Threats to journalism posed by UK National Security Bill brushed aside by Parliament
Mohamed Elmaazi, Truth Defence, 14 May 23
While the imprisonment of Julian Assange at London’s Belmarsh high-security prison — for the fourth consecutive World Press Freedom Day — was being raised by media outlets, civil liberty groups and press freedom organisations the world over, 3 May 2023 saw the UK House of Commons debate the latest iteration of the increasingly draconian National Security Bill 2023 (National Security Bill).
The National Security Bill creates a raft of new offences, including two which mandate either a fine or life imprisonment and multiple other offences prescribing a maximum of either 10 or 14 years imprisonment.
In March, a number of Peers in the House of Lords raised strongly worded concerns and proposed some level of restrictions but were ultimately unsuccessful. The House of Commons has not taken up these concerns either.
Number 10 and the Home Office, along with a majority of parliamentarians in both houses, are justifying this bill as necessary to protect national security and defend the country from “espionage”, “sabotage” and “foreign interference.”
A detailed analysis of the earlier version of the National Security Bill from June 2022, which I drafted for Consortium News and which remains valid, should be consulted by readers seeking more information.
The National Security Bill 2023 is over 200 pages long and the most recent version as amended on 7 March 2023 can be found here with proposed Lords amendments as of 15 March found here and the subsequent amendments, disagreements and reasons made on 3 May 2023 found here.
For simplicity’s sake, “Clauses” in the Bill are referred to here as “Sections”, because that is what they become known as once a bill becomes law.
Despite government assurances, the National Security Bill would, if enacted, radically curb whistleblowing, public interest and adversarial journalism, and stifle direct action activism, all to levels unseen in the UK for multiple generations, if not in its entire history.
Life in Prison for Receiving Restricted Material…………………………………………………………..
“A Powerful Chilling Effect” on Investigative Journalism
These offences “would cover a wide range of reporting, whether about sexual assaults on board a nuclear submarine, Chinese influence in the UK, bullying by intelligence officers, an innocent photograph of a nuclear power station or huge investigations such as the Panama Papers,” Lord Black of Brentwood said during the Lords debate on 1 March 2023.
“The problem is that, when journalists start investigating a story, they cannot possibly know where it will lead and whether their reports might,” Lord Black said.
This creates a “powerful chilling effect on investigative reporting by responsible journalists,” he added. …………………………………………………….
Passing off “National Interest” for “National Security”
“[W]ithout a narrower definition of the interests of the UK, the Bill contains a worrying restriction on investigative journalism and campaigning where conduct that could be taken to breach Clauses 1 to 5 might be contrary to government policy,” Lord Marks noted………………………………………………………………….
A Convoluted and Draconian Law With No Real Protections
The House of Commons, on 3 May 2023, did not revive the matter of the need for protection for journalists and whistleblowers within this bill nor did they seek to restrict the application of the offences against journalists and activists………………………………..
It is noteworthy that the public can also be excluded — on national security grounds — from legal proceedings resulting from charges in this bill.
The National Security Bill appears fairly close to being finalised within the next month or two, and without any major organised opposition from the public and press, seems likely to pass without any journalistic or public interest protections whatsoever.
Truth Defence will publish at least two more posts on the National Security Bill. One will outline some of the new powers designed to authorise government officials to demand information, including journalistic materials from individuals. A further post will address the incredibly nebulous defined offences of “Foreign Interference”.
We will continue to update its subscribers in relation to this bill and other laws and policies which seek to curb and control the right to dissent, seek out information and hold the powerful to account. https://truthdefence.org/threats-to-journalism-posed-by-uk-national-security-bill-brushed-aside-by-parliament/
Britain leads the way in escalating the Ukraine war with long range missiles
Robert Stevens10 May 2023 WSWS UK deepens warmongering in Ukraine with plans to supply long-range missiles
The UK is again leading the way in a massive further escalation of the NATO war against Russia.
On Monday, the Washington Post reported that the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) had issued a call to weapons manufacturers, on behalf of the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), to supply missiles capable of striking Russian-annexed Crimea or cities deep inside Russia’s borders. Over £300 million in funding has been made available through donations from the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, plus Iceland and Lithuania.
The MoD’s notice referred to “Missiles or Rockets with a range 100-300km; land, sea or air launch” and “Payload 20-490kg”. Listed as “Desirable requirements” were: “Low Probability of Intercept (LPI); includes Mission Planning Capability; Assured navigation (with hardened Global Navigation Satellite System capability) in the face of advanced countermeasures and EM spectrum denial; Air defence penetration methods to increase probability of successful strike; Technical Readiness Level of at least 8”.
This fits the profile of the UK’s own Storm Shadow missile which has a range of in excess of 250km. Costing £2.2 million apiece, the weapon is manufactured by the UK/French/Italian arms group MBDA for the British and French armed forces. According to the Forceswebsite, the Storm Shadow was “developed primarily for stealth strikes,” is “capable of engaging the targets precisely in any weather conditions during day and night” and boasts “long-range low attitude paths combined with subsonic speed.”…………….
