastrophic.
To add to the danger, nuclear technology also relies on other seemingly elusive human traits, beginning with sanity but also something that ought to be — but all too often isn’t —fundamentally human: empathy. That means not wanting to do anything to other people you wouldn’t want to endure yourself. But of course we see humans doing these things every day, whether at the macro individual level or on a geopolitical scale. We just have to look at events in Congo, Gaza, Haiti, Sudan; the list goes on.
And of course we cannot ignore what is playing out in Ukraine and now Russia. Because of the war there, dragging on since Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, we remain in a perpetual state of looming nuclear disaster.
Currently, the prospects of such a disaster are focused on Russia, where that country’s massive Kursk nuclear power plant is the latest such facility to find itself literally in the line of fire as Ukrainian troops make their incursion there in response to Russia’s ongoing war in their country.
But we cannot forget the six-reactor site at Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine either, embroiled in some of the worst fighting in that country, the plant occupied by Russian troops for more than two years and also perpetually one errant missile away from catastrophe.
Ukraine relies heavily on nuclear power for its electricity supply, with 15 reactors in all at four nuclear power plants, when all are fully operational. In 2023, even as the war raged around the nuclear sites, Ukraine was still providing a little over half of the country’s electricity from nuclear power.
Russia is far more dependent on natural gas, a product it also exports, and only draws just over 18 percent of its electricity needs from its estimated 37 reactors, situated at 11 nuclear sites.
There are also some fundamental technological differences between the Zaporizhzhia and Kursk nuclear power plants themselves. Kursk, like Zaporizhzhia, is also a six-reactor site, one of the three largest nuclear power plants in Russia. (Zaporizhzhia is not only the biggest nuclear power plant in Ukraine but also Europe’s largest.)
But while Zaporizhzhia is made up of six Russian VVER reactors, more akin to the pressurized water reactors used in the United States and much of Europe, the Kursk reactors are of the old Soviet RBMK design.
This is the same model as the Chornobyl unit that exploded in 1986, irradiating land across Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and much of Europe, contamination that persists in many areas today.
Alarmingly, because the Kursk RBMK reactors lack a secondary containment dome, they are even more vulnerable to war damage than Zaporizhzhia’s.
Furthermore, unlike Zaporizhzhia, where all six reactors are fully shut down — making a meltdown less likely but not impossible — two of Kursk’s reactors are still running. And the Russians have already told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that they found the remains of a drone just over 300 feet away from the Kursk nuclear plant. Ukraine has of course denied responsibility for any attempted assault on the plant just as Russia has disavowed accusations it tried to attack the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site.
IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, duly went off to visit the Kursk site, to remind whoever is listening from either side that having a war around nuclear power plants is frightfully inconvenient when your agency is busy telling the world how safe the technology is and how badly we need more of it.
However, like a helpless pre-school teacher with naughty toddlers, Grossi’s only recourse appears to be to tell both the Russians and Ukrainians repeatedly to stop. And since he can’t exactly take away their candy, and in fact has no “or else” to implement, they simply ignore him.
Most of us do still feel empathy for those whose lives we watch extinguished each night as ever more horrific news reports pour in from the countries where war and strife have become a seemingly endless and unstoppable ordeal.
Most of us don’t want another Chornobyl, either, for Ukrainians, for Russians or for anyone. And since we can’t rely on human beings to use nuclear power responsibly, this is one “toy” we have to take away.
Linda Pentz Gunter is the international specialist at Beyond Nuclear and writes for and edits Beyond Nuclear International. Her forthcoming book, Hot Stories. Reflections from a Radioactive World, will be published in autumn 2024.
US arms advantage over Russia and China threatens stability, experts warn
Academics say vulnerability of the two countries’ nuclear launch sites makes dangerous mistakes more likely
Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor, https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/05/us-arms-advantage-over-russia-and-china-threatens-stability-experts-warn
The US and its allies are capable of threatening and destroying all of Russia and China’s nuclear launch sites with conventional weapons, creating what two experts describe as a potentially unstable geopolitical situation.
