Great things are happening despite appearances! – Sister Megan Rice comments from prison!
Sister Megan Rice
MDC Brooklyn
Metrpolitan Detention Centre
P.O. Box 329002
Brooklyn, NY 11232
April 6 2014
Dear sisters and brothers, at one with us all in this Beloved Community of participants in support of disarming now, and transforming now, the nuclear-industrial complex, wherever it rears its rapacious heads!
Greetings from the federal bureau of prisons Metropolitan Detention Centre, Brooklyn. I arrived about ten days ago, after a BOP transit tour, to the 60th detainee, added to the 59 already here since the closing of the womens unit at FCI Danbury, one month ago. (You may know, FCI Danbury is being re-readied for men again.) We are all together in the stage of pioneering the women`s unit in two huge buildings here among the 3,000 men prisoners for whom it was built.
I was taken from Ocilla on March 18th to Lovejoy, GA detention centre for about six days, when flown on March 24th for an overnight stop in Oklahoma City, where all layers of thermals etc. were removed from each of the 16 women and 100+ men flying from Atlanta with us. Brrrrr!
Early the next a.m. With one other woman destined for the Danbury Camp and 100+ more men, all of us in T-shirts and cotton khakis in 30 degree weather, got flown to Newburgh, New York, arriving March 25th Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
I could never fully describe the kindness with which a guardian angel guard (male) walked me through the intake in about 15 minutes, while I ate my baloney & Cheese sandwich (brown bread, turkey baloney!), the first meal of the day for me except for two apples given to me by my sister passenger, “Tiffany”, on the way from Newburgh to Brooklyn.
Then, dressed in more new clothes and with sheets and blankets, we got taken by 8.00 pm to unit 6 on the 6th floor. There we received the warmest welcome from the ex-Danbury settlers who generously outfitted me with their surplus from Danbury – sweats, t-shirts, socks, food – you name it! So, “Go by opposites!” Its good to be 84 and the next young thing is 70, if that! The United Nations is represented among a large population from Brooklyn, Queens and up-state New York towns – Watertown, Ithaca and Plattsburg – well represented, with one loner from near Floorence AZ.
These ten days have been spent sleeping off the journey and beginning to learn the many ropes (rules) governing the approved “Contact List” for email, phone calls and mail, and a visitors list.
Good books are available and I`ve started learning about writers and times I never had time to read before – Catherine di Medici (!), The Mercy by Toni Morrison and now Rabble rouser for Peace, the biography of Desmund Tutu, a long time hero of mine whom I tracked down for all his speaking events while in New York City, one year in the late 1980`s, accompanied by three very politically savvy homeless men from the Franklins Mens Shelter in the Bronx. Tutu gave them great hugs after each event.
Again, I thank each of you from far away places who continue to writ e to us. As I send my love and thanks and blessings, Please also send mine and yours to Greg and Mike in Leavenworth and Bradford, when you write them.
Love & peace, and know great things are happening despite appearances!
Megan Rice
Sacred Heart C.I
Gregory Boertje-Obed 08052-016
USP Leavenworth
P.O. Box 1000
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Micheal Walli 92108-020
FCI McKean
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 8000
Bradford, PA 16701
For more information visit these websites;
www.transformnowploughshares.wordpress.com
www.nukesister.org
www.orepa.org/
Serbias flood brings old mines and Depleted Uranium nuclear waste back into the frame
“….Entrance in contaminated locations was forbidden till the end of decontamination The clean-up of some 5,000 square meters of land in the village of Bratoselce near Bujanovac, contaminated by depleted uranium during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, was finished on Nov. 9, 2003. During the clean-up, the team performing the task discovered around 100 kilograms of depleted uranium in the soil and stored some 2.5 tons of contaminated earth in the Vinca nuclear institute’s facilities near Belgrade…”
http://www.sepa.gov.rs/download/Environment_in_Serbia_Full.pdf
http://news.yahoo.com/flood-surge-belgrade-threatens-power-plant-125519607.html
By DUSAN STOJANOVIC May 19, 2014
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Belgrade braced for a river surge Monday that threatened to inundate Serbia’s main power plant and cause major power cuts in the crisis-stricken country as the Balkans struggle with the consequences of the worst flooding in southeastern Europe in more than a century.
At least 35 people have died in Serbia and Bosnia in the five days of flooding caused by unprecedented torrential rain, laying waste to entire towns and villages and sending tens of thousands of people out of their homes, authorities said.
