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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Moltex’s prospective buyer ends attempt to raise $50M for purchase.

Ontario-headquartered Nuclea Energy Inc. instead merges with telemedicine company selling erectile dysfunction treatment in move to access capital quicker

Adam Huras, Aug 06, 2026, https://tj.news/new-brunswick/moltexs-prospective-buyer-ends-attempt-to-raise-50m-for-purchase#comments-area

The company that was in talks to buy Saint John-based Moltex Energy Canada has ended its attempt to raise $50 million.

It was money Ontario-headquartered Nuclea Energy Inc. was going to use, in part, to purchase the New Brunswick small modular nuclear reactor startup’s technology, which has spent more than a year stalled in its parent company’s receivership.

Instead, in a twist, Nuclea Energy has announced it is merging with a telemedicine company based in Dallas, Texas, that sells lifestyle medications online, specializing in erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and weight management treatments.

It’s being framed as a way to get Nuclea access to capital quicker.

Meanwhile, the heads of both Nuclea and Moltex say negotiations toward a purchase continue, despite the new flurry of moves.

“We are still in exclusive negotiations with Nuclea,” Moltex CEO Rory O’Sullivan said in an email.

Asked what the impact of the new moves mean to those talks, O’Sullivan directed questions on funding sources and plans to Nuclea.

In an email, Nuclea president Sagar Sanghera stated that “at this time, we are still in exclusivity with Moltex,” without answering further questions on how a deal would be financed.

Brunswick News reported in April that Moltex was on the verge of being sold to another advanced nuclear technology startup for $11.5 million.

The pending sale to Nuclea, although still yet to be finalized, was revealed in that company’s filing for an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

Nuclea stated in documents filed that it was to use the proceeds from the selling of shares, in part, for the acquisition of the distressed assets from Moltex Energy Limited, the British parent company of the New Brunswick SMR developer that went for sale last year as part of a U.K. insolvency proceeding amid money trouble.

That specifically includes Moltex’s efforts in New Brunswick to build a small modular reactor that converts existing nuclear waste into carbon-free energy through a proprietary recycling process.

It’s as Nuclea is also developing its own prospective technology.

What it calls a “morpheus micro reactor,” a factory-fabricated SMR designed to fit within a transportable container for use in remote locations, was also to benefit from the money raised through an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

Nuclea’s filing in April was to raise $50 million by offering 5.6 million shares at a price range of $8 to $10.

But that has now abruptly ended.

Last Friday, Nuclea withdrew its plans for an initial public offering.

Nuclea did so while announcing the merger.

A press release from the company states it has entered into a “definitive business combination agreement” with Mangoceuticals, Inc.

It’s a company that describes itself as “focused on developing a variety of men’s health and wellness products and services via a secure telemedicine platform.”

“To date, the company currently offers pharmaceutical-based products specifically related to the treatments of erectile dysfunction, hair growth, hormone replacement therapies, and weight management,” it states.

It delivers those treatments through its subsidiary Mango and Peaches Corp., and its brand, MangoRx.

But now, in its own release announcing the deal, Mangoceuticals states it’s pivoting to “bring Nuclea’s lead-cooled Morpheus Microreactor to the public markets amid surging power demand from AI and data centres.”

“The scale of capital being committed to power the AI build-out is enormous, and we believe advanced nuclear and micro reactors will be a critical part of how that demand is met,” said Mangoceuticals CEO Jacob Cohen in a release.

Mangoceuticals is already listed on the American stock exchange.

Releases from both companies are clear that the transaction is intended to provide Nuclea with that public listing on the Nasdaq to get better access to capital in order to accelerate the development of its reactor.

Neither release makes mention of Moltex.

“As a public company, we expect to have the capital access and visibility to advance Morpheus toward first-of-a-kind delivery and to execute on our commercialization roadmap,” Nuclea CEO Josef Freundorfer said in the company’s release.

“This agreement gives Nuclea a faster path to the public markets at a defining moment for our industry.”

Azets Holdings Ltd., the accounting firm serving as the insolvency administrator for the UK-based parent company Moltex Energy Ltd., also confirmed that talks to sell assets to Nuclea continue.

“Sale negotiations with the preferred purchaser remain ongoing,” spokesperson Shaun Staff said in an email.

August 7, 2026 Posted by | business and costs, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors | Leave a comment

Hiroshima marks 81st atomic bomb anniversary as mayor deplores the pursuit of nuclear weapons

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, 6 August 2026, https://www.dailymail.com/wires/ap/article-16032643/Hiroshima-marks-81st-atomic-bomb-anniversary-mayor-deplores-pursuit-nuclear-weapons.html

TOKYO (AP) – Hiroshima on Thursday marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with its mayor criticizing major powers for waging wars and urging them to stop justifying the possession of nuclear weapons as a method of deterrence.

“Downplaying the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and accepting the use of force to pursue one´s own prosperity risk cycles of violent retaliation that could ultimately result in another Hiroshima or Nagasaki,” Mayor Kazumi Matsui said.

Too many political leaders still consider nuclear deterrence a realistic approach and legitimize violence, which “simply pushes a world without nuclear weapons further into the distance,” Matsui said in his peace declaration at the ceremony at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. He also called on each citizen to learn lessons from the past and take action.

About 50,000 people, including representatives from some 120 countries and regions including the United States and Iran, were to attend the ceremony. A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at 8:15 a.m., the time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on the city.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who attended the memorial for the first time as prime minister, said she will take “a realistic approach” toward achieving a world where nuclear weapons are never used, within the framework of the United Nations’ treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

This year´s ceremony comes at a time of looming speculation that Takaichi´s hawkish government, which supports the idea of nuclear deterrence, may ease Japan´s postwar three non-nuclear principles when it compiles new security and defense documents later this year.