Prof Dan Plesch and Manuel Galileo, from Soas University of London, describe a “quiet revolution in military affairs” reflecting increased US military power relative to Moscow and Beijing, particularly in missile technology.
They argue that this could create the conditions for a fresh arms race as China and Russia try to respond – and even create a risk of miscalculation in a major crisis as either country could resort to launching nuclear weapons to get ahead of the US.
In a paper published on Thursday, Plesch and Galileo write that the US has “a plausible present day capacity with non-nuclear forces to pre-empt Russian and Chinese nuclear forces” – giving it a military edge over the two countries.
There are, the authors estimate, 150 Russian remote nuclear launch sites and 70 in China, approximately 2,500km (1,550 miles) from the nearest border, all of which could be reached by US air-launched JASSM and Tomahawk cruise missiles in a little more than two hours in an initial attack designed to prevent nuclear weapons being launched.
“The US and its allies can threaten even the most buried and mobile strategic forces of Russia and China,” the authors write, with an estimated 3,500 of the JASSM and 4,000 Tomahawks available to the US and its allies.
New developments also mean that JASSMs (joint air-to-surface standoff missiles) can be launched on pallets, using the Rapid Dragon system, from unmodified standard military transport aircraft, such as the C-17 Globemaster or C-130 Hercules.
“Our analysis predicts that only Russian mobile and Chinese deeply buried strategic systems may be considered at all survivable in the face of conventional missile attacks and are far more vulnerable than usually considered,” they add.
Plesch and Galileo argue there is insufficient public discussion about the strategic capabilities of the US if there were to be a major confrontation, arguing that debates about a conflict involving Russia and China tend to be focused on regional dynamics, such as the war in Ukraine or a possible invasion of Taiwan.
“US global conventional firepower is underestimated, which threatens both the realities and the perceptions of strategic stability,” they write, adding that any hybrid use of nuclear weapons alongside conventional missiles would complicate an already fraught picture.
Though few believe a major confrontation between the US and either Russia or China is possible, the invasion of Ukraine has dramatically increased global uncertainty. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, warned in March that Moscow would be willing to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence was threatened.
The two authors argue that a strategic concern is whether Russia or China fear the US’s military capabilities to the point where they justify a new arms race. “The US 2024 Threat Assessment itself highlighted Chinese fear of a US first strike as motive for Chinese nuclear arms buildup,” they said.
The strength of the US conventional missile capabilities is such that it “pressures Russia and China to put their missiles on hair trigger”, ready to be launched immediately, the authors write. “The US would be on the receiving end for any mistaken launch one of them makes,” they add.
Last year, China began deploying a small number of nuclear weapons – a total of 24 – with their launchers, according to research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute – and the US warned it may have to increase the size of its deployed warheads in response.
Plesch and Galileo warn that the changes in military power come at a time when arms control is declining. In 2019, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces arms control treaty, which had prohibited the US and Russia from having ground-launched missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500km, was allowed to lapse – leaving both sides to redeploy them.
They argue the emerging situation justifies a renewed focus on arms control, as suggested by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, in July 2023, when he called for a special session of the UN general assembly to be held on disarmament.
Inside UK Labour’s plans for a new nuclear age
Before the end of the year, Ed Miliband is expected to announce the next
phase of Britain’s nuclear power revival. The energy secretary has
inherited decisions on two major programmes that could help bring forward a
new nuclear age in the UK — Sizewell C in Suffolk and a fleet of mini
nuclear plants around Britain.
In its election manifesto, Labour lent its
support to nuclear as playing an important role in the shift towards clean [?]
power and improving energy security.
Sceptics of ambitions to build out
Britain’s nuclear industry point towards the delays and budgeting
difficulties that have beset Hinkley Point C as a bad omen for expanding
the UK industry.
The developers have called out the 7,000 design changes it
was forced to make to its reactors by the Office for Nuclear Regulation to
adapt the reactors to UK safety standards, increasing the amount of
concrete and steel needed and pushing up costs.