But the death toll is expected to rise as floodwaters started to recede in some locations, laying bare the full scale of the damage after three months’ worth of rain fell on the region in three days, producing the worst floods since rainfall measurements began 120 years ago.
Bosnian Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija compared the flood damage to the carnage during the 1990’s war that killed at least 100,000 people and left millions homeless. He said about 100,000 houses, 230 schools and health institutions were destroyed in the floods in Bosnia and about a million people lack drinking water.
The damage is “immense,” he said, adding: “the only difference from the war is that less people have died.”
The coal-fired Nikola Tesla power plant supplies electricity for half of Serbia and most of Belgrade. It is located in Obrenovac, the worst flood-hit town near Belgrade where some 7,800 people have been evacuated from their homes, which were mostly completely submerged in water. Some 2,000 people are still believed trapped in higher floors of buildings, without power or phone lines.
Credibility Questions on Fukushima – Undisclosed testimony by the plant manager, Masao Yoshida
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/opinion/credibility-questions-on-fukushima.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
At the most dire moment of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant three years ago, nine-tenths of the employees, including executives, panicked and fled the plant following an explosion.
So reports one of Japan’s most prestigious newspapers, The Asahi Shimbun. This report, based on previously undisclosed testimony by the plant manager, Masao Yoshida, is in direct conflict with the official account of that fateful day provided by the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco. It calls into question the truthfulness of both the company and, indeed, the government, which even now is trying to persuade the public to go along with the reopening of 48 nuclear reactors shut down after the accident, which traumatized the country.
The official version of events is that workers left the plant in a disciplined manner and retreated to another facility a few miles away — leaving behind a small band of intrepid workers who risked their lives to prevent the crisis from getting worse. According to the newspaper, Mr. Yoshida told investigators that he and 68 other employees had remained behind but that the flight of the others had been anything but orderly, contrary to company propaganda. Tepco’s official report states that Mr. Yoshida had ordered an evacuation to the undamaged Fukushima Daini plant about 6 miles away, but the newly revealed testimony indicated that he gave no such order and that the workers fled on their own. Mr. Yoshida died of cancer last year.
Japan’s nuclear industry has always acted under a veil of secrecy. One obvious imperative after the Fukushima disaster was for the government and the nuclear industry to be more transparent. But, even now, transparency seems to be elusive. And without it, ordinary citizens can hardly be expected to support the government’s plans. This latest revelation should jolt the Japanese public out of its creeping complacency about nuclear safety and demand proof from the government that it is proceeding with the utmost caution.
More here;
https://nuclear-news.net/2013/10/20/former-head-of-fukushima-nuclear-plant-dies-of-cancer/
https://nuclear-news.net/2013/03/14/analysis-fukushima-two-years-later-nils-bohmer/
https://nuclear-news.net/2011/04/01/the-fukushima-50-heroic-workers-expect-to-die-from-radiation/
https://nuclear-news.net/2011/09/08/bravery-honors-for-fukushimas-nuclear-emergency-workers/
大 中 小 文字サイズ 記事を印刷 Japan court orders power supplier not to run Oi nuke plant
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140521p2g00m0dm087000c.html
22 May 2014
FUKUI, Japan (Kyodo) — The Fukui District Court ruled Wednesday that it will not allow the restart of two reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Oi nuclear plant, now under safety examination by Japan’s top nuclear watchdog.
It is the first time since the Fukushima nuclear crisis erupted in March 2011 that a Japanese court has ordered a power supplier not to bring a nuclear plant online.
In the lawsuit, a group of 189 people from Tokyo, the plant’s host prefecture of Fukui and 20 other prefectures contended that the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the Oi plant resumed commercial operations in August 2012 under provisional safety standards.
The court acknowledged the claim by 166 of them, who live within 250 kilometers of the Oi plant, saying, “An evacuation advisory was considered for those who live within 250 km of the Fukushima Daiichi complex at the time of the accident.”
In the ruling, Presiding Judge Hideaki Higuchi admitted the importance of nuclear plants for society, but pointed out that they are “merely a tool for generating electricity and thus inferior to people’s fundamental rights (to life).”
“It would be only natural to suspend nuclear plants if they pose specific risks of danger,” the judge said.
The August 2012 resumption of the two reactors in Oi came after all of Japan’s reactors were shut down amid strong public concern over nuclear safety in the wake of the Fukushima disaster caused by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
The two reactors at the four-unit Oi plant on the Sea of Japan coast are now offline after being suspended again in September 2013 for regular checkups.