Takaichi has advocated a review of the principles for a possibility of dropping the third one – of not permitting nuclear weapons to be brought into the country.

Takaichi said Japan has maintained its postwar three non-nuclear principles, but fell short of expressing commitment for sticking with that policy into the future.

Survivors have expressed frustration and worry over growing support for the possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence by the international community, including Japan.

Japan is under the protection of U.S. nuclear umbrella and has repeatedly sought Washington’s reassurance for its commitment and a stronger protection. Because of that, Japan´s government has rejected the survivors´ request to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or attend its meetings as observers.

The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan´s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

The number of survivors has fallen to 91,105, about a quarter of the original number, with their average age exceeding 86. Survivors worry about fading memories, as the youngest of the survivors were too young to clearly recall the attack.

“The horror of nuclear weapons is just one lesson of Hiroshima. Another is the need to build a world in which the threat or use of these weapons becomes unthinkable,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a written statement.

“Hiroshima stands as an inspiring example of resilience, renewal and hope. Across generations, its people remind us that, even after the darkest moments, we can choose – and build – a different future,” he said, calling for “dialogue over division, cooperation over confrontation and common security over narrow advantage.”

August 7, 2026 Posted by | Japan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Heatwaves expose nuclear power’s water risk

Sumit Bose, 03/08/2026,
https://www.energylivenews.com/2026/08/03/heatwaves-expose-nuclear-powers-water-risk/

Extreme heat and falling river levels are forcing nuclear plants across Europe to reduce output or shut down, raising fresh questions over how the continent’s reactors will cope with a warming climate.

Hungary temporarily closed units at its Paks nuclear plant after high temperatures pushed cooling conditions beyond safe operating limits. The shutdown increased the country’s reliance on electricity imports as heat drove up demand across the region.

The problem is not unique to Hungary, most nuclear plants rely on rivers to remove waste heat from their steam systems. When water levels fall, less cooling water is available and when rivers become too warm, operators can be prevented from discharging heated water back into them because of environmental limits.

Plants may then have to cut generation even when electricity demand is rising because homes and businesses are using more air conditioning.

France has repeatedly reduced output from reactors on the Rhône and Garonne during hot summers to avoid overheating rivers. Plants in Sweden and Finland have also been affected by unusually warm seawater, while low river flows have disrupted thermal generation elsewhere in central Europe.

The World Nuclear Association says inland plants using direct river cooling are particularly exposed. France has 12 reactors at four sites that rely heavily on river or lake water without cooling towers, making production more sensitive to high water temperatures.

A European Commission estimate cited by the International Atomic Energy Agency suggests every 1°C rise in cooling-water temperature can reduce nuclear output by around 0.2%.

The IAEA says climate-related losses remain small compared with total nuclear generation but warns heatwaves, drought and changing water availability will become increasingly important without adaptation.

That could include larger cooling systems, alternative water sources, cooling towers and improved forecasting of river flows and temperatures.

Eurelectric has warned extreme heat can hit several parts of the electricity system at once, reducing thermal generation while increasing demand and placing additional pressure on networks.

The risk is particularly significant because nuclear is expected to provide firm low-carbon power when wind and solar output fluctuate.

Europe’s reactors remain major sources of reliable electricity but this summer’s disruption shows they are not immune to climate change.

As heatwaves intensify and rivers run lower, nuclear operators will need to invest in cooling resilience or risk losing output precisely when the power system needs it most.

August 7, 2026 Posted by | climate change | Leave a comment

CIA Assessment Details Israel’s Race to Make the U.S.-Israel Alliance Irreversible

The intelligence assessment says Israeli officials are pursuing a long-term strategy to make the alliance harder for future administrations to scale back.

Aída Chávez, Jul 30, 2026, https://capitalandempire.com/p/exclusive-cia-assessment-israel-us-support

Israeli officials know they’re losing the American public. Panicked that America’s political consensus on Israel is collapsing, they’re pursuing a long-term strategy to permanently enmesh Israel within America’s military, intelligence, and defense establishment – in ways future administrations would struggle to unwind – according to a new confidential U.S. intelligence assessment.

Israeli officials believe the political fight over Israel in the United States is becoming harder to win, and that the era of indefinitely securing billions of dollars in annual military aid is coming to an end, according to the assessment, which was described to Capital & Empire by several U.S. officials. Instead of relying on direct U.S. military aid – an increasingly visible and politically contentious form of support – Israel is racing to embed itself more deeply in America’s military, intelligence, and national security apparatus in ways designed to outlast future administrations.

The assessment, written primarily by the CIA and circulated this week, describes discussions about expanding intelligence cooperation and the possibility of hosting a permanent U.S. military base on Israeli territory. It also says Israeli officials have been cultivating prominent figures in the American technology sector to build long-term political and financial support for the strategy. The assessment does not identify those individuals by name.

Congress has already begun advancing elements of Israel’s strategy. Last week, the House quietly approved Section 219 of the National Defense Authorization Act, establishing a permanent U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative within the Pentagon. The House version establishes a Pentagon executive agent charged with coordinating bilateral defense research, development, industrial cooperation, and technology integration.

Six Democrats – Reps. Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Jared Golden, Vicente Gonzalez, Adam Gray, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez – joined Republicans in voting to pass the defense authorization bill. The measure now heads to the Senate, which is expected to consider its own version of the NDAA before lawmakers from both chambers negotiate a final compromise bill for President Donald Trump’s signature.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who led an effort to strip Section 219 from the $1.15 trillion Pentagon budget, called the provision “a betrayal of our sovereignty.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., similarly described the proposal as “an existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy.”