The project has also been
caught up in wrangling with the Environment Agency and it is still in
dispute over how to best deter fish from swimming near the site and getting
sucked up into its cooling systems.
There is believed to be a £5 billion
funding gap, but CGN’s liability for the project is capped at £6
billion, which leaves the French state on the hook. A fixed, albeit
inflation-linked, subsidy of £92.50 per megawatt-hour (in 2012 prices) was
agreed when Hinkley was signed off, so any increase in costs falls on
shareholders, rather than directly on bill payers.
A final investment decision on [Sizewell C] had been expected by the summer. The hope now is that the project might get the green light before the end of the year, but
there is speculation that it may slip into next year. The government is
expected to launch a new generation of mini nuclear power plants across the
country.
The selection process is being run by Great British Nuclear, an
arm’s-length body set up under the previous government to drive nuclear
deployment. Five ventures, including Rolls-Royce and GE-Hitachi, a joint
venture between GE Vernova, the American energy equipment manufacturer, and
Hitachi, the Japanese conglomerate, have submitted bids for £20 billion in
taxpayer funding.
The plan is to whittle down the list to three or four
designs by the end of this month, with the winning bids chosen before the
end of the year. It is hoped that the chosen technology providers will take
a final investment decision by 2029.
The first small modular reactor is not
expected to be generating electricity before 2035, not in time to
contribute towards Labour’s 2030 net zero goals. Miliband has said the
new government will “strive” to keep to the timetable previously set
out.
When the winning mini nuclear plant designs are chosen, they will be
assigned an operating site by Great British Nuclear. There are eight sites
currently approved for nuclear development in the UK, including Wylfa in
Anglesey, the Sellafield site in Cumbria and Heysham in Lancashire. A deal
in March with Hitachi brought two sites — Wylfa and Oldbury-on-Severn in
Gloucestershire — back under government ownership.
Moorside, which is adjacent to the Sellafield facility is also state-owned, which makes all
three likely potential sites for the first small modular reactors (SMRs).
Rolls-Royce, which is considered a frontrunner in the selection process,
has previously said it has identified four potential parcels of land,
including Oldbury and Moorside, as its preferred locations. However, it is
envisioned that for small modular reactors to fully realise the benefits of
scale, development on more new sites will be needed.
Looser planning rules
are expected to allow these reactors almost anywhere outside built-up
areas.
Times 4th Sept 2024
African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP per year with climate change, a new report says
By MONIKA PRONCZUK, September 3, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/africa-climate-change-flooding-droughts-af5beebf70f414098ad2a4a73a19b76c
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — African nations are losing up to 5% of their GDP every year as they bear a heavier burden than the rest of the world from climate change, a new report said Monday after one of the continent’s hottest years on record.
The World Meteorological Organization said many African nations are spending up to 9% of their budgets for climate adaptation policies.
“Over the past 60 years, Africa has observed a warming trend that has become more rapid than the global average,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, warning that it is affecting everything from food security to public health to peace.
Africa is responsible for less than 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But it is the most vulnerable region to extreme weather events including droughts, floods and heatwaves, the WMO said.
The new report focuses on 2023, one of Africa’s three hottest years on record. It urged African governments to invest in early warning systems as well as meteorological services. If adequate measures are not put in place, up to 118 million Africans will be exposed to droughts, floods and extreme heat by 2030, the report warned.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the costs of adapting to extreme weather could be $30-50 billion per year over the next decade, the report estimated.
The effects of climate change have been harrowing. Between September and October 2023, approximately 300,000 people across West Africa were affected by floods, the report said. Zambia experienced the worst drought in 40 years, affecting nearly 6 million people.
The pattern of extreme weather events in Africa continues in 2024, experts said.
In the Sahel region south of the Sahara, flooding has affected over 716,000 people this year, according to the United Nations. In Mali, authorities last week declared a national disaster over floods which have affected 47,000 people since the beginning of the rainy season.
West Africa experienced an unprecedented heat wave earlier this year that led to a surge in deaths.