The reactors are under examination by the Nuclear Regulation Authority to determine whether they can resume operations under Japan’s new safety standards introduced last July.
“I have nothing to say about the legal judgment,” Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, said at a press conference Wednesday in response to the court ruling. “We will just continue our examination of the Oi plant.”
Fukushima gov to open swimming beach after decision to release contaminated water – La pref de Fukushima ouvre une plage à la baignade
Posted by Mochizuki on May 21st, 2014
Image source ; http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-103530890/
Fukushima prefectural government and Iwaki city government are going to open 2 swimming beaches this summer (Yotsukura & Nakoso) without analyzing the beach sand.
They measured 3,167 Bq/Kg of Cesium-134/137 from the beach sand last year, which is 32 times much as food safety limit. (cf, Iwaki city opened Yotsukura swimming beach / 3,200 Bq/kg from sand [URL])
They won’t analyze the sand this year and the reason is not announced. The analysis data of last year is also removed from their website for some reason.
Instead of beach sand, they analyzed the sand of sea floor for some reason. However they measured Cs-134/137 from all of the 5 samples taken in the 2 swimming beaches.
The highest reading was 93.8 Bq/Kg. This is almost the equivalent of food safety limit.
These swimming beaches will be open from 7/20 to 8/17/2014 even for the children.
Related article.. Tepco discharged 561t of bypass contaminated groundwater to the Pacific [URL 2]
Iori Mochizuki
You read this now because we’ve been surviving until today.
_____
Français :
La pref de Fukushima ouvre une plage à la baignade : 94 Bq/kg au fond de la mer mais ils ne contrôlent même pas le sable
La préfecture de Fukushima et la municipalité d’Iwaki vont ouvrir deux plages à la baignade l’été prochain (Yotsukura & Nakoso) sans faire d’analyse du sable des plages.
L’an dernier ils avaient relevé 3 167 Bq/kg de césium-134/137 dans le sable de la plage, soit 32 fois la limite de sécurité alimentaire. (cf. La ville d’Iwaki ouvre la plage de Yotsukura à la baignade : 3 200 Bq/kg dans le sable)
Ils n’analyseront pas le sable cette année et la raison n’en est pas donnée. Les résultats des analyses de l’an dernier ont également été retirés de leur site web sans explication.
A la place du sable de la plage, ils ont analysé celui du fond de la mer. Ils y ont quand même trouvé du Cs-134/137 sur l’ensemble des 5 échantillons pris pour ces 2 plages.
Le record en a été de 93,8 Bq/kg. C’est pratiquement équivalent à la limite de sécurité alimentaire.
Ces plages seront ouvertes à la baignade du 20 juillet au 17 août 2014, même aux enfants.
Article lié : Tepco a déversé dans le Pacifique 561 tonnes d’eaux radioactives souterraines de la dérivation
Vous pouvez lire ceci parce que nous avons survécu jusqu’à aujourd’hui.
Organic cat litter linked to nuke leak – Arnold Gunderersen interview
Published on 20 May 2014
CNN’s Brianna Keilar talks to Arnie Gundersen about the New Mexico radiation leak linked to Kitty litter.
Nuclear Hotseat #152: Voices from Japan: Idogawa, Horikiri and Oishinbo
http://www.nuclearhotseat.com/1935/
DOWNLOAD HERE:
http://lhalevy.audioacrobat.com/download/70fa7193-ee5e-c6fc-9ae6-37710ceb8a2d.mp3
| ニュークリアーホットシート |
日本語版を聞く場合はここをクリックして下さい。LISTEN HERE (JAPANESE): (pending)
ダウンロードをして聞く場合はここをクリックして下さい。DOWNLOAD HERE (JAPANESE): (pending)
FEATURED: Voices from Japan features former Futuba Mayor Idogawa, filmmaker Satomi Horiki, and an examination of the Oishinbo manga comic controversy over nosebleeds, radiation fatigue and government suppression of the medical facts.
NUMNUTZ OF THE WEEK:
A Kennedy and a Beatle? Yep! When they could get together and save the world. Imagine…
PLUS:
- Fukushima Prefectural Government and Fukushima Medical University found to have signed secrecy pact with pro-nuclear IAEA;
- Radiation keeps peaking over previous peaks at Fukushima, but TEPCO plans to just dump radwater into the Pacific starting next week;
- Thyroid cancer in Fukushima kids jumps 51.5% over February numbers;
- Los Alamos is the definite source of WIPP underground explosion and radiation leak – more containers at risk at WIPP, at WCS in Texas, and at Los Alamos;
- Ukraine stops armed gunmen from forcing their way into nuclear power plant;
- Canada throws out preliminary approvals for two new nukes in Ontario;
- CA Public Utilities Commission President Michael R. Peevey gets peeved and shouts/curses down honest question at SCE pork barrel evidentiary hearing;
- …and much more!