Earlier this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu floated phasing out direct U.S. military aid altogether. Most mainstream news coverage framed the proposed shift as a reflection of Israel’s growing economic and military strength, or self-sufficiency. But according to the assessment, the CIA views the strategy differently. The spy agency believes that Israel is seeking to insulate the U.S.-Israel alliance from America’s changing political landscape by replacing highly visible foreign aid with deeper, longer-lasting forms of military and industrial integration.

From Israel’s perspective, embedding the alliance more deeply within the U.S. national security apparatus would make it far more difficult for future administrations to pressure Israel by slowing or withholding arms transfers.

The strategy goes beyond intelligence sharing and military aid. Israeli officials also want Israeli technology, intelligence capabilities, and jointly developed weapons systems embedded in the U.S. military itself, making American defense increasingly reliant on Israeli systems. The assessment says Israeli officials have discussed positioning Israel in Washington as a uniquely indispensable technological and intelligence partner, pointing to language in the 2026 National Defense Strategy describing Israel as a “model ally” whose relationship with the United States is mutually beneficial.

Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, American public opinion toward Israel has deteriorated sharply. About 60 percent of U.S. adults now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 53 percent a year ago, according to an April Pew Research Center survey. Among both Democrats and Republicans under 50, majorities now view both Israel and Netanyahu negatively.

As Gaza has become a defining issue in Democratic politics, the Democratic Socialists of America has surged in membership and electoral success behind campaigns centered on opposition to Israel. A generation ago, public support for Palestine could end a career. Today, a Canary Mission profile may be a stepping stone to Congress. The CIA knows Israel is nervous.

August 7, 2026 Posted by | Israel, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

Huge Uptick In Israeli Airstrikes On Gaza Since Trump Hailed ‘Historic’ Hamas Deal

by Tyler Durden, Aug 04, 2026 , https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/huge-uptick-israeli-airstrikes-gaza-trump-hailed-historic-hamas-deal

Middle East regional media has reported a huge uptick in Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip since President Trump announced a “historic” agreement which Hamas finally signed on to. 

The agreement would result in a phased complete disarmament of Hamas and the handing over of governance to newly proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) – a body designed to replace both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

However, fighting has persisted, with Al Jazeera reporting that at least 19 Palestinians killed on Saturday in Israeli attacks and that the total deal toll from the weekend is now 26 people, including women and children.

srael continues to express skepticism in the face of Washington’s recent optimism:

Despite Hamas agreeing to a phased disarmament, Israel’s government says it has “serious security concerns” about the plan, and there has been strong resistance from Israeli politicians to the deal.

The continued bombardment of Gaza, contributing to Israel’s continued breaches of October’s “ceasefire” agreement, will likely threaten Trump’s peace plan and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians in the enclave.

Reuters had on Sunday reported an entire day of fresh IDF bombardment on Gaza.

“Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 18 Palestinians, medics said, ​despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s ceasefire agreement,” Reuters wrote.

“From dawn, Israeli warplanes hit Gaza City in the north, the central city of Deir ‌al-Balah and the southern area of Khan Younis, causing the biggest daily death toll in weeks, according to Palestinian health officials,” it added. 

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen issued the Netanyahu government’s view on Sunday: “In the deal we signed with the United States, our stance is that Hamas must be dismantled. This is the first thing ⁠that must happen.” 

Cohen expressed that Israeli is “very skeptical” that Hamas would actually disarm. And PM Netanyahu’s office said: “The most important concern for Israel is that nothing can happen ​before Hamas completely and truly disarms.”c

So while the US and regional leaders are busy celebrating and hailing the plan, the proverbial devil will be in the details and in the process – and needless to say a lot could go wrong.

On pro-Palestinian advocate and author worries that Gaza will continue to be destroyed, but that international coverage and cameras have in effect moved on: “There was a time when every explosion in Gaza flashed across my phone – horrible images of children being pulled from rubble, medical workers trying to help patients as the hospital itself gets bombed, and families howling in grief as Israeli bombs obliterated entire Palestinian lineages,” Vijay Prashad observes.

Prashad adds: “Israel’s attacks continue as families flee from one temporary shelter to another and children search through shattered concrete for fragments of lives they once knew. But the world’s attention has shifted elsewhere as the genocide has become routine. We have become comfortably numb.”

August 7, 2026 Posted by | Gaza, Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

‘Defend Israel or the Homeland’: Top US general issues stark warning to Pentagon brass

Washington has greatly reduced its interceptor missile stocks, jeopardizing its ability to fight China, while prioritizing the protection of Israel

News Desk, AUG 1, 2026, https://thecradle.co/articles/defend-israel-or-the-homeland-top-us-general-issues-stark-warning-to-pentagon-brass

The highest-ranking US general in Europe informed the Pentagon this week that he does not have enough naval units to protect Israel against potential Iranian missile strikes, according to a report by the Washington Post on August 1.

General Alexus Grynkewich, the head of US European Command (EUCOM), notified senior Pentagon officials in writing that without another navy destroyer, he will be forced to choose between defending the US “homeland” and defending Israel.

Grynkewich’s warning comes as US President Donald Trump continues to escalate the war on Iran.

The US Navy has shouldered a significant burden in waging the war, including responsibility for blockading Iranian ports in response to the Islamic Republic’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

US naval destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean have long been part of Israel’s defense strategy. They are equipped with radar systems and missile interceptors capable of countering Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.

EUCOM is responsible for protecting Israel from the Mediterranean and deterring any Russian ground incursion into NATO member states.