The Guardian reported Wednesday, “A British official, speaking anonymously, said the tender requirements were ‘rather consistent’ with the Storm Shadow.” An MoD spokesperson said that a final decision to supply Ukraine with long-range Ukraine would rest with the main five countries in the IFU.
This was just for public consumption. Everyone knows that it is Britain, acting in tandem with the United States, that will decide what gets sent. This was made clear by the statements cited in the Washington Post made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in February in his speech to the Munich Security Conference:…………
Sunak added definitively, “The United Kingdom will be the first country to provide Ukraine with longer range weapons.”
His pledge was all but confirmed this week by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, in Washington to hold talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Atlantic Council think tank “on the United Kingdom’s role in an increasingly adversarial world.”……….
Cleverly commented, “Air defense missile systems became increasingly important over time, and in the next stage we’ll see another evolution of the support.”
Britain’s role as chief provocateur in the lead up to and during NATO’s war against Russia is a matter of record. It has also led the way in ensuring ever-more lethal military hardware has been flooded into Ukraine, with the resulting mass loss of life, both Ukrainian and Russian, not even an afterthought.
Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told Reuters, “We would welcome it if the UK takes on a leadership role with the long-range missiles, in the same way they did with the Challenger 2 main battle tanks.”
Politico responded to the MoD’s announcement with a piece declaring, “The Biden administration has no plans to follow Britain’s lead in sending long-range missiles to Ukraine—with some officials saying the U.S. is now off the hook thanks to the U.K.’s planned delivery.”
……………………………………….. At every stage in the conflict, NATO has escalated the conflict with the supply of weaponry that US President Joe Biden himself and NATO officials had previously unconditionally ruled out. The Guardian noted, “Britain is unlikely to want to go ahead without US support, and getting to this point may have required diplomatic wrangling.”…………………………………………….. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/05/10/dvvj-m10.html
How the Greens are conquering the Tory countryside
In the vote on May 4, the Greens won Mid Suffolk district council from the
Conservatives, taking 24 of the 34 seats and securing their first ever
majority-held council in the UK. It was the biggest wave in a national
tidal surge of rural support for the party. The Greens doubled their
councillors nationally from 240 to 481 — and became the largest party in
East Hertfordshire and Lewes in East Sussex. They also took 12 seats in
East Suffolk, and made gains in Cumberland, South Tyneside, Hastings and
Worcester.
Times 14th May 2023
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-the-greens-are-conquering-the-tory-countryside-fjzw6mhvv
Wildfires, heat waves in Canada, Russia, Mongolia Kazakhstan
Wildfires in the boreal forests of Canada and Russia of rising intensity
are sharply reducing air quality and pumping tons of carbon dioxide into
the earth’s atmosphere, the EU’s earth observation programme has warned.
Fires in Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta alone have burnt
about 1 million acres since January 1 and forced nearly 30,000 people to
evacuate in the past week. The relocation of communities and proximity of
fires also caused more than a dozen oil and gases companies to temporarily
shut or curtail operations, including Cenovus Energy, Paramount Resources,
Crescent Point Energy, NuVista Energy and Tourmaline Oil, the country’s
largest gas producer.
In Russia, wildfires are burning across the Urals and
Siberia, in a band stretching from the Chelyabinsk region across Omsk and
Novosibirsk regions to Primorye, and are also affecting Kazakhstan and
Mongolia. Earlier this week, local authorities in Russia said more than
54,000 hectares of forests in the Sverdlovsk region in the Urals were on
fire as of Monday morning, the AP reported.
FT 13th May 2023
https://www.ft.com/content/6adb3a9b-c31a-4a36-a45e-0f1239d98014
Pacific Northwest braces for unusually early heat wave threatening to break
records
An unusually early heat wave is expected to start Saturday and last through
Monday in parts of the Pacific Northwest.
Independent 13th May 2023
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/heat-wave-oregon-canada-wildfire-b2338272.html
China’s nuclear ambitions get a boost from Russia, but is energy the only goal?
- Moscow is feeding Beijing’s growing appetite for highly enriched uranium, but observers say those supplies could be used for nuclear weapons
- China will replace the US to become the world’s top uranium buyer by 2030, experts say
Liu Zhen, 13 May, 2023, SCMP,
China is importing highly enriched uranium from Russia to produce energy, but observers caution that Beijing also plans to expand its nuclear arsenal. Photo: Shutterstock
The confirmation came last week when Russia said it had agreed to supply highly enriched uranium-235 to energy-hungry China over the next three years.
The announcement backed up reports that the shipments of nuclear fuel – enriched up to 30 per cent – were part of a deal to supply a demonstration fast-neutron power plant, a technology that could help China ease its shortage of nuclear fuel.
…….. with the enriched uranium fuelling a demonstration project for the new technology, China could improve its output of nuclear fuel and go some way to overcoming itst supply problem.