While the USA gets in on the decommissioning funding after the Kennedy visit, funding for research science remains non exsistent!
…. Current Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government have promised to boost science; they should encourage and support researchers from around the world in collecting and sharing information. Chernobyl was a missed opportunity for post-accident research — in that sense at least, Fukushima could do much better…..
03 September 2013
http://www.nature.com/news/nuclear-error-1.13667
Letter from Professor Timothy Mousseau concerning a recent report on a limited study on birds in Fukushima - 27 April 2014 Extract"Let me start by saying the Dr. Galvan is a very bright and hard working young biologist whose scientific credentials are impeccable, in fact beyond excellent. Through his hard work he has managed to find these novel and potentially very important responses in natural populations that have never been seen before. His credentials are beyond reproach in every way and we are very grateful for his very significant contributions to this evolving study of wildlife in Chernobyl and Fukushima. My only regret is that we don't have the resources to find more creative, bright, hard working young biologists like him to help us with these studies.
Full text;
Hopefully there will be some more comprehensive coverage of this latest paper that includes some discussion of the broader picture that includes the context for how such “positive” responses have evolved and how they are not unexpected given the intensity of “unnatural” selection (i.e.
Negative effects) imposed by the radioactive contaminants in the area.
Let me start by saying the Dr. Galvan is a very bright and hard working young biologist whose scientific credentials are impeccable, in fact beyond excellent. Through his hard work he has managed to find these novel and potentially very important responses in natural populations that have never been seen before. His credentials are beyond reproach in every way and we are very grateful for his very significant contributions to this evolving study of wildlife in Chernobyl and Fukushima. My only regret is that we don’t have the resources to find more creative, bright, hard
working young biologists like him to help us with these studies.
Below are some quotes that I am sharing related to the current study on adaptation that puts things into an evolutionary context:
“Our previous studies in Chernobyl show a wide array of negative consequences of exposure to radiation for most species. However, the species that are remaining appear to have either evolved or are pre-adapted to the contaminants through increased allocation of antioxidants as a defense against the radiation. Some of these birds even show reduced levels of genetic damage in areas of intermediate contamination perhaps reflecting an effect of acclimation to the radiation. It remains to be shown experimentally whether all birds show such a response, or just the ones that are surviving under these hazardous conditions.
“These observations do not suggest that these birds are not negatively impacted overall our previous studies show significant increases in cataracts, tumors, reduced fertility, and smaller brain sizes, even in these birds that show some level of adaptation. However, the “unnatural selection” imposed by radiation appears to favor individuals with the ability to allocate antioxidants towards protection from ionizing radiation, and this is not surprising given the strength of the negative effects in the hottest parts of the Chernobyl Zone.
“Comparisons between Fukushima and Chernobyl suggest that 20+ years of selection has led to smaller negative impacts on population growth rates in Chernobyl than for the same birds in Fukushima four months after the disaster further supporting the hypothesis that natural selection has favored individuals that have allocated antioxidants towards the defense of cellular damage caused by ionizing radiation.
“This latest paper may be a little confusing to some as it appears to contradict some of our previous findings. However, these two messages are not contradictory and positive and negative responses are not mutually exclusive when it comes to evolution by natural selection in the face of environmental stress. These latest observations simply suggest that evolution is proceeding as expected, all the more so given the intensity of selection we have previously documented. Negative fitness consequences of the radiation provide the evolutionary “pressure” for organisms to
evolve adaptations in the face of this stress.”
In short, “positive” (as in adaptive) responses are an expected outcome of the negative pressures exerted by the elevated radiation levels in these regions. Given all that we know about evolution, it would be surprising if we didn’t see adaptations arising in this way.
Finland – TVO postpones Olkiluoto 4 nuclear project by 5 years!
05/20/2014
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2014/05/tvo-postpones-olkiluoto-4-nuclear-project.html
Finland’s utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) asked to postpone its newest nuclear power plant by five years.
The utility asked for a five-year extension to submit a construction license application for Unit 4 at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, according to Reuters. TVA was due to apply for the license in 2015, but repeated delays and increasing costs at the current project, the 1,600-MW Olkiluoto 3, made it impossible to make any decisions on Unit 4.