The US Navy has five destroyers deploying from Rota, Spain, with a sixth expected later this year. They face maintenance issues due to lengthy missions.

The US is also experiencing a shortage of missile interceptors, which are costly to manufacture and hard to restock.

Pentagon assessments conducted earlier in the war showed that US forces have “shouldered the brunt of defending Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles.”

Washington has used more of its defensive weapons, including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and naval interceptors, to defend Israel from Iranian missile and drone attacks than Israel has used of its own interceptor stocks.

US inventories of Patriot missiles have now fallen below 1,000 and THAAD inventories to about 250, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Israel has not participated in the war on Iran since Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and ceasefire in mid-June.

Trump resumed attacks on Iran three weeks ago.

Last week, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel was content to remain out of the fighting and allow the US and its Gulf allies to fight the war on Tel Aviv’s behalf.

“Israel has no interest in joining the campaign – the current situation is the best for us,” Smotrich said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House last week and lobbied Trump to escalate the war by imposing a land blockade on Iran.

According to a CBS News report on Friday, Washington and Tel Aviv are planning to significantly escalate the war of aggression by targeting Iran’s vital energy infrastructure.

August 7, 2026 Posted by | Israel, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Secret ‘Project Mars’ roils Torrance County residents

By Cormac Dodd cdodd@sfnewmexican.com, Aug 1, 2026, https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/secret-project-mars-roils-torrance-county-residents/article_6e15c500-ce01-4a68-a84e-b51d50769a85.html

MORIARTY — Ernest Ortiz learned in late June from a top Torrance County official the state trust land where he runs cattle is eyed for a massive development known as “Project Mars.”

The project, which would oust him from land he has leased for nearly a decade, remains mostly a mystery a month later.

While rumors circulating in the community have raised fears of a possible data center — with residents pointing to the contentious Project Jupiter in Southern New Mexico’s Doña Ana County — Torrance County commissioners have said the proposal would create a different kind of development: a manufacturing center for a U.S. Department of Defense contractor.

Takeaways

Torrance County residents have raised concerns about the largely secret “Project Mars” proposal, voicing fears of a new data center that would require large amounts of water in the parched Estancia Basin.

County Commission Chair Ryan Schwebach said officials were told a Department of Defense contractor is considering a manufacturing campus on state-owned property near the Moriarty Municipal Airport, a project that would bring 300 “high-paying” jobs and an economic boost.

The county knows little else about Project Mars, he said, though he added the development would be constructed on 2,200 to 2,500 acres and wouldn’t be a major water burden, like a data center might.

County commissioners have pointed to “nondisclosure agreements” they say the contractor urged them to sign. State lawmakers who represent the area — Sen. Ant Thornton and Rep. Stefani Lord, both Sandia Park Republicans — also said they had signed NDAs on the project.

Meanwhile, Project Mars faces a major hurdle: The New Mexico State Land Office said it won’t consider leasing state trust land for the development.

August 7, 2026 Posted by | space travel | Leave a comment

Romania’s nuclear reactor to remain in operation at least a week

05 August 2026, Iulian Ernst,
https://www.romania-insider.com/romania-nuclear-reactor-operational-august-2026

Romania’s Nuclearelectrica announced that after the detonation of a rock obstructing the flow of water on the Danube by the Naval Forces on August 3, the water level at Cernavoda nuclear power plant increased by 2 cm, reversing the downward trend. As a result of the works on the Danube, the nuclear reactor still in operation can operate for at least a week – instead of five days estimated previously, according to Cernavoda NPP manager Romeo Urjan cited by B1 TV on August 4. 

The planned sinking of ships loaded with rocks on one of the Danube’s arms with the aim of increasing the flow on the arm delivering water to Cernavoda NPP was not yet carried out, and this operation is expected to further extend the operation period for the nuclear reactor.

Cernavoda NPP keeps in operation one of its two 680 MW reactors, which allows the country to overcome the 7,000-7,500 MW consumption peak during the 20:00-23-00 period while at the same time delivering electricity to Moldova that critically relies on electricity imports. Some one-third of Romania’s own consumption (namely nearly 2,500 MW of 7,000-7,500 MW) was covered by imports during the peak consumption period last night, according to Digi24, while the country was exporting roughly one-tenth of its output to Moldova (meaning some 500 MW)

The situation remains fragile, however. Hydrological data indicate a very low flow of the Danube, and authorities have previously warned that Unit 2 could be shut down preemptively if the water level falls below technical thresholds. Such a shutdown would not pose a safety risk to the plant, but would remove significant production capacity from the system.

Separately, the government of Romania is preparing to institute a mechanism for disconnecting from the power grid large industrial consumers as a means to address possible power shortages. The targeted companies would be notified 24 hours in advance, interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan announced on August 4.

The initiative is presented as a measure of last resort and would be introduced by a government decision. The announcement refers to large industrial consumers, not household consumers.

Previously, PM Bolojan had explained that the mechanism would be implemented through the National Energy Dispatcher within Transelectrica. The consumption allowed to each company would be established depending on the technology used and the energy available in the system at the respective times. The government presented the measure as a safety solution, which would be activated only if the voluntary reduction does not yield results.

iulian@romania-insider.com

August 7, 2026 Posted by | climate change, EUROPE | Leave a comment

Newcleo Takes Key Step Towards MOX Fuel Manufacturing Facility In US

Advanced reactor and nuclear fuel company Newcleo has submitted a
regulatory engagement plan to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its
planned US mixed oxide (MOX) fuel manufacturing facility in the US. The
France-based company said the submission marked a significant milestone in
establishing a source of advanced nuclear fuel for its planned advanced
modular reactors. The regulatory engagement plan is the second submitted by
Newcleo in recent weeks. Last month the company submitted a regulatory
engagement plan to the NRC for its lead-cooled fast reactor, the
LFR-AS-200.