The final product would be plutonium 239, an artificial element that is primarily used in nuclear warheads – and that worries the West.
Although never officially admitted, Beijing is believed to be expanding the country’s nuclear arsenal, in line with President Xi Jinping’s pledge at last October’s 20th Communist Party congress to “strengthen strategic deterrence” as military tensions with the United States and its allies rise.
The US Department of Defence (DOD) has estimated China will increase from 400 warheads today to 1,500 by 2035.
……………………………………………………… With its two 600 megawatt power generators, the CFR-600 is not particularly large and is only considered a “demonstration project”. By comparison, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant near Hong Kong, which has been operating since the 1990s, has two 944 megawatts generators.
In March, US DOD official John Plumb described the China-Russia cooperation deal as “very troubling”, but China’s foreign ministry has defended the arrangement as “perfectly normal and we do not see anything wrong about it”.
………………………… Fast-neutron reactors are an advanced fourth-generation nuclear power plant technology, which function to generate power, multiply nuclear fuel, and incinerate long-lived radionuclides, according to Xue Xiaogang, head of the China Institute of Atomic Energy Science.
……………………………………………. Russia has for decades been a leader in fast-neutron reactor technology, and last year its Beloyarsk BN-800 reactor began running completely on reprocessed spent fuel known as MOX.
But China’s imports of 30 per cent concentrated uranium-235 fuel for the Xiapu CFR-600 meant it was still at an earlier stage of technological development with many obstacles to overcome, said the researcher. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3220391/chinas-nuclear-ambitions-get-boost-russia-energy-only-goal
Japan’s nuclear contaminated wastewater dump plan a cause of concerns even for New Caledonia
By Global Times: May 14, 2023
Japan’s plan to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean has been strongly condemned by the international community. Nonetheless, Tokyo is still going its own way and speeding up the plan to make the rest of the world pay for it. What harm will it cause to the Pacific island countries and local residents if the contaminated water is discharged into the Pacific Ocean by Japan? What efforts has the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) made to stop Japan? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen discussed these issues with Johanito Wamytan (Wamytan), the vice-president of the association of friendship between New Caledonia and foreign countries.
GT: What do you think of Japan’s decision to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean? If it is carried out, how will it affect Japan’s regional and international image?
Wamytan: Twelve years after the Fukushima disaster, the nuclear power plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), is preparing to dump more than 1 million tons of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean. The plan has caused concerns among fishermen and angered Japan’s neighbors.
Storage was the solution put in place at Fukushima. The affected nuclear power plant produces hundreds of cubic meters of contaminated water each week. To cool the fuel in the affected reactors, TEPCO is forced to inject water permanently. Add to that the rainwater and groundwater that is sitting in the basements of buildings. This water loaded with radioactive isotopes is then pumped to be partially treated and placed in tanks.
According to a TEPCO count in February 2021, 1,061 tanks were piled up at the Fukushima site, containing 1.25 million cubic meters of wastewater. In a document dated April 2020, the IAEA reiterated its position that storage “can only be a temporary measure and a more sustainable solution is needed.”
Japan’s nuclear contaminated wastewater dump plan a cause of concerns even for New Caledonia
By Global TimesPublished: May 14, 2023 07:21 PM
A view of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Photo: VCGEditor’s Note:
Japan’s plan to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean has been strongly condemned by the international community. Nonetheless, Tokyo is still going its own way and speeding up the plan to make the rest of the world pay for it. What harm will it cause to the Pacific island countries and local residents if the contaminated water is discharged into the Pacific Ocean by Japan? What efforts has the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) made to stop Japan? Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen discussed these issues with Johanito Wamytan (Wamytan), the vice-president of the association of friendship between New Caledonia and foreign countries.
This is the fifth piece of the series.
GT: What do you think of Japan’s decision to dump nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean? If it is carried out, how will it affect Japan’s regional and international image?
Wamytan: Twelve years after the Fukushima disaster, the nuclear power plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), is preparing to dump more than 1 million tons of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean. The plan has caused concerns among fishermen and angered Japan’s neighbors.
Storage was the solution put in place at Fukushima. The affected nuclear power plant produces hundreds of cubic meters of contaminated water each week. To cool the fuel in the affected reactors, TEPCO is forced to inject water permanently. Add to that the rainwater and groundwater that is sitting in the basements of buildings. This water loaded with radioactive isotopes is then pumped to be partially treated and placed in tanks.
According to a TEPCO count in February 2021, 1,061 tanks were piled up at the Fukushima site, containing 1.25 million cubic meters of wastewater. In a document dated April 2020, the IAEA reiterated its position that storage “can only be a temporary measure and a more sustainable solution is needed.” Tanks were filled by 2022 and TEPCO needs room for further dismantling.
The accumulation of these open-pit tanks also raises the risk of accidents. It is likely that Japan’s decision will have a negative impact on the country’s image in terms of nuclear safety and environmental management. The decision can also lead to boycotts or trade restrictions by countries in the region which oppose it.