TVO announced in February that Olkiluoto 3 is now expected to start in 2016, up from its original target date of 2009. Both units will use the European Pressurized Reactor technology.
Contaminated Fukushima water released into sea by a failing TEPCO
http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/asiapacific/2014/05/21/fukushima-water-released-into-sea.html
Published: 3:35 pm, Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Image source ; http://www.greenpeace.org/japan/ja/news/blog/staff/blog/49297/
Hundreds of tons of groundwater which seeped into a stricken nuclear plant in Japan has begun to be released out to sea, the plant’s operators say.
Tokyo Electric Power Co, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, said the water’s radiation level met safety guidelines, but it was not clear whether the water was more radioactive than normal groundwater.
The operator said it would discharge a total of 560 tonnes of the water, which enters the basement of the reactor buildings daily, into the Pacific Ocean.
The operator has been battling with a massive amount of radiation-tainted water as it continues to inject water into three of its six reactors to keep them cool.
The plant suffered meltdowns at the three reactors after a tsunami swept through the complex in March 2011.
See also:
http://ex-skf.blogspot.jp/2014/05/just-in-all-three-lines-of-alps-have.html
Monday, May 19, 2014
Just In: All Three Lines of ALPS Have Stopped at #Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant
The entire ALPS multi-nuclide removal system is down again, as Line C has just been stopped as the water sample from Line C is found with high calcium content.
Line A was stopped three days ago, and Line B has been idle since March this year, when the water treated in Line B was found with high beta (in the order of 10 million Bq/L) and brand-new storage tanks got contaminated.
Stopping ALPS won’t affect the cooling of reactors, as the treatment for the cooling water is done by SARRY (removal of radioactive cesium) and by the reverse osmosis apparatus (desalination).
From TEPCO’s email alert for the press, 5/20/2014:
多核種除去設備（ＡＬＰＳ）Ｃ系については処理運転中でしたが、本日（５月20日）の定例のサンプリングにおいて、系統水に若干の白濁があること、カルシウム濃度が高いことを確認しました。
Line C of the multi-nuclide removal system ALPS has been in operation. However, we noted in today (May 20, 2014)’s scheduled sampling that the water [coming out of] Line C was clouded, and that it had high calcium content.
このため、多核種除去設備（ＡＬＰＳ）Ｃ系について、同日午前９時00分、処理運転を停止し、循環待機運転に切り替えました。
Therefore, we stopped Line C at 9:00AM today, and switched it to the circulation stand-by operation. [I don’t know exactly what TEPCO means; I’m guessing they are circulating the water within Line C instead of sending treated water into a storage tank.]
この結果、多核種除去設備（ＡＬＰＳ）は３系統ありますが、全て処理運転を停止している状況となります。
As the result, all three lines of ALPS have stopped treatment operation.
原因等については、今後調査いたします。
We will investigate the cause.
The cause, if it is the same as Line A which stopped three days ago after the water sample was found with high calcium content, is likely to be the defective cross flow filter, like this one on Line B (from TEPCO’s Roadmap update page 24, 4/24/2014) (English labels are by me):
Whether the defective gasket is due to material defect, design defect or irradiation is unknown at this point.
Armenia – Metsamor nuclear plant is a liability and the IAEA does not care!
“…Responding to a question about the safety of Metsamor, a nuclear power plant in Armenia, Amano said “it’s the responsibility of each state to be sure that its nuclear is safe…Some improvement has been made in Metsamor but more needs to be done.”…” http://www.turkishpress.com/news/405511/ May 14, 2014
….The international community and regional countries like Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have repeatedly urged Armenia to close the dangerous Metsamor NPP immediately. The European Commission recently called Armenia to work towards the earliest possible closure of the Metsamor NPP. But, Armenia does not attach any particular importance to nuclear safety…..
http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/armenia/2275640.html
By Jamila Babayeva
19 May 2014,
Armenia is becoming more unpopular among Russian government and investors as Moscow faces economic difficulties following its interference in the crisis in Ukraine.
Armenia intended to sign an agreement with the Russian government to get loans to start the Metsamor nuclear power plant project by May 1, 2014.
The governments decided in March to extend the operation period of the second power unit of the nuclear power plant in Metsamor and at the same time start the construction of a new nuclear power plant.
But, Russia seems not to hurry to allocate loans to Armenia for this project so far.