 Nucnet 6th Aug 2026
https://www.nucnet.org/news/newcleo-takes-key-step-towards-mox-fuel-manufacturing-facility-in-us-8-4-2026

August 7, 2026 Posted by | Small Modular Nuclear Reactors | Leave a comment

Brian Leishman MP blasts party’s own nuclear policy

Sizewell B, also in Suffolk, uses around 800,000 litres of fresh mains water per day, while Sizewell C is estimated to need more than 2 million litres per day by the time it is completed, according to the Guardian.

4th August, 26, By Lucy Jackson,
https://www.alloaadvertiser.com/news/26435794.scottish-labour-mp-blasts-partys-nuclear-policy/

A Scottish Labour MP has blasted his own party’s policy on nuclear energy.

Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said Labour’s nuclear policy was “madness” in the face of the climate crisis.

Leishman made the comments in response to reports that Romania has been forced to “blast” the Danube river to help a nuclear plant as a result of the heatwave.

Romania, like much of Europe, has been subject to scorching temperatures, with water levels in the Danube reportedly dropping to just 23 centimetres.

Channel 4 News reports that the Romanian navy has blown up rocks at the side of the Danube, where it splits, in order to get more water flowing down the main branch of the river towards a nuclear power plant.

In response to the news report, Leishman wrote on Twitter/X: “We are suffering from climate crisis/extreme weather.

“Parts of the UK have declared drought status yet there is a political push for nuclear energy requiring huge amounts of water to operate.

“And AI data centres would require incredible amounts of water.

“Both are madness!”

We are suffering from climate crisis/extreme weather.

Parts of the UK have declared drought status yet there is a political push for nuclear energy requiring huge amounts of water to operate.

And AI data centres would require incredible amounts of water.

Both are madness! https://t.co/mDbeQ13XLP

— Brian Leishman (@BrianLeishmanMP) August 4, 2026

The Labour Party supports nuclear energy as part of its election pledge to “make Britain a clean energy superpower”.

It has vowed to build new nuclear power stations, such as Sizewell C in Suffolk, which is currently under construction and is expected to cost around £38 billion.

Nuclear power plants consume vast amounts of water, which is partly used to cool the reactor core in order to prevent meltdowns.

Sizewell B, also in Suffolk, uses around 800,000 litres of fresh mains water per day, while Sizewell C is estimated to need more than 2 million litres per day by the time it is completed, according to the Guardian.

Last month, Labour advocated for more nuclear power stations to be built in Scotland, with the UK Government publishing a report highlighting six areas where plants could be built “should the policy position of the Scottish Government change”.

The Scottish Government opposes new nuclear developments and has insisted the focus should instead be on renewable energy, with both Dounreay Nuclear site in Caithness and Hunterston Nuclear Power Plant in North Ayrshire currently being decommissioned.

Elsewhere, Torness Nuclear Power Plant in East Lothian is scheduled to end operations in 2030.

The Labour Party has been approached for comment.

August 7, 2026 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry and public invited to shape new regulatory principles for future UK nuclear

 The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is leading a major review of its
key regulatory frameworks which evaluate the safety of nuclear facilities
– and the whole sector can play its part in this milestone industry
change. The Safety Assessment Principles (SAPs) support inspectors in
assessing nuclear safety cases submitted by dutyholders and requesting
parties. From today (Monday, 27 July), ONR is opening a public consultation
on the SAPs revision and wants to hear from nuclear operators, industry
bodies, the public and all those with an interest in nuclear safety. Your
views will help ensure the updated SAPs are as clear and effective as
possible. The consultation will run for eight weeks, closing on 18
September with the final version of the SAPs expected to be published in
December 2026.

ONR 27th July 2026, https://www.onr.org.uk/news/all-news/2026/07/nuclear-industry-and-public-invited-to-shape-new-regulatory-principles-for-future-uk-

August 7, 2026 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

UK Radioactive Wastes 2025 Inventory reports

The 2025 United Kingdom Radioactive Waste and Materials Inventory (the 2025 Inventory) provides detailed information on radioactive wastes and materials in the United Kingdom (UK).

The following reports have been published:

Radioactive Waste Inventory; 2025 UK
Radioactive Materials Inventory; 2025

UK Radioactive Waste Detailed Data;
2025 Summary of UK Radioactive Waste and Materials Inventory for
International Reporting; NWS has also published a further publication to
accompany the 2025 reports: 2025

UK Radioactive Waste and Materials
Inventory: summary report. The 2025 United Kingdom Radioactive Waste and
Materials Inventory (the 2025 Inventory) provides detailed information on
radioactive wastes and materials in the United Kingdom (UK). 

It is produced by Nuclear Waste Services (NWS).

The 2025 Inventory provides information on radioactive waste stocks (at 1 April 2025) and forecasts of future waste arisings. Information on radioactive materials that may be classed as waste in the future is also presented. The 2025 Inventory aims to provide data in an open and transparent manner for those interested in radioactive wastes and materials.

3 Aug 26, https://inventory.nuclearwasteservices.uk/data-hub/2025-inventory-reports/

August 7, 2026 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Listen to the hibakusha this Hiroshima Day – the world doesn’t need more nuclear weapons

JEREMY CORBYN says we should never forget the horrific reality of nuclear weapons, or cease our efforts to rid the planet of them entirely

Jeremy Corbyn, 5 Aug 26 https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/listen-hibakusha-hiroshima-day-world-doesnt-need-more-nuclear-weapons

LAST year, I travelled to Hiroshima to represent the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb.