So far, this decision has been widely criticized by countries in the region, as well as by fishermen and some Japanese. Like them, we in Kanaky-New Caledonia are concerned about the long-term effects of the contamination of the Pacific Ocean on human health and the environment……………………………………………………………………..
GT: New Caledonia is a member of the PIF. What efforts has the PIF made to stop Japan and how effective are they?
Wamytan: The PIF has publicly expressed concern about Japan’s decision to dump contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean, calling on Japan to work closely with Pacific countries to develop an appropriate and environmentally friendly solution to water management. The PIF also requested Japan to provide detailed information on the composition of the contaminated water and on measures taken to minimize risks to human health and the environment……………………………………………………………………… https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202305/1290677.shtml
Jamaica’s government planning for small nuclear reactors – but there’s been no public discussion.
The Jamaica Gleaner, 15 May 23 Editorial | Preparing for nuclear power
Having made clear its intention to make nuclear power part of Jamaica’s energy mix, the Holness administration must urgently open a robust conversation with the public to explore the economics of the plan and address any fears people might have about pursuing this idea.
Indeed, it is too often the case that governments, including Jamaica’s, embark upon policies that prove controversial, when they might have avoided pitfalls by engaging their public early. That must not happen with this initiative.
When Prime Minister Andrew Holness raised the nuclear power question at the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s trade exposition earlier this month, there was a sense that the idea was at best embryonic that the government was merely beginning to explore the possibility of introducing either micro and/or small modular nuclear reactors to generate power. However, in his contribution to Parliament’s Sectoral Debate a fortnight later, the energy and technology minister, Daryl Vaz, indicated that the government was far farther along than floating the policy. Not only was it a definitive plan, it was already actively working on how to bring it to fruition.
Indeed, a section of Mr Vaz’s speech is headed: ‘Jamaica to go nuclear’. And according to the minister, the administration has been investigating the issue for two years, has had significant discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and is now preparing a road map for how to proceed fully, including the mobilisation of international funding for the project.
………………………………………… the literature (mostly by companies who have designed and are now marketing them) have touted the efficiency and safety of these reactors, but only a handful, primarily in Russia and China, are actually in operation and commercially generating power.
………………………………. being among the early purchasers of first-generation products, before the design flaws and other kinks are ironed out, carries risks, which it is important that Jamaica minimises.
…………………….. it should be disclosed early what proportion of the country’s electricity mix is expected to come from atomic power, and whether it will mean any displacement of the proposed, traditional renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20230515/editorial-preparing-nuclear-power—
May 14 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “Can Tesla’s Price War Accelerate Electrification?” • Tesla’s price reductions in the first quarter of the year have sent some waves through the auto industry. As legacy automakers and startups both try to catch up to Tesla’s EV dominance, some wonder whether the automaker’s price cuts could actually spur on a quicker transition […]
May 14 Energy News — geoharvey
What is Black Climate Week?
Black communities make the smallest carbon footprint, yet they face the worst of environmental degradation This proximity to the problems means frontline communities are also at the forefront of climate solutions. Yet, they receive the least amount of support. To create equitable climate solutions, we must honor the leadership, voices, and stories of Black communities. Philanthropy MUST dismantle historical barriers & move forward with transparency, accountability, and solidarity.
With this commitment in mind, The Solutions Project created #BlackClimateWeek. Recognized during Black History Month, Black Climate Week honors the innovative climate solutions and environmental justice work that Black folk have been leading for years, while simultaneously calling in philanthropy & the media to do a better job at investing in the communities most impacted by the climate crisis and centering Black voices from the bottom up and the top down.
Now in it’s third year, this award-winning campaign is focused on philanthropy and its power to create the future we want by showing up in solidarity with Black communities advancing a just transition to an equitable and regenerative economy. As climate action rises in importance across all communities, a spotlight on Black leadership offers a powerful path forward.
Leak reveals Zelensky privately plots bold attacks inside Russia.(Is his halo slipping?)
They reveal a leader with aggressive instincts that sharply contrast with his public-facing image as the calm and stoic statesman.
Zelensky suggested Ukraine “conduct strikes in Russia”
“Zelensky highlighted that … Ukraine should just blow up the pipeline and destroy likely Hungarian [Prime Minister] Viktor Orban’s industry”
Zelensky then “suggested that Ukraine attack unspecified deployment locations in Rostov,” a region in western Russia, using drones instead, according to another classified document.
The Age, John Hudson and Isabelle Khurshudyan, May 14, 2023
Washington: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has won the trust of Western governments by refusing to use the weapons they provide for attacks inside Russia and prioritising the targeting of Russian forces inside Ukraine’s borders.
But behind closed doors, Ukraine’s leader has proposed going in a more audacious direction – occupying Russian villages to gain leverage over Moscow, bombing a pipeline that transfers Russian oil to Hungary, a NATO member, and privately pining for long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia’s borders, according to classified US intelligence documents detailing his internal communications with top aides and military leaders.
