Was Yasser Arafat poisoned by radiation? Swiss experts asked to investigate
Swiss radiation experts invited to examine Arafat’s remains http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Swiss+radiation+experts+invited+examine+Arafat+remains/7061676/story.html#ixzz23B4nMoZa Announcement follows disagreement over investigation By Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Associated Press August 9, 2012
Swiss experts have been invited to the West Bank to test Yasser Arafat’s remains for possible poisoning, the chief investigator looking into the 2004 death of the Palestinian leader said Wednesday. Continue reading
Murky history of Japan’s fast breeder nuclear reactor program
United States Circumvented Laws To Help Japan Accumulate Tons of Plutonium, DC Bureau By Joseph Trento, on April 9th, 2012“…….From the very start, the Japanese breeder program was predicated on the belief that Japanese industry could do what the Americans and Europeans had failed to do – run the extremely complicated breeder cycle safely and profitably. That belief was rooted in Japan’s national self-confidence, nurtured by two generations of success in manufacturing. Japan’s dedicated and educated workforce and its special brand of quality management made it the world leader in a host of industries. Nuclear power generation would, it was believed, merely be one more success, made possible by Japan’s superior workers and management.
Thirty years ago even Japan’s harshest critics might have agreed that perhaps it could succeed where Western efforts had failed. But that optimism soon faded as a string of nuclear catastrophes demonstrated that nuclear industries are far different than any other. Both the Monju fast-breeder reactor in 1995 and the Tokai reprocessing plant in April 1997 suffered serious, accidental radiