Freedom of press in Japan has gone down drastically, since Fukushima nuclear disaster
Jiji: Japan plummets in press freedom list — “Almost zero respect for access to information related to Fukushima… Should sound an alarm” -Group http://enenews.com/jiji-japan-plummets-press-freedom-list-almost-respect-access-information-related-fukushima-sharp-fall-sound-alarm
Title: Japan dives to 53rd in press freedom list
Source: Jiji Press
Date: Jan. 30, 2013
Japan plummeted to 53rd from 22nd last year in the 2013 press freedom ranking released by Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based nonprofit organization, on Wednesday.
Japan “has been affected by a lack of transparency and almost zero respect for access to information on subjects directly or indirectly related to Fukushima,” the group said in a statement, referring to the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. “This sharp fall should sound an alarm,” it added. […]
See also: Professor: Goebbels would smile in his grave to see how nuclear establishment handled disaster (AUDIO)
Why spread an unlikely story of explosion at Iran nuclear plant??
Not for nothing have the major news organizations ignored Kahlili’s Fordow report. Beyond his questionable credibility, there is no supporting evidence. If a large explosion did occur at Fordow a week ago, why have no satellite photos appeared of dozens of vehicles on the site involved in rescue operations? And if there are 240 workers trapped underground, how come no worried relatives have expressed concern on one of the social networks? Iran may have a repressive regime, but tens of millions of citizens are connected to the Internet and are experts at evading the regime’s attempts to monitor and filter their communications. Something would have come out by now.
Who spread reports of an ‘explosion’ at Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant and why?
According to the report, the explosion in Fordow seriously damaged many of the centrifuges in the plant and trapped underground 240 employees who have yet to be rescued. But if this is true, why have the major news networks dismissed it?
Haaretz, By Anshel Pfeffer | Jan.27, 2013 The Internet has been abuzz over the last couple of days with an uncorroborated report regarding a huge explosion in the underground uranium enrichment plant at Fordow in Iran. According to the report, the explosion seriously damaged many of the centrifuges in the plant and trapped underground 240 employees who have yet to be rescued.
If this is true, it will be the most serious sabotage caused yet to the Iranian nuclear program. If this is true.
The main problem with the report is that no supporting evidence has appeared so far from any reliable sources to corroborate it, nor has a statements been released from an official source in Iran or any other country. All the main Western news organizations with contacts and sources in the intelligence community have steered well away from the story. (In Israel, only the tabloid Yedioth Ahronoth, which splashed the story on the front page of its Sunday edition, took notice of the story.)
Perhaps it’s the identity of the report’s author which leads to the disbelief: Reza Kahlili, an Iranian exile with an interesting past who is well known to many reporters covering intelligence and Iranian affairs. He published the report on the explosion, which apparently took place on Monday, the eve of the Israeli elections, on World News Daily, a veteran website with close contacts to the far-right in the United States. Kahlili himself is a frequent speaker at events organized by right-wing organizations and those that support the right in Israel. It’s not hard to realize why. In an interview he gave Haaretz two years ago, upon the publication of his book “A Time To Betray”, Kalili set out a worldview on Iran that was surprisingly similar to that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also compared the regime in Tehran to that of the Nazis, and called upon Israel to bomb Iran’s nuclear installations…… Continue reading
Koch brothers secretly undermine climate science
“How the ‘Kochtopus’ Stifled Green Debate” Society for Environmental
Journalists, 27 Jan 13,
It’s not just that the billionaire Koch brothers have spent tens of
millions to undermine science and stifle debate on climate change.
It’s that they do it in secret.
“Even by the standards of the super-rich, Charles and David Koch are
extraordinarily wealthy. …The two brothers share a similar political
outlook. They are right-wing libertarians who believe in minimal
regulation of industry, smaller government, lower corporate taxes and
less generous social services. They are also closet ‘sceptics’ when it
comes to climate science. …
Together, the two brothers have given millions of dollars to
non-profit organisations that criticise environmental legislation and
support lower taxes for industry.
The Kochs have also contributed vast sums to promote scepticism
towards climate change, more even than the oil industry according to
some estimates. Greenpeace, for instance, has calculated that
ExxonMobil spent $8.9m on climate-sceptic groups between 2005 and
2008; over the same period the Koch brothers backed such groups to the
tune of nearly $25m.”…..
http://www.sej.org/headlines/how-kochtopus-stifled-green-debate
A personal story of nuclear submarine tragedy in the Kara Sea
The crew of 144 were poisoned – nine died of radiation sickness soon after the emergency, and the others were ill for years before their premature deaths
K-27 officers were later warned they should not have children for five years and were given regular check-ups, but there was no proper medical follow-up for the ordinary submariners, according to CWO Mazurenko. Many of them were declared “healthy” by military doctors, despite their illnesses, he added.