The documents, which have not been previously disclosed, are part of a broader leak of US secrets circulated on the Discord messaging platform and obtained by The Washington Post. They reveal a leader with aggressive instincts that sharply contrast with his public-facing image as the calm and stoic statesman weathering Russia’s brutal onslaught. The insights were gleaned through intercepted digital communications, providing a rare look at Zelensky’s deliberations amid Russian missile barrages, infrastructure attacks and war crimes.
The Pentagon, where senior US military leaders were briefed on the matters outlined in the leaked documents, did not dispute the authenticity of the materials.
In some cases, Zelensky is seen restraining the ambitions of his subordinates; in several others, he is the one proposing risky military actions.
In a meeting in late January, Zelensky suggested Ukraine “conduct strikes in Russia” while moving Ukrainian ground troops into enemy territory to “occupy unspecified Russian border cities,” according to one document labelled “top secret.” The goal would be “to give Kyiv leverage in talks with Moscow,” the document said.
In a separate meeting in late February with General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s top military commander, Zelensky “expressed concern” that “Ukraine does not have long-range missiles capable of reaching Russian troop deployments in Russia nor anything with which to attack them”. Zelensky then “suggested that Ukraine attack unspecified deployment locations in Rostov,” a region in western Russia, using drones instead, according to another classified document.
In a meeting in mid-February with Deputy Prime Minister Yuliya Svrydenko, Zelensky suggested Ukraine “blow up” the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline that provides oil to Hungary. “Zelensky highlighted that … Ukraine should just blow up the pipeline and destroy likely Hungarian [Prime Minister] Viktor Orban’s industry, which is based heavily on Russian oil,” the document says.
In detailing the conversation, intelligence officials concede that Zelensky was “expressing rage toward Hungary and therefore could be making hyperbolic, meaningless threats,” a qualification that does not accompany the other accounts of Zelensky suggesting bold military action. Though Hungary is nominally part of the Western alliance, Orban is widely considered Europe’s most Kremlin-friendly leader.
When asked if he had suggested occupying parts of Russia, Zelensky, during an interview with The Washington Post in Kyiv, dismissed the US intelligence claims as “fantasies” but defended his right to use unconventional tactics in the defence of his country.
……………. The use of long-range missiles to hit inside Russia is a particularly sensitive topic for the White House, which has long worried that the Ukraine conflict could escalate out of control and force a catastrophic standoff between the United States and Russia, the world’s largest nuclear powers.
Though Washington has given Zelensky billions of dollars’ worth of advanced weaponry, President Biden has steadily rebuffed the Ukrainian leader’s request for long-range ATACMS, shorthand for the Army Tactical Missile System, capable of striking targets up to 185 miles away. Since the start of the war, Biden has said the United States is “not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders”.
When asked about the intelligence indicating he had weighed the use of long-range missiles to hit Russia, Zelensky said it is not something Ukraine is entertaining. “No one in our country has given orders for offensives or strikes on Russian territory,” he said.
It is unclear whether the United States has shared accounts of Zelensky’s plotting with allied nations, but the Ukrainian president continues to enjoy the strong support of Western governments, which have provided him with an increasingly sophisticated array of weaponry.
This past week, Britain became the first Western country to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles. The Storm Shadow, a cruise missile system with stealth capabilities, has a range of 155 miles, far exceeding the 50-mile range of the US-provided HIMARS launchers.
British Defence Minister Ben Wallace said Friday that the missile would give Ukraine “the best chance” to defend itself and would be for use only “within Ukrainian sovereign territory.” A spokesman with the British Embassy in Washington declined to comment on whether Zelensky’s leaked remarks might give London pause about its decision.
The Biden administration says Zelensky’s intercepted comments are not the cause for withholding ATACMS.
“Ukraine has repeatedly committed to employ US-provided weapons responsibly and strategically when needed to counter Russian aggression, and we are confident that will continue to be the case,” said a US defence official who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.
Since last year, Zelensky has promised that Ukraine would never use US weapons to strike inside Russia, a pledge the White House says he has fulfilled.
“President Zelensky has kept the promises he has made to President Biden, and we do not believe that that will change,” said a senior administration official.
One reason for not providing the long-range missiles is the “relatively few ATACMS” the United States has for its own defence needs, General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Defence One in March.
Zelensky, however, said he believes the United States isn’t sending the weapons because it doesn’t trust Kyiv.
“I think they are afraid that we might use them on the territory of Russia,” Zelensky told The Post. “But I would always tell our partners … ‘We have a priority target for which we are spending the ammunition packages we receive, and we spend it on the deoccupation of purely Ukrainian territories,’” he said.
While there is no indication that Ukraine has used Western missiles to strike into Russian territory, the same cannot be said for Kyiv’s use of armed drones.
Explosions caused by unmanned aerial vehicles have become a regular occurrence in Russia, including in Rostov, where a drone crashed into an oil refinery this month. Ukrainian officials are often coy about the incidents, hinting that they’re responsible without directly taking credit.