On Hiroshima Day, we remember every single person who was killed by an indefensible act of barbarity. We mourn the human lives underneath the statistical horror of the bomb’s death toll which, together with that from the attack on Nagasaki, was more than 200,000 people. And we commemorate the hundreds of thousands of survivors — known as the hibakusha — who endured the horror of what was left behind: nuclear radiation, mass destruction and unimaginable grief.

The trip will stay with me forever. I was there for the 2025 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, attended by peace campaigners from all over the world.

Before it began, I visited the Museum of the Atomic Bomb, located in the Peace Park. The museum features an interactive display of an aerial map of the city at 8.15am on August 6 1945.

The electronic graphic shows a blinding flash and pictures emerge of the devastation. All before us is destroyed and flattened, save the exhibition centre with its now famous dome, which survived because the explosion was directly above it. The blast went outwards, destroying everything else.

Photographs of victims, mutilated bodies, burnt trees and twisted metal adorn the walls. Each with a story of a life lost and unbearable pain for those who survived.

Tomorrow, on the 81st anniversary, I’m sure that many politicians will post their generic commemorations. If these commemorations meant anything at all, they would pledge to honour the wishes of the survivors.

“Nuclear weapons are an absolute evil that cannot coexist with humans,” a survivor named Taniguchi Sumiteru said in 2010. “There is no choice but to abolish them.”

Support for nuclear weapons should be taboo. Instead, it has endured as a non-negotiable means of entry to the establishment.

Last week, the new Prime Minister announced an £8.4 billion investment in Britain’s nuclear submarine programme. £5.9bn will go to BAE Systems.

Only the day before, he said that tough choices would need to be made to fund his plans for social care. The money is right there in front of him. Britain spends £12,000 every minute on nuclear weapons. Imagine if we spent that money on schools, renewable energy and social care instead.

The Prime Minister’s announcement on nuclear “deterrence” is seemingly part and parcel of a wider strategy to increase spending on “defence” more broadly. Appointing John Healey as Chancellor — who resigned from Starmer’s government in protest that an extra £13.5 billion on military spending was not enough — is a very telling sign about the direction of this government. I hear there were high-fives in the Ministry of Defence when he was re-appointed, an announcement that also saw shares in arms companies shoot up dramatically. Spending money on weapons and war while our public services are crumbling is not just a political choice. It’s the wrong choice.

Security is not the ability to threaten and destroy your neighbour. Security is getting on with your neighbour. It’s giving children a habitable future. And it’s ensuring everybody has enough resources to live a happy and healthy life. Instead of investing in weapons of mass destruction, why can’t we invest in public services that bring health and security to us all?

If the new government wants to be a global leader, it would start talking about the need for peace. It would end its own complicity in horrific war crimes. And it would advance the cause for nuclear disarmament by signing the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, which bans the development, production, possession, use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima is a reminder that nuclear weapons have one purpose, and one purpose only: to cause death and destruction on a colossal scale. I will never understand the pride and excitement with which so many politicians proclaim they would be prepared to launch a nuclear attack. In what circumstances is it necessary to annihilate humanity? Do they know what a global nuclear war would actually look like?

The hibakusha do. On Hiroshima Day, we must remember those who were killed in a barbaric crime against humanity. We mourn the lives that were so needlessly lost. And we must listen to the survivors when they say: “Humans must survive — in peace and prosperity.” We will only honour their words — as well as the memory of those who perished on August 6 1945 — when we rid this planet of nuclear weapons once and for all.

Politicians can bang their chests in the name of national security all they like. They must surely know that in the event of a nuclear war, nobody wins.

Indeed, if our politicians care about the legacy they leave behind, they may want to consider the following possibility: if they carry on down this path, there may not be anybody around to remember them at all.
https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/listen-hibakusha-hiroshima-day-world-doesnt-need-more-nuclear-weapons

August 7, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Walt Zlotow – Many top military leaders opposed atomic bombings

2 August 26, Walt Zlotow  West Suburban Peace Coalition  Glan Ellyn IL 

Every year the four day period August 6 – 9 brings to mind the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. This year marks the 81th anniversary of those horrific acts.  We may be closer to nukes fired in anger at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis 64 tears ago. Major wars in Ukraine and Iran could both devolve into nuclear war. U.S. withdrawal from several nuclear treaties and planning to spend a trillion dollars to upgrade our nuclear stockpile add to nuclear anxiety. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight in January, the closest it’s been set to nuclear winter in the entire nuclear age.

I learned of the atomic bombings 75 years ago at age 6 and have been haunted by them ever since. For the first decade or so afterward I swallowed whole the US fairytale that the military and political elite were unified in dropping the bombs to prevent a U.S. invasion and its estimate of a million U.S. casualties. A little research disabused me of that false narrative designed to justify the unjustifiable. 

Few if any reputable historians buy that version today. They point to a number of top military leaders who opposed the nuclear attacks, for good reasons. Most prominent was U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall who argued not using the Bomb would strengthen America’s prestige and position in post war Asia. He even advocated for inviting the Russians to view our July 16, 1945 test. Navy Secretary and later Defense Secretary James Forrestal argued the bombings would impede our post WWII relations with the Soviet Union. Fleet Admiral William Leahy, senior US military officer on active duty in WWII, called the proposed bombings “barbaric”. Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy told Truman that neither invasion nor atomic bombings were necessary. Japan would surrender if we avoided terminology ‘Unconditional Surrender’ since any surrender would amount to that without saying so. Allowing Hirohito to remain Emperor would bolster that view. McCloy even advocated telling Japanese leaders we had the Bomb as additional incentive to quit the war.