Eyewitness: Tragedy of Soviet nuclear submarine K-27BBC News, By Yaroslava Kiryukhina, 24 Jan 13 BBC Russian reporter The Russian authorities are investigating whether a sunken Soviet nuclear-powered submarine, the K-27, can be safely raised so that the uranium in its reactors may be removed.
At the height of the Cold War, in 1968, the K-27 met with disaster when radiation escaped from one of its reactors during a voyage in the Arctic.
Vyacheslav Mazurenko, then 22, was serving as a chief warrant officer (CWO) on the vessel, which now lies abandoned in the Arctic’s Kara Sea. Today he lives in Ukraine and he told BBC Russian what happened. Continue reading
“Descent from Heaven ” Japan’s nuclear top men in lucrative jobs
2 key industry ministry bureaucrats landed lucrative jobs after
retirement, Asahi Shimbun January 21, 2013 By ATSUSHI KOMORI/ Senior
Staff Writer
Two industry ministry officials who played a central role in Japan’s
nuclear policy at the time of the Fukushima disaster went on to land
senior positions at major financial institutions after they retired
from public life.
The practice of retired bureaucrats ending up in jobs at organizations
or companies that were often once under their jurisdiction is called
“amakudari,” which translates as “descent from heaven,” and has come
under severe criticism due to fears it fosters collusion between
bureaucrats and private companies.
Kazuo Matsunaga, 60, was formerly vice minister of the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry, and Tetsuhiro Hosono, 60, served as
director-general of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.
They held these key posts during the reactor meltdowns at the
Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant triggered by the March 11, 2011,
Great East Japan Earthquake, which spawned towering tsunami that
devastated coastlines of northeastern Japan.
Their re-employment will likely ignite controversy, because even now,
more than 150,000 people affected by the disaster have not been able
to return to their homes because of high radiation levels and other
reason…. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201301210093
USA increases “safe” radiation levels – protecting nuclear industry, not the people
In the wake of the continuing nuclear tragedy in Japan, the United States government is still moving quickly to increase the amounts of radiation the population can “safely” absorb by raising the safe zone for exposure to levels designed to protect the government and nuclear industry more than human life.”
The Radiation Warnings You Won’t Get from the Mainstream Propaganda Machine The Liberty Beacon January 22, 2013, The mainstream media and the federal government will soon have the blood of the world on it’s hands.
Radiation from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant disaster in Japan is now actively in the ecosystem all along the North American west coast… even the sea weed is now radiated. The Vancouver Sun reported one year ago that the seaweed tested from waters off the coast of British Columbia were 4 times the amount considered safe. No further test results were released after the initial report.
The governments of the United States and Canada are not conducting tests for radioactivity – at least not to the knowledge of the public. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has agreed to continue purchasing seafood from Japan, despite the fact that the food is not being tested for radioactive contamination. Last November, independent testing in Japan showed 65 per cent of the catches tested positive for cesium (a radioactive material). Instead of refusing to purchase the poisoned fish, food safety agencies in both the United States and Canada have simply raised the “acceptable level of radiation.” We can’t go offending the Japanese after promising to buy their tainted goods, now can we?
After the North American governments refused to fund testing, oceanographer Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist at the non-profit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass, along with Nicholas Fisher, a marine sciences professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and other concerned scientists, managed to secure private funding for a Pacific research voyage. The results? Continue reading
Japan’s nuclear utilities buy the silence of communities
“This structure of dependency makes it impossible for communities to speak out against the plants or nuclear power,”
Japanese nuclear plant operators charge over 90 million dollars per year to pay local authorities http://enformable.com/2013/01/japanese-nuclear-plant-operators-charge-over-90-million-dollars-per-year-to-pay-local-authorities/ A report by NHK has shown that operators of nuclear power plants in Japan charge the public users over 90 million dollars per year, in order to cover payments made to local authorities in the areas which host the nuclear sites. Last year, the central government announced that it did not consider these charges as an expense, and that it would no longer allow utilities to charge users to cover them.
Osaka University Professor Tatsuo Hatta says utilities may be able to find other ways to compensate themselves for the payments, and is calling for further transparency.
Kansai Electric has been charging their users around 40 million dollars per year, TEPCO charges around 22 million, Kyushu charges around 10 million, Chugoku charges about 8 million, and Chubu charges about 4 million. Continue reading
Wheeling and dealing as China, France, try to sell nuclear reactors to UK
EDF, China firm held British nuclear talks
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/15816531/edf-china-
firm-held-british-nuclear-talks/,
Reporting by Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Karolin Schaps, Sophie
Sassard and Sarah Young in London, additional reporting by David
Standway in Beijing; editing by Jason Neely
January 12, 2013 PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) – France’s EDF remains in the
hunt for a partner to build four nuclear reactors in Britain after
talks were halted with China’s Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation
Holding (CGNPC) , sources close to the talks said on Friday.