Two drone attacks in December on Russia’s Engels air base in Saratov, more than 590 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, showed “that we have the ability to reach many kilometres farther than they could expect,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said in an interview earlier this year.
Russia this month accused Ukraine of staging a drone attack intended to kill President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Videos circulating on social media and verified by The Post show two drones streaking toward the Kremlin at about 2.30am local time. The allegation was forcefully denied by Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky…………………..more https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/leak-reveals-zelensky-privately-plots-bold-attacks-inside-russia-20230514-p5d87l.html The Washington Post
Understanding The Highly Complex World Of Western China Analysis
CAITLIN JOHNSTONE, MAY 15, 2023 https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/understanding-the-highly-complex?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82124&post_id=121463595&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
—
Former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby was interviewed on The National Review’s Charles CW Cooke Podcast, where he provided some very high-level analysis on the tensions around China, Taiwan, and the United States.
I will here attempt to explain some of Colby’s comments for the benefit of the average reader, because Colby has been studying these things for many years and his commentary can be a bit advanced and esoteric for the casual punditry consumer.
“The analogy I use is… Taiwan is like a man with a cut in the ocean, and China is like a great white shark, and America is like a man in a boat,” Colby said in the interview.
“The problem is once that great white shark starts moving, you got no time,” added Colby. “You’re done. You know, if you’re not already by the side of the boat, right? Because it’s a great white shark.”
Now bear with me if Colby’s incisive observations went a bit over your head here, but if we break it down I’m confident that we can all catch up to this man’s towering intellect enough to catch a glimpse of his understanding on the matter.
What Colby appears to be saying — and please correct me of you think I’m reading this wrong — is that China is like a Great White Shark, which as we all know is an extremely dangerous aquatic predator with a voracious appetite, capable of gulping down a human being in a few swift bites.
Now, try to imagine being in a situation where you’re out there in the ocean, and there’s a Great White Shark right there with you in the water. And to make matters worse, you’re bleeding — a problem not only due to the wound from whence the blood is emanating, but also because sharks can smell blood in the water! That would be pretty bad, right?
Okay, so are you with me so far? Remember, this is very advanced stuff, so feel free to read back and review as much as you need.
Now, imagine you’re in that situation with the cut and the shark, and there’s a boat that you can go to to get away from the shark. You’d want to hop aboard that vessel as swiftly as possible, don’t you think? I know I would!
So to put it all together, what the esteemed Elbridge Colby is telling us is that China is analogous to the Great White Shark which is eyeing the bleeding man in the water, and the man can be compared to Taiwan, and the United States of America is comparable to the boat that is coming to the rescue of the man.
Make sense? If you’re still struggling to comprehend Colby’s scalpel-like geopolitical analysis, don’t worry, because I’ve obtained this helpful infographic above, to further illuminate your understanding:
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time China has been compared to a Great White Shark in recent western punditry. The Hoover Institution’s Matt Pottinger, a former advisor to President Donald Trump, made a similar comparison in an interview with Nikkei Asia earlier this month:
“We saw a baby shark and thought that we could transform it into a dolphin over time, to become a friendly sort of system,” Pottinger said. “Instead, what we did was we kept feeding the shark and the shark got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And now we’re dealing with a formidable, great white.”
“With a shark you put up a shark cage,” added Pottinger. “The shark doesn’t take it personally. It bumps into the cage. It respects those barriers.”
Again, this is very complicated for the uninitiated layperson, but what Pottinger appears to be saying is that China is not at all comparable to a dolphin, which is an oceanic mammal known to be friendly toward people and easily trained to do tricks in aquatic theme parks. Rather, in Pottinger’s understanding, China is more comparable to a Great White Shark, which as you’ll recall from our discussion earlier in this essay is actually known to be rather dangerous.
If you’re still struggling to make sense of Pottinger’s luminous understanding, here’s another illustration to help make things a bit clearer:
If you need it simplified even further, another way to put it might be, CHINA BAD. SHARK BAD. CHINA LIKE SHARK. CHINA VERY, VERY BAD. BAD CHINA. BAD.
Again, don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t quite wrap your head around the high-level analysis of intellectual giants like Matt Pottinger and Elbridge Colby. If we could understand these things as well as they do, we’d be the ones earning big bucks from Washington think tanks, not them!
Well I think that’s enough work for your gray matter today. Have a rest and a nice sleep and come back fresh tomorrow, where we’ll be discussing some mind-blowing comparisons western analysts have been drawing between Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler.
UK government’s own workplace pension scheme won’t back nuclear projects.
The government’s own workplace pension scheme has ruled out investing in
nuclear projects such as Sizewell C, dealing a blow to ministers’ hopes of
getting new plants off the ground.
The National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) said it would not revise its policy on nuclear infrastructure investments despite an overhaul of energy policy last year.
The government has set a high target of 24 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity by 2050,
supplied by big power plants and small modular reactors. It is courting investors such as pension funds to back Sizewell C in Suffolk, the next big nuclear plant in the pipeline.