Iran desperately needs a nuclear deal to save its battered economy
The Islamic Republic has few good options – a nuclear accord 2.0 may be its best hope
By Michael Day, iNews 4th Sept 2024
Iran appears increasingly willing to scale back its nuclear weapons programme in return for sanctions relief to rescue its stricken economy. This might explain Tehran’s reluctance to retaliate hard against Israel’s alleged assassination of a senior Hamas figure.
The delay in Iran’s threatened retribution for the provocative killing of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July has been explained in part by Tehran’s willingness to allow negotiators to pursue peace talks between Hamas and Israel.
America’s increased naval presence in the region with aircraft carriers and a guided missile-capable submarine might also have made the regime in Tehran think long and hard about how it should respond to Haniyeh’s killing……………………
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, allowed the election of a moderate president, Masoud Pezeshkian, in July, after deciding that a degree of rapprochement and thereby sanctions relief with the West was badly needed to tackled Iran’s dire economic situation and the social unrest that it – along with the regime’s brutality – has created.
………………………now Azizi thinks: “Iran is seriously interested in pursuing agreements with the West that could help it lift sanctions and this is indeed a priority for it. The return of the JCPOA [2015 nuclear deal] triumvirate (Iran’s nuclear negotiators Mohammad Javad Zarif, Abbas Araghchi, Majid Takht-Ravanchi) indeed speaks to that”.
The nuclear deal was concluded with world powers in 2015 under Iran’s former president Hassan Rouhani – an accord ripped up by the Trump administration in 2018.
Underlining the regime’s desire to use a freeze in its nuclear programme as a bargaining chip, Pezeshkian is, according to reports in state media, about to appoint the nuclear negotiations specialist Takht-Ravanchi to a senior role in the foreign affairs department.
The news comes a week after Iran’s supreme leader suggested that his country might resume nuclear negotiations with the US.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….there is of course the seismic matter of the US election result, which is likely to have a huge bearing on America’s willingness to deal with Tehran. Nothing concrete will be agreed on before then. https://inews.co.uk/news/world/iran-nuclear-deal-sanctions-relief-economy-3258961
Developing a plan B for nuclear power in Washington, to cope with global heating
Modern Power Systems Tracey Honney September 3, 2024
elieving that waterways used as cooling sources for nuclear power plants could get warmer due to climate change, climate scientists and nuclear engineering specialists at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory are joining forces to develop a plan B for nuclear power in Richland, Washington.
The plan is to use Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) funding from DOE to work with Energy Northwest to inform the design and selection of future nuclear reactor cooling systems and assess their impacts on electricity cost………………………………….
Vilim notes that the most economic and best source of cooling is a local, flowing waterway, such as a lake or a river, used to provide “wet” cooling. That’s the approach employed at Washington’s nuclear power plant, the Columbia generating station in Richland. The Columbia generating station provides roughly 8% of the state’s electricity. It relies on a steady, cool flow of water from the Columbia River.
However, when considering construction of future nuclear power plants, Energy Northwest thought it prudent to develop a contingency plan if the river conditions change. Despite the relatively wet climate of its most populous city, Seattle, Washington state is quite temperate and arid east of the Cascade mountain range. There, Washington state is characterised by hot summers and cool winters. If changing climate models indicate that hotter, drier days lie ahead, more aridity will affect the volume, flow and temperature of the Columbia River.
………………………………….“One of the biggest changes in the USA is going to be how precipitation like rain, snow and other precipitation events happen,” Kotamarthi said. “We may have really intense events with large amounts of rainfall in a very short time, followed by periods of no rain. These flash floods and flash droughts will make managing water a completely different task.” https://www.modernpowersystems.com/analysis/developing-a-plan-b-for-nuclear-power-in-washington/
Netanyahu ‘torpedoed’ Palestinian peace talks – CNN
https://www.rt.com/news/603450-netanyahu-derails-gaza-peace-talks/ 3 Sept 24
The Israeli prime minister has insisted on keeping troops in southern Gaza, along the Egyptian border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining an Israeli military presence in Gaza could undermine ongoing peace talks and jeopardize the release of hostages, CNN reported on Monday.