“They have talked. EDF and CGNPC have a relationship going back many
years,” one source said. But two other sources close to the
discussions confirmed negotiations regarding a British partnership are
no longer ongoing.
The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported on Friday that the talks
had focused on the state-owned Chinese firm taking over a 20 percent
stake in EDF’s nuclear new build programme owned by UK firm Centrica .
A spokesman for Centrica said the company continued to be involved in
the project.
EDF declined to comment and CGNPC was not available for immediate comment.
CGNPC and EDF along with French reactor maker Areva signed an
agreement in November to jointly develop a new type of reactor.
The French government later said it had opened an investigation into a
partnership deal which EDF had signed with a Chinese nuclear utility
in order to verify whether France’s strategic interests were
respected.
Judge rules that Bradley Manning was illegally treated
Military judge rules Bradley Manning was illegally treated, awards 112
days credit By Nathan Fuller, Bradley Manning Support Network. January
8, 2013. After more than two weeks of intense litigation by
Bradley Manning’s defense, and hearing how Quantico brig staff
blatantly disregarded Navy Rules, military Judge Denise Lind has
confirmed that Bradley was punished unlawfully before trial by
awarding 112 days credit. Instead of awarding 10-for-1 credit (or
dismissing the charges altogether), which would severely reprimand the
military and significantly impact Bradley’s potential sentence, Judge
Lind gave 1-to-1 credit for selected portions of his Quantico
confinement.
Judge Lind has granted credit for the 7 days Bradley was kept on
suicide risk watch against Navy Rules, 75 days from November 1 to
January 18 when he was kept needlessly on Prevention of Injury watch,
and 20 days from April 1-20 when he was forced to remove his underwear
at night. Lind said Bradley’s confinement was “more rigorous than
necessary,” and that it “became excessive in relation to legitimate
government interests.”……
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/military-judge-rules-bradley-manning-was-illegally-treated-awards-112-days-credit
Los Alamos nuclear weapons lab security risk with Chinese technology
Opposing Views on Congress’ Claims Huawei Technologies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKYmL4JwNsY
The report said that based on classified and unclassified information,
Huawei and ZTE ‘cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state
influence’ and pose ‘a security threat to the United States and to our
systems.’.
(includes video) National security concerns at Los Alamos? U.S.
nuclear weapons hub discovers Chinese-made telecom gizmos embedded in
its network
So-called network switches are used to manage data traffic on computer networks
Los Alamos National Laboratory manages America’s arsenal of nuclear weapons
Exact number of the switches within the labor’s network infrastructure
is unknown
At least two Chinese-made ‘components’ removed from the network
Chinese manufacturer insists its products pose no security threat to the U.S.
Chinese company barred from buying U.S. corporation with officials
citing national security risks
House Intelligence Committee report says Chinese manufacturer ‘cannot
be trusted’
Mail Online, By REUTERS REPORTER, 7 Jan 13, “….. The discovery
raises concerns about procurement practices by U.S. departments
responsible for national security. The U.S. government and Congress
have raised concerns about Huawei and its alleged ties to the Chinese
military and government. Continue reading
America’s Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) computers attacked by China?
Chinese Hackers Suspected in Cyber Attack on Council on Foreign
Relations, Washington Free Beacon, Advanced cyberespionage attack
employed ‘drive-by’ method on CFR website BY: Bill Gertz December 27,
2012
Computer hackers traced to China carried out an advanced
cyberespionage attack against one of America’s most elite foreign
policy web groups – the website of the Council on Foreign Relations
(CFR).
According to private computer-security forensic specialists, the
hacking incident involved a relatively new type of ploy called a
“drive-by” website cyber attack that was detected around 2:00 p.m. on
Wednesday.
The specialists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack
involved penetrating the computer server that operates the New York
City-based CFR’s website and then using the pirated computer system to
attack CFR members and others who visited or “drove by” the site…… Continue reading
Cyber war – China’s advanced espionage
It’s global cyber war out there, Financial Review. CHRISTOPHER JOYE
02 JAN 2013“…..Since 2003 the Chinese have executed advanced
cyber-espionage operations against the West, including Australia,
stealing hundreds of billions worth of business and military secrets
in what United States officials say is “the greatest transfer of
wealth in history”.