Tho not involved in the Bomb decision process, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was furious we dropped them, telling Secretary of War Harry Stimson shortly after the attacks “I voiced my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my belief that Japan was already defeated and that dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary, and secondly because I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of “face.” Japanese leaders never admitted US atomic bombings motivated their surrender.  More likely it was the massive Russian invasion of Manchuria the day of the Nagasaki bombing that more motivated the Japanese surrender. 

Ike, McCloy, Leahy, Forristall, Marshall and others were right; Truman and his supporters were wrong. Eighty-one years on America is still the only country to explode nukes in anger. Current senseless wars in Ukraine and Iran, refusal to maintain critically needed nuclear agreements, routinely threatening imagined enemies with “all military options are on the table”, spending a trillion dollars to build bigger and better nukes, all bode ill we’ll make another 81 years nuclear attack free.

August 6, 2026 Posted by | history, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

How Lockheed Martin, Raytheon & BAE Systems Are Propagandizing Children To Support War Through STEM

If Saudi Arabia is Washington’s biggest customer, then Israel is its prime recipient of welfare. A study from Brown University found that in the two years following the October 7, 2023 attack, the United States spent $21.7 billion on military aid to Israel, including aircraft, missiles, and all manner of small arms munitions.

 August 1, 2026, Alan Macleod Mint Press News, https://scheerpost.com/2026/08/01/how-lockheed-martin-raytheon-bae-systems-are-propagandizing-children-to-support-war-through-stem/

Raytheon sponsors the Girl Scouts of America. BAE Systems is reading your toddlers their favorite fairytale stories. And Lockheed Martin funds children’s math and STEM festivals. This is done with great fanfare, supposedly to empower and inspire children to pursue their passion for science. In reality, though, these companies are attempting to launder their images and enlist the next generation to become cogs in the military-industrial complex.

All the while, these organizations’ products are being used across the world by the United States and Israel to commit war crimes – in Iran, Yemen, Palestine, and beyond – to target children.

MintPress explores the murky world of the arms companies training kids to bomb kids.

Normalizing War to Kids

When many Americans think of Raytheon (now officially rebranded as RTX Corporation), they don’t envisage rockets and cruise missiles; they think of math. For decades, the second-largest arms manufacturer on the planet has bankrolled a wide range of organizations aimed at getting children excited about STEM subjects.

Since 2009, Raytheon has been the title sponsor of MATHCOUNTS, a non-profit organization that provides engaging math programs for middle school students in every U.S. state, as well as organizing math competitions to find the brightest children in America.

In 2005, Raytheon launched its MathMovesU program, aimed, in its own words, “to inspire middle school students to get excited about math and science.” In addition to the materials provided, it has also spent millions on scholarships, grants, and study awards to thousands of students, teachers, and volunteers.

And its MathAlive! traveling exhibit promises, in rather outdated branding, to take math “2theXtreme”. MathAlive! Has also traveled to several countries in West Asia, including Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia – all of them among the biggest purchasers of Raytheon weapons technology.

The company also enjoys a longtime partnership with the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA). In 2017, for example, it launched the GSUSA’s first national computer science program and cyber challenge for middle and high school girls.

“The progress to diversify the STEM workforce needs to be accelerated… At a time when technology is transforming the way we live and work, we can – and should – show young women a clear path to taking an active role in this transformation,” said Thomas A. Kennedy, then-Raytheon CEO; “Working together, Raytheon and Girl Scouts will help girls build confidence to see themselves as the robotics engineers, data scientists and cybersecurity professionals who will create a better tomorrow.”

Raytheon also spearheaded the GSUSA’s “Think Like a Programmer” project, which encourages girls to explore the world of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and developed many of the programming badges available to the scouts.

GSUSA appears proud of this relationship. Its website profiles one former scout who now works at Raytheon as a success story and a model to follow. The article includes a step-by-step guide and a list of tips for those wishing to follow in her footsteps.

Unsurprisingly, Raytheon also works closely with the U.S. military on these matters, establishing four new STEM “centers of innovation” with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Michigan, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., all near military bases.

While some might be surprised by the closeness of the relationship between a children’s organization and an arms manufacturer, it is worth remembering that the scouting movement was originally established by Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell, as a stepping stone towards boys joining the military. Baden-Powell was deeply concerned that English boys would not be physically fit enough to fight for their country in any upcoming wars, and designed an organization that would train them both physically and mentally to do so.

Kirsten Bayes from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade was unimpressed by Raytheon’s attempts to improve their image and to train the next generation of weapons manufacturers. “Our view is that arms companies have no place in schools or colleges, and should certainly not be working with children’s educational charities,” she told MintPress, adding:

“Schools and other places of education should be places where children learn, grow and develop their full potential. They should not be a recruiting ground where arms companies whitewash their activities.”

Lockheed Martin U

But Raytheon is far from the only weapons giant directly targeting America’s children. Lockheed Martin hosts CYBERQUEST, an annual high school competition that encourages children to pursue careers in intelligence and cybersecurity. The 2026 event was held in 11 locations across the country, as well as virtually around the world. The arms giant offers high school internship programs designed to fast-track America’s brightest young minds into careers in defense. Every year, Lockheed Martin hires thousands of young interns, and claims that 60% of these candidates go on to paid work at the company.

It also sponsors “young minds at work” days, setting up hands-on experiments for children to play with, including bottle rocket experiments and more.

Universities are a key recruitment ground. The corporation spends huge sums attracting top talent, including hosting “Lockheed Martin Day” at more than a dozen colleges nationwide, where company recruiters are allowed on campus to dazzle students with virtual reality exhibitions, flight simulators, and even landing helicopters directly on college greens.