Officials from the administration of US President Joe Biden have reportedly been discussing ways of pushing the ceasefire and hostage deal forward, the outlet wrote. Peace efforts intensified following the discovery of six bodies, including that of an American-Israeli citizen, in an underground tunnel in the enclave over the weekend.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Biden said his administration was “very close” to proposing a “final” hostage deal to both sides.
In a press conference in Jerusalem on the same day, however, Netanyahu vowed that Israel would not relinquish control over a strategic 14km strip of land along the Gaza-Egyptian border known as the Philadelphi corridor. An Israeli military presence there is vital to ensure victory over Hamas, he claimed.
In reaction to the statement, a source familiar with the discussions in Washington told CNN that “this guy [Netanyahu] torpedoed everything in one speech.”
The Israeli prime minister’s stance on the Philadelphi corridor has emerged as a key obstacle to a ceasefire deal. According to CNN sources familiar with the negotiations, Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining troops in Gaza represents a change in position.
The Israeli proposal for a hostage release and ceasefire deal with Hamas, which was submitted in May and negotiated with the help of Qatar, Egypt and the US, contains no mention of Philadelphi. Israel added its continued presence in the corridor as a “non-negotiable” condition in July.
Hamas has accused the Jewish state of prolonging negotiations by issuing new demands. Lead Hamas negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Jazeera on Sunday that there would be no deal without the Israeli military withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor.
Netanyahu’s latest comments also drew ire from the Israeli opposition and the families of the hostages who remain trapped in Gaza.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid dismissed the Israeli leader’s statements as “unfounded political spin,” arguing that Netanyahu’s new condition “has no relation to reality.”
The Hostages Families Forum said the prime minister’s remarks showed “that he does not intend to return the hostages.”
Hostilities between Israel and Hamas flared up when the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,100 people and taking more than 200 others hostage. Some were later released through prisoner swaps or were rescued by the Israeli army. According to Israel, Hamas is still holding 103 people captive in Gaza.
The massive military retaliation by Israel has claimed nearly 41,000 lives, mostly women and children in the enclave, according to Palestinian health officials.
UK suspends 30 arms exports to Israel over Gaza war crimes concerns
Arms campaigners and human rights groups welcome ban, but say move does not go far enough
MIDDLE EAST EYE, By Dania Akkad and Imran Mulla, 2 September 2024
The UK has suspended 30 arms export licences to Israel following a review under the new Labour government which found that British-made weapons may have been used in the violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
Arms campaigners and rights advocates who have pressed for a full suspension of arms sales to Israel for months welcomed the decision, but criticised the continued export of F-35 fighter jet components which one called “a workhorse of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign”.
The suspension, announced by Foreign Secretary David Lammy in parliament on Monday, covers components for other types of military aircraft, including fighter planes, helicopters and drones. Around 320 other licences, including for items for civilian use, remain in place.
Under its arms exporting criteria, the government is obligated to suspend licences for arms exports if it determines that there is a clear risk that British weapons might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law.
“Facing a conflict such as this, it is this government’s legal duty to review export licences,” Lammy told MPs. ………………………………….
Lammy also said the government was “deeply concerned” about reports of mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, which the International Committee of the Red Cross has not been able to investigate after being denied access.
“My predecessor and major allies have raised these concerns,” he said of the detainees. “Regrettably, these have not been addressed satisfactorily.”
He added that Britain would continue to support Israel if it was under attack, particularly from Iran, announcing fresh sanctions against three members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. …………
‘Took too long, not far enough’
The announcement cames hours before two organisations which have challenged the UK government in the High Court over the continued exports were set to pursue fresh legal action in an attempt to force the exports to stop immediately.
Lawyers with the UK-based Global Legan Action Network (Glan) and the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq said they told the government last week of their intent to request an emergency order and had planned to do this at a Tuesday morning hearing.