The Chinese were fingered in the hacking of Barack Obama’s and John
McCain’s computers in the 2008 US presidential election campaign. Continue reading
Abuses, deceptions, cover-ups in the Fukushima clean-up operations
Citizen journalism also brought to light that workers as young as 18 were sent to the Fukushima site without adequate training. Some reported that they were told to write resumes with fictitious work experience. The new citizen media site 8bit uploaded a video interview with a worker in September who had applied for a job entitled “backup logistics support,” but was actually dispatched to the stricken plant, and exposed to high doses of radiation. (Global Voices, Sept. 20)
Back in July, journalists and scientists who undertook to inspect the droids found that the immediate environs of the monitoring posts had been deliberately decontaminated so as to produce low readings. For instance, clean, non-radioactive soil was spread over the ground below the posts so the contamination below would not be registeredby Bill Weinberg 01/06/2013– Contractors could be illegally dumping radioactive soil, vegetation and water into rivers and open areas near the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Japan’s Environment Ministry admitted Jan. 4. The ministry said it will summon senior officials from companies contracted by the Fukushima Office for Environmental Restoration to answer questions on how they manage contaminated waste following claims of illegal dumping in the coastal town of Naraha, the evacuated village of Iitate, and the inland in the city of Tamura. Under a law passed in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, illegal dumping of contaminated substances may be punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to ¥10 million. “It is very regrettable if that is true,” Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato said of the suspected dumping at his first news conference of 2013. (Kyodo, Jan. 5)The charges came to light when a young worker for one of the contractors, Dai Nippon Construction, alerted the Environment Ministry after repeated complaints to management were apparently met with such replies as “Yeah, yeah, it’s OK. It can’t be helped.” The young man, who was recruited at a job placement center in Tokyo, even reported that contaminated vegetation was being dumped loose, rather than being collected in bags. (Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 4) Local residents also reported witnessing radioactive mud being dumped directly into Fukushima prefecture’s major river, the Abukuma. (Fukushima Diary, Jan. 5) Continue reading
India’s repression of anti nuclear protestors
politicians, scientists, and bureaucrats have made every effort to crush 
agitation against the potentially lucrative KKNPP.
“We, the poor, are at the receiving end of all false promises given by the authorities,”
police and intelligence agencies are stepping up their suppression of protestors.
269 persons have been arrested in connection with the agitation. Agitation leaders claim the number is much higher, with pending cases running into the thousands.
T. Peter, secretary of the National Fish Workers Forum, told IPS that many people have been taken into custody under the charge of sedition. He alleged that the establishment is trying to “sabotage” the protest movement and crush it with an iron fist.
Villagers Wail Against Nuclear Power, Independent European Daily Express, January 6, 2013 .“…..The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), situated 24 kilometres from the world famous tourist town of Kanyakumari on the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, is likely to be commissioned this month.
Speaking to IPS, Mahalakshmi and dozens of women in Kudankulam, a village in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, charged that the energy project would ruin their futures, homes and livelihoods. Continue reading
Nuclear regulators uphold secrecy about San Onofre nuclear plant agreement
“I would like to have them at least list the documents that are being
kept in confidentiality and say why,”
Damon Moglen of Friends of the Earth said the group’s ultimate goal is
to require a more detailed, public review of Edison’s restart plan for
San Onofre. “We may not like this process very much,” he said. “But
we’re committed to that as our goal and our objective.”
NUCLEAR REGULATORS DISMISS PROTESTS TO PRIVATE REPORTS
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jan/04/tp-nuclear-regulators-dismiss-protests-to-private/
Watchdog group, Edison agreed to restrict information by Morgan Lee
4 Jan 13, Nuclear safety regulators have dismissed objections to a
nondisclosure agreement that seals from public view some documents
related to faulty steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear plant and
an application to restart the facility.
Open-government activist Ray Lutz of El Cajon filed the objections to
an agreement made in early December between plant operator Southern
California Edison and Friends of the Earth, an international
environmental and nuclear watchdog group. Continue reading
1 This Month
26 April – Chernobyl: Inside the Meltdown airs on National Geographic on Sunday 26th April from 4pm
29 April – Nuclear Expert Webinar #1 – Radiation Impacts on Families with Mary Olson and Cindy Folkers
- 12:15 PM MT – 1:45 PM MT
- Location: Virtual – REGISTER TODAY
4 May -West Suburban Peace Coalition to discuss Iran war at May Educational Forum
Monday, May 4, 7:00 – 8:00 PM Central Standard Time
Title: : How Trump’s Narrative Tries to Shape the Reality of the War on Iran.
Contact Walt Zlotow, zlotow@hotmail.com 630 442 3045 for further information
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
Pine Ridge Uranium is the real threat, not Tehran- Tell Burgum: Stop the Extraction.
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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