The Armenian government, in search of ways to convince Russia to immediately allocate loans for the “investment-hungry” nation, uses every chance in this regard. Azerbaijan’s intention to construct a nuclear plant in the next three to four years as part of programs of its National Nuclear Research Center has pushed Armenian authorities to take urgent steps.
“Armenia needs to take the immediate benefits of constructing a new nuclear power unit,” Deputy Energy Minister Areg Galstyan said at the parliament on May 14 in response to Azerbaijan’s recent decision.
He added that the construction of a power unit is the first priority of Armenia.
“Given the current situation, it is necessary to complete the project as soon as possible,” Galstyan said. “Maybe we can benefits from the construction of more nuclear power plants. Maybe we will be forced to take this step.”
Thus, Galstyan sent a signal to Russia to accelerate allocating a loan to Armenia for outdated Metsamor NPP. Russia’s economy now is in difficult situation and the country may see serious economic slowdown. Russia in this situation will hardly be interested in supporting Armenia in nuclear projects.
Metsamor NPP is a real nuclear threat for the region. Metsamor NPP, built in 1970, was closed down after the devastating earthquake in Spitak in 1988, but resumed its operation in 1995 despite international outrages.
The international community and regional countries like Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have repeatedly urged Armenia to close the dangerous Metsamor NPP immediately. The European Commission recently called Armenia to work towards the earliest possible closure of the Metsamor NPP.
But, Armenia does not attach any particular importance to nuclear safety.
Now Armenia intends to operate Metsamor NPP, which does not meet current safety standards, till 2026.
Azernews
Ukraine – Journalists under attack – Graham Phillips, Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko
….On Sunday, two Russian LifeNews journalists, Oleg Sidyakin and Marat Saichenko, were captured by Ukrainian troops, presumably near Kramatorsk in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. The journalists were being investigated on the charges of “aiding the terrorist groups,”…….
Video and images on RT link;
http://rt.com/news/160188-rt-journalist-detain-army/
RT contributing journalist Graham Phillips said he has been detained by the National Guard at a check point in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine. Following his phone call RT lost connection with the British journalist while UK said ready to provide assistance.
RT has lost connection with the it’s contributing journalist Graham Phillips who was detained at a check point in Mariupol earlier on Tuesday.
“Our stringer Graham Phillips was arrested at a checkpoint by people who, according to him, when we last spoke, introduced themselves as the National Guard and asked for his papers. After this, the connection with the journalist was lost, we still cannot get in touch with Graham, we are extremely worried what could happen to him. It is even more worrying after the events, which, as we all saw happened to the LifeNews TV correspondents” said Alexey Kuznetsov, deputy head of RT’s English department.
“I’m sitting at a blockade post in a portacabin. The dialogue is quite interrogation oriented,” Phillips earlier told RT in a phone call.
He added that he was asked if he is a spy, while his car was searched and his laptop confiscated. However, he noted that he is being treated well.
“At the moment I’m with the Ukrainian forces … near Mariupol. I’ve been here for over two hours and I’ve been described, my status, as being detained in terms of I can’t leave. I would also say I’m being treated OK by them. I believe that someone is coming. They’ve done checks on my documentation. They found my reports and clips I’ve done and they’re now looking through them asking me my position on things, asking if I’m a spy, and asking me quite thorough questions. They’ve checked all my documentation and photos, my laptop and the car – so that’s who I’m with at the moment.”
He also said he has been asked about separatism and his working arrangement with RT.
“I’ve been describing my position on Crimea. I did believe – and I did say and I did state and I stand by position – that the Crimea referendum was legitimate. I do believe referendums held here have a legitimacy, and I had an exchange one day that I do believe the Kiev government isn’t legal and isn’t democratic. I don’t support this current situation in the east of Ukraine or the Donetsk Republic, as it’s now been named. I believe the position of President Turchinov and [PM] Yatsenyuk – not coming here to speak to people, but using military forces to launch assaults against them – is completely wrong.”
During the phone conversation Phillips said he had explained to his captives that while working for RT he “maintains complete objectivity and neutrality as a correspondent.”
“I present the facts as I see them and exactly as today, which is to say they’re treating me OK. They’ve taken my bulletproof jacket and my helmet, but on the other hand they haven’t in any way inflicted any form of injury or any actions on my person.”
UK Foreign Office ready to provide consular assistance
The UK Foreign Office, upon being contacted by RT, said it is looking into Phillip’s detention and “stand ready to provide consular assistance.”