Lockheed Martin has entered into partnerships with several top colleges. A $1.5 million donation to the University of Texas at Arlington, for instance, resulted in the renamed of one of their buildings as the Lockheed Martin Career Development Center.

The company touts its reputation as a safe space for women and LGBT employees, and is regularly listed as one of the best employers for inclusivity. One woman the company itself profiles is Haley, who, as a girl, dreamed of becoming an inventor. “As a child,” they write, “Haley clung to a notebook where she sketched her ideas and inventions. On the cover she scribbled, ‘Haley’s Way to Make Life Better.’ Her best idea? A self-folding Christmas tree cleverly called ‘Merry, Bright and Boxed’ to make cleaning up after the holidays more efficient.” Today, that child with dreams of making the world a better place is a missiles and fire control engineer with Lockheed Martin, developing weapons that efficiently kill people all across the planet.

Targeting Toddlers

Boeing, too, has developed a number of projects aimed at young children. Their “Engineering is Elementary” program is designed for pre-K, kindergarten, elementary and middle school students, and, like those from Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, is focussed on funnelling young minds into a career in weapons manufacturing. “Boeing has a strategic community focus to increase teacher effectiveness in math and science and to attract more students into STEM-related careers,” a company representative said, adding,

“Engineering is Elementary provides teachers and students a greater understanding of engineering, and it accomplishes that in a fun, interactive way. Our goal is to interest students in engineering at an early age and increase the number of scientists and engineers.”

Aerospace manufacturer BAE Systems, however, goes even further. The London-based giant that produces jet aircraft, missiles, howitzers, and warships published a series of bizarre videos featuring both its employees and members of the British Armed Forces reading classic fairytales to children. This included Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel. These came complete with worksheets to help extremely young children with their problem-solving skills.

Reading bedtime stories to babies is just part of a wider strategy BAE Systems is conducting in order to, in their own words, “improve our corporate reputation at both a local and national level.” Other initiatives include hosting school roadshows, robotics festivals, science camps, and local community outreach programs, all aimed at children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it also stepped in to provide schools with branded learning materials for children as young as five.

Bayes appeared appalled at the company’s actions, stating:

“We are aware that BAE Systems claims to spend as much as £100m [U.S.$134m] per year on educational activities. It claims its motives are community based, but we would say that this is part of their recruiting strategy: seeking to influence young people without presenting the full facts of what an arms company is, and what the consequences of working for them would be.”

Fairytales and Nightmares

As much as these companies attempt to present themselves neutrally as scientific entities, the reality is that their primary businesses revolve around producing the hardware and weaponry that the United States uses to dominate the world.

In the past twelve months alone, the United States has bombed seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. And it is companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin that make this kind of extraordinary planetary violence possible.

For example, on February 28, the United States launched an attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran. A Tomahawk cruise missile – one of the most precise guided weapons on the planet – was launched from a nearby warship and pummelled the building, causing the school to collapse in on itself. Soon after, a second missile hit the school’s courtyard, where desperate survivors were gathering.

The attack was timed precisely for maximum damage: 10:45am on a school day. At least 156 people were killed, most of them pupils at the school, which neither served any military purpose, nor was located near any military target. Over 100 more were injured.

The event was immediately denounced as a major war crime. But Secretary of War Pete Hegseth brushed it off, and later stated that, “The only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians who think they’re going to live.”

The Tomahawk cruise missile is produced by Raytheon, and subsystems used in the operation were made by a subsidiary of BAE Systems.

Washington also uses its primacy in weapons to keep its allies in power. Saudi Arabia is by far the U.S.’ top arms customer, purchasing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of hi-tech weaponry, which it immediately uses against Yemen, and to suppress domestic dissent.

Riyadh has pursued a genocidal attack on civilian infrastructure in Yemen, including against farms, sewage, and water facilities, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. In August 2018, it dropped a 227 kg (500lb) laser-guided bomb on a school bus in Dhahyan, northern Yemen. Fragments found at the scene identified the bomb as having been produced by Lockheed Martin. Forty children were killed in the attack – a far from uncommon occurrence during the Saudi-led campaign to topple Ansar Allah from power.

If Saudi Arabia is Washington’s biggest customer, then Israel is its prime recipient of welfare. A study from Brown University found that in the two years following the October 7, 2023 attack, the United States spent $21.7 billion on military aid to Israel, including aircraft, missiles, and all manner of small arms munitions.

Israel has used these weapons to systematically target children in Gaza and beyond. At least 97% of schools in the densely-populated strip have been hit. One of the more notable examples was the Khadija Girls’ School in Deir al-Balah, which was targeted on July 27, 2024. A Human Rights Watch investigation found that Israel dropped at least two GBU-39 bombs on the school – munitions manufactured in the United States by Boeing.

Thus, while arms manufacturers read fairytales to Western kids, children across the world are forced to live out a very real nightmare, thanks in no small part to these companies.

Whether they live in the United States or one of the countries under its boot, however, children everywhere are being targeted by these weapons firms, though in different ways. In the United States, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and others have stepped in to bolster cash-strapped education departments. While their rhetoric emphasizes empowering children – especially girls – to follow their science dreams, their true intent is to launder their reputations as merchants of death, and to train up the next generation of Americans to become willing members of the American war machine.

Children on the other side of the globe, however, are given no such illusions, and have to live with the constant terror that they be these companies’ next victims. This image, is not the one the likes of Raytheon want us to think about when we picture their products, and so they spend millions attempting to distract us with stories of empowerment and discovery. What a world we live in, where weapons companies are training kids to bomb kids.

August 6, 2026 Posted by | Education, USA | Leave a comment

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