But late on Monday, the organisations said they would now consider whether the announced ban was “extensive enough to meet the gravity of the situation and assess whether further litigation remains necessary”………………………………………
Without F-35 components included in the ban list, campaigners and human rights groups which have called for a blanket end of UK arms exports to Israel sales for months said the announcement fell short…………………………………………………………………. more https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-suspends-30-arms-exports-israel-over-gaza-war-crimes-concerns
Complex compensation scheme represents tacit admission that nuke dump causes blight.
Viewers familiar with the advice of TV house-hunters, Kirsty and Phil will
know that the ‘Location, Location, Location’ of a property relative to
local amenities and beauty spots is often a major determinant of price.
Imagine then how crestfallen an eager would-be purchaser on the show would
be to discover that the seaside home of their dreams they had just viewed
might in the future be blighted by a massive mining project akin to
building the Channel Tunnel, into which the UK’s most deadly stockpile of
radioactive waste would be deposited for eternity?
The UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities would be completely unsurprised that such news might cause prospective buyers to back out or make an offer for the property
which is substantially below the asking price.
This has been the fear of
some prospective property owners wishing to sell their homes in the three
Search Areas in West Cumbria and East Lincolnshire where investigations by
Nuclear Waste Services are currently underway to determine if these might
be the ‘location, location, location’ for their Geological Disposal
Facility.
NFLA 2nd Sept 2024
A staggering £5.5bn more of our taxpayers’ money to be thrown at this white elephant, Sizewell C nuclear
A Stop Sizewell C spokesperson said: “At a time when the overarching
message from the Labour government is that there is no money, this is an
extraordinary statement. Sizewell C has already chewed through £2.5bn, and
now we learn that there is the potential for a staggering £5.5bn more of
our taxpayers’ money to be thrown at this white elephant. “Labour
complained about a black hole in the country’s finances yet now they are
proposing to dig still further. Where would this cash come from?”
New Civil Engineer 2nd Sept 2024, https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/sizewell-c-to-receive-up-to-a-further-5-5bn-of-taxpayer-cash-02-09-2024/
Israel’s nuclear arsenal poses major threat to global peace’
Tehran Times, September 5, 2024
TEHRAN – Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Amir Saied Iravani, has said that the Israeli regime is threatening countries in the West Asia region with “nuclear annihilation”, warning the regime’s nuclear arsenal poses a significant threat to both regional and global peace and security.
Iravani made the comment on Wednesday as he was addressing the UN General Assembly on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.
The following is the full text of his speech at the UN meeting:
“……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… In commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests, Nuclear-Weapon States (NWSs) should be mainly addressed, as they possess the capability to conduct such tests, with approximately 2,000 tests carried out since 1945, including 1,054 by the US alone.
At a time when all nuclear-armed states are planning to modernize, upgrade, or extend the life of their nuclear weapons and facilities, as well as develop new easy-to-use nuclear weapons, ending nuclear weapon testing is of outmost importance………………………………………………………………………………..
Commemoration of this day is also an opportunity for international community to make Israeli regime promptly accede to the NPT without any precondition and to place all of its nuclear facilities under the full-scope IAEA safeguards. The current situation is alarming, as the Israeli regime is threatening other regional countries with nuclear annihilation, and its nuclear arsenal poses a significant threat to both regional and global peace and security.
By observing this day, we should also renew our commitment to the noble goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons- the only absolute guarantee against the threat or use of these inhumane weapons.
As a signatory to the CTBT, the Islamic Republic of Iran considers this treaty a step toward nuclear disarmament, and in this context, believes it cannot substitute for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Consequently, nuclear disarmament must remain a top priority for the international community, and all forms of nuclear testing must be unequivocally prohibited. Such tests contradict both the letter and spirit of the CTBT and, more importantly, violate the legal obligations of the Nuclear-Weapon States under Article VI of the NPT. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/503272/Israel-s-nuclear-arsenal-poses-major-threat-to-global-peace
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