Nest, which was set up by the government to manage auto-enrolment pensions, said it had no direct investments in nuclear infrastructure and “no current plans to review this any time soon”. “Our fund managers … would need to be confident it offers a good investment opportunity,” a spokesman added.
Big City investors like Aviva and Legal & General have previously ruled out funding projects such as Sizewell. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “We
are confident that investors will take assurance from the government’s clear commitment to [nuclear].” Alison Downes, executive director at Stop Sizewell C, said:
“Nest’s refusal to bring its 11+ million members into line with ministers’ misguided energy policy is protecting the savings of millions of hard-pressed workers and pensioners from risky, slow, expensive Sizewell C.”
Times 14th May 2023
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/state-pension-scheme-nest-wont-back-nuclear-plans-h22q5qnzr
Luck is not a safety plan
“We must act now,” said International Atomic Energy Agency director general, Rafael Grossi. But what is his plan? IAEA efforts at creating a “safe zone” around the Zaporizhzhia reactors, where no fighting could then occur, have collapsed. On the geopolitical stage, both Russia and Ukraine appear to harbor the conviction that their side can win the war. NATO and its allies show no signs of insisting on a diplomatic solution, given the benefit to those countries of a Russian defeat.
War devastation is bad enough without adding a nuclear disaster
Luck is not a safety plan — Beyond Nuclear International
How much more perilous can the situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant become?
By Linda Pentz Gunter, 14 May 23
Luck is not a sound basis on which to rely when we are dealing with nuclear risks. But luck is again what me must depend on as we watch and wait for the worst to happen — or not — at the six-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
The plant, located in the southwestern region of the country — the area most directly embroiled in some of the most intense fighting, and with parts of it already “annexed” by Russia — has already experienced some frightening near-misses. These include shelling and missile attacks and frequent losses of offsite power that, if not restored promptly, could lead to a meltdown.
The plant has been occupied by Russian forces since March 4, 2022. Rumors abound that a severely depleted workforce is laboring under stressful and even violent conditions, while other staff have fled or have disappeared.
Now we learn that mass evacuations are underway from communities close to the nuclear plant. These include residents of Enerhodar, the city that houses most of the plant workers and their families……………………….
Fears of a Ukrainian offensive designed to recapture some or all of the Russian-held territory appear to have prompted the sudden evacuation. But are people evacuating away from the conflict or from the prospect of a catastrophic outcome at the nuclear power plant, should it become fully engulfed by the fighting? And if that does happen, what might the consequences be?
As a precaution, all six Zaporizhzhia reactors are currently shut down — officially their status is called “cold shutdown”, which is not as final as it sounds and does not mean they are out of danger.
The fuel in the reactor core still requires electricity to power cooling, as do the pumps that supply cooling water to the fuel pools. This means a meltdown is still possible. Cold shutdown just buys workers more time to restore power should it become lost, but a reliable supply of electricity to the site is still essential to avoid disaster…………
The consequences of such an outcome would be drastic not only for the people of Ukraine and neighboring Russia, but for all of Europe, should any or all of these reactors melt down or suffer a fuel pool fire. We only have to look at the fallout map from the 1986 Chornobyl disaster, a single unit with a far smaller radioactive inventory, to understand the potential scale of such a tragedy.
Chornobyl contaminated 40% of the European landmass with long-lived radioactive fallout and created an effectively permanent 1,000 square mile Exclusion Zone around the stricken nuclear site.
Beyond electrical power, water supply is also essential to keep nuclear power plants out of danger. The thermally and radioactively “hot” irradiated fuel rods sitting in cooling pools, must stay submerged. Electrically powered pumps can maintain a steady water supply. But access to water is critical.
In late March, alarms were raised about a dramatic drop in water levels at the reservoir that supplies cooling water to the plant. Ukrainian officials said the Russians had drained the reservoir, increasing the risk of a meltdown at Zaporizhzhia.
But this month, headlines warned that record high water levels could threaten a dam that, if breached, would send floodwaters pouring onto the nuclear site, inundating the plant’s pumping systems.
War, flooding, and human error are all potential disasters waiting in the wings that could trigger a nuclear catastrophe. But what can prevent it?
“We must act now,” said International Atomic Energy Agency director general, Rafael Grossi. But what is his plan? IAEA efforts at creating a “safe zone” around the Zaporizhzhia reactors, where no fighting could then occur, have collapsed. On the geopolitical stage, both Russia and Ukraine appear to harbor the conviction that their side can win the war. NATO and its allies show no signs of insisting on a diplomatic solution, given the benefit to those countries of a Russian defeat.
All of this brutality already comes at immense cost to the population of Ukraine, but also to Russia, where mothers, too, are losing sons to an unnecessary war. A major strike on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant would extend that tragedy across thousands of miles, affecting hundreds of millions of lives. All we’ve got between us and that disaster is luck, which, like the deadly uranium that fuels nuclear power plants, will eventually run out.