The British national’s previous record of reporting for RT has already backfired on him. Two weeks ago Ukrainian radicals put a bounty out on Phillips. The Right Sector reportedly offered $10,000 for the capture of “the Russian spy.”
On Monday, pro-Kiev activists again called to “immediately detain and deport” Phillips, whom they believe is “cooperating with terrorists,” according to a message posted on EuroMaidan Kharkov’s Facebook page.
Ecumenical delegates at the UN pursue alternatives to an unhealthy nuclear regime
14 May 2014
Reflections by Jonathan Frerichs (*)
Like an annual check-up where the patient disputes the diagnosis and refuses treatment, five states out of nearly 200 governments who met at the United Nations, New York, from 28 April to 9 May, continue to hang onto an “illness” the international community has long agreed is unhealthy and catastrophic – their nuclear arsenals.
Image source ; http://internetsveryown.blogspot.ie/2013/06/nuclear-weapons-peace-keepers.html
An ecumenical delegation was present to advocate for a strong humanitarian remedy, one that has wide international support and that World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches on five continents brought to governments in advance of this 2014 meeting on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The nuclear powers could not block the careful diagnoses of the global nuclear malaise offered by the conference chair Ambassador Roman-Morey of Peru and by many of the 184 countries without nuclear weapons. Yet representatives of nuclear powers, such as the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China and their allies were at pains to show that the real problem does not lie with them.
The real problem, they said, is with states that do not have nuclear weapons and might acquire them. This is similar to someone with an infectious disease refusing treatment while insisting that everyone else must be quarantined. NPT resolutions have foundered repeatedly on the same argument.
Alternative, energizing approaches were rife in the conference chamber and in dozens of side events. Chief among them is the need to deal with “the devastation that would be visited upon all humankind by any use of nuclear weapons and since there is no competent international capacity to address the resulting catastrophic humanitarian consequences,” as the chair’s final recommendations put it.
Ecumenical delegates met with representatives of governments on all sides of the issue—some with nuclear weapons, some without, and some dependent on the US nuclear arsenal. The meetings discussed national action called for by the recent WCC Assembly; namely, for all states to address conclusively the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Assembly policy and church actions for peace on the Korean peninsula were explained in a panel proposing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Northeast Asia. The WCC took part in a meeting of Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish leaders exploring new multi-religious initiatives for nuclear abolition. Dr Emily Welty, a Pace University professor from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and former international affairs commissioner of the WCC, and Mr Steve Hucklesby, policy advisor to the Methodist, United Reformed and Baptist churches in the United Kingdom, were ecumenical delegates at the NPT.
Nuclear testing in the Pacific made unexpected headlines at the conference. The Marshall Islands announced at the outset that it was taking each of the nine nuclear-armed states to the International Court of Justice for their failure to comply with the disarmament obligations in the NPT. Radiation from tests carried out in the 1950s and 60s still affect Pacific islanders’, including member churches there.
“It is hardly possible to have a smaller David and a bigger Goliath,” one ambassador said of the Marshall Islands’ lawsuit against the USA, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. The only recourse being sought by the small island nation is that nuclear disarmament be completed within a short, specified timeframe.
“The real question is this: Can the current dynamics of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime deliver on the promise of nuclear abolition?” a representative of Project Ploughshares of the Canadian Conference of Churches said of the conference. “With poor prospects for a ‘yes,’ an increasing number of non-nuclear-weapons states are openly challenging the status quo.”
(*) A reflection on the news, by Jonathan Frerichs, WCC programme executive for peace building and disarmament, is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
WCC statement on the Way of Just Peace
WCC statement on Peace and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula
BREAKING – “World Without War” in South Korea – Reverend Bora Im, Yang and Choi imprisoned for peaceful demonstration
We just received news that our friend from World Without War in South Korean were imprisoned today for taking action against the construction of the naval base on Jeju Island. Below you find information where you can send letter of support.
Image source ; http://www.space4peace.org/articles/jeju_and_a_naval_arms_race_in_asia.htm
Posted by Javier http://www.wri-irg.org/node/23124
20 May 2014
Why South Korean peace activists walked into a prison on their own feet
Yeo-ok Yang and Jungmin Choi, activists of World Without War, and Reverend Bora Im of Hyanglin Church were put into prison on May 20.
They were sentenced to pay a fine of two million won each (approximately 2,000 USD) for taking a direct action to block the construction of Jeju Naval Base, which had been illegally undertaken without an agreement with local residents.