UK’s Nuclear Waste Services ignore overwhelming local council opposition to siting plan for waste dump.
Candidates opposed to the siting of a Nuclear Waste facility on the border
of Mablethorpe and Theddlethorpe not only took control of all the parish
councils in the search area but also took all of the allocated seats on the
dissstrict council, plus two seats in Sutton on Sea.
Turnout was high for a local election. In Theddlethorpe and Withern 39.6% of those eligible to
vote did so and more than seventy per cent of the voted for Travis Hesketh
(pictured) In Sutton on Sea, Where one Green and one independent anti dump
candidates overturned a Conservative majority, the turnout topped forty per
cent.
With such an overwhelming result we wrote to the leaders of both
Lincolnshire County Council and East Lyndsey District Council demanding
that they honour the people’s decision and withdraw from the so-called,
Community Partnership.
We await their decision. However, NWS has spoken to
the press and intend to ignore the result. That makes the second “Test Of
Public Support ” they have chosen to ignore. The first, a survey carried
out by Theddlethorpe Residents Association, showed 85% against with a
turnout of 56%.
Guardians of the East Coast 13th May 2023
https://preview.mailerlite.io/emails/webview/385711/88100923539195491
New Mexico shouldn’t be the nation’s nuclear dump.
The New Mexican, May 13, 2023 https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/editorials/new-mexico-shouldnt-be-the-nations-nuclear-dump/article_e3ab7340-f0fa-11ed-b7a1-4325f0b82388.html
The federal government’s longstanding failure to build a repository for nuclear waste should not be left for New Mexico to solve.
Yet a decision last week by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue a license to “temporarily” store tons of spent nuclear fuel in New Mexico could mean waste from commercial power plants across the nation will end up buried in the state. It’s bad news for us, of course, but it’s catastrophic for a nation that has never fully come to grips with the reality of nuclear power.
To recap: The commission said it will allow Holtec International to build and operate a nuclear waste storage facility near the Lea and Eddy County line in far southeast New Mexico.
This, despite the clear message from New Mexico’s congressional delegation, governor and statewide elected officials that the state is not interested in being the one-size-fits-all nuclear storage solution for the country. New Mexico already hosts the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. It stores transuranic waste, a byproduct of the country’s nuclear defense program.
Opening the Holtec facility would up the ante, bringing highly radioactive spent fuel to our state. The spent fuel consists of uranium pellets inside metal rods and can be handled only by machines. It’s so radioactive people who work near it are protected by steel or concrete.
The consolidated interim storage facility planned for New Mexico would have the capacity to store up to 8,680 metric tons of used uranium fuel, with possible future expansions to make room for as many as 10,000 canisters over six decades.
Material would arrive in New Mexico via rail. While that seems a smidge safer than high-speed truck traffic over crowded interstates and well-traveled New Mexico roads, recent derailments make the thought of rail travel worrisome.
And temporary has a way of becoming permanent, considering the federal government has no solution for the growing piles of waste at commercial nuclear reactors all over the country.
With New Mexico’s nuclear history — home of the atomic bomb, site of nuclear bomb testing and today’s expanded plutonium pit construction — surely the state has contributed its share. Besides, who is the NRC trying to kid? A storage facility cannot be “interim” without a final, designated location. Such a site does not exist. And when it comes to anything nuclear, there’s no such thing as interim or temporary.
The decision by federal regulators to license the plant ignores the will of the state Legislature — lawmakers passed legislation during the 2023 session aimed at stopping the project. Next up: a court battle over the license.
Holtec officials, evidently unconcerned about the will of New Mexico’s elected representatives and many of its citizens, point to federal law, which they say preempts state action. The company already has invested $80 million to seek the 40-year license to build and operate the facility. Officials are promising an economic boom to go along with becoming the nation’s nuclear waste dump.
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, local officials in southeastern New Mexico — some of them, anyway — are welcoming the jobs the plant will bring. We’re not sure they have thought out the potential long-term consequences, considering the federal government’s reluctance to confront the problem of nuclear waste. A storage site was going to be built at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but state and federal politics blocked the project.
As a result, the United States lacks the infrastructure to dispose of radioactive nuclear waste. And that’s where the state’s congressional delegation comes in. They must push harder, fanatically if need be, to break the legislative logjam on Yucca Mountain, which has become an accepted impasse. This state’s future depends on their success.
Meanwhile, New Mexico is poised to become the interim — cue eye roll — solution. That’s not the future New Mexico wants or deserves.
1 This Month
Read the Public Inquiry Report, the Commissioners’ report, Surrendering Australia: The AUKUS Deception is available to download for free at aukuspublicinquiry.com. Or just watch the replay of the National Press Club Luncheon.
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
-
Archives
- November 2026 (103)
- October 2026 (302)
- September 2026 (339)
- August 2026 (330)
- July 2026 (355)
- June 2026 (287)
- May 2026 (306)
- April 2026 (356)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (267)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