Instead of paying the fine, they chose to be imprisoned in a workhouse. Two million won is a large amount money for an activist. But that is not the main reason of their choices. They thought it is a violation of the constitutional rights to the freedom of assembly and association to impose heavy fines on activists taking a thoroughly nonviolent way of resistance against wrongful state policies.
Thus, it is an active civil disobedience that these peace activist refused to pay the fine and walked into a prison on their own feet. Being punished instead of obeying an unjust law, they are actively revealing the unjustness of law. They are showing that the construction of Jeju Naval Base is wrong and that it is unjust to violate the constitutional rights to the freedom of assembly of association by imposing heavy fines.
We respect their choices to be imprisoned. But we cannot let our friends stay in the prison for too long. There are several ways you can help them:
1. Fund-raising for the fine
(1) Himneyo >> http://himneyo.com/story/story_detail.jsp?sid=1000334
You can donate a thousand won just by logging in with a Facebook account and a few clicks. The contribution comes from a number of committed donators. (Refer to the attached images for instructions.)
(2) SocialFunch >> http://www.socialfunch.org/peacefund
SocialFunch is a crowdfunding site for social movements. You can donate any amount of money in several payment methods. (Only available in South Korea.)
2. Letters of support
Send your letters of support to these activists.
(1) Send an email to: peace@withoutwar.org
(2) You can also write online messages on a Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/wearenotguilty
3. Petition
Send Twitter messages to South Korean authorities:
(1) Ministry of Justice: @happymoj
(Sample message: Release all peace activists of Gangjeong. Nonviolent direct action is not a crime! #wearenotguilty)
(2) Ministry of National Defense: @ROK_MND
(Sample message: Stop the construction of Jeju Naval Base! #wearenotguilty)
(3) Samsung C&T: @Samsungcnt
(Sample message: Stop the construction of Jeju Naval Base! #wearenotguilty)
SURGEONS LAND IN EASTERN UKRAINE TO CARRY OUT LIFE-SAVING OPERATIONS DESPITE THE BACKGROUND OF THE CRISIS
h/t https://www.facebook.com/ChernobylChildrenInternational?fref=nf
20 May 2014
Against all the odds, an Irish funded international surgical team has got through the strife-torn Ukraine and landed in Kharkiv today to provide life-saving cardiac operations for more than 60 critically ill children. The mission has been organised by Irish humanitarian aid agency Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International.
The team of internationally renowned specialists – from the US, Canada and Nicaragua – will begin carrying out the urgently needed operations, funded by Irish donors, on children suffering from genetic heart defects in the eastern city of Kharkiv today (Tuesday).
The volunteer multi-national team of surgeons will be led by the renowned US surgeon, Dr. William Novick, Founder and Medical Director of the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF) who pioneered the ‘mercy missions’ to Ukraine where 6,000 babies are born with heart defects each year.
The surgical team of 7 includes Frank Molloy, a specialist cardiac nurse with English roots now working in the US and Dr. Kathleen Fenton, originally of Washington DC, now living in Nicaragua.
Dr. Novick, Adi Roche, CEO, Chernobyl Children International and Dr. Igor Polivenok, Head of the Cardiac Unit at Kharkiv Hospital, are delighted that the operations will go ahead today.
Dr. Novick said “It has been a difficult decision to go ahead with the mission and there are risks involved but we could not put the operations off any longer. We have to keep these children alive”.
Adi Roche, said “We are so grateful to the surgical team for taking a personal risk travelling to Kharkiv to save the lives of children who, without surgical intervention, would not survive. We are hoping for a successful outcome to this mission”.
“We were so disappointed when the operations had to be twice cancelled because of the volatility and instability in Eastern Ukraine but it is such a relief that the team has arrived safely in Kharkiv and can now begin saving lives”.
Dr. Igor Polivenok of Kharkiv Hospital has expressed his joy at the team’s return. “This is something magical and unbelievable! These children are our treasures and now there is hope that they will live. The restoration of these life-saving missions’ gives us all hope for life”, Dr Polivenok said.
In April, the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine forced the suspension of the life-saving cardiac surgery programme for a second time this year. Of the 6,000 babies born with heart defects in Ukraine each year, 50 per cent are not operated on because of lack of facilities and qualified medical teams in Ukraine. Without cardiac surgery the children, who need complex open heart operations, have little hope of living beyond 5 years. Since 2004 more than €3 million has been raised in Ireland to fund the programme organised by Chernobyl Children International.
1 This Month
of the week – Shut Down Drone Warfare!
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
Petition to revoke the licensing of the Near Surface Nuclear Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River. https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7247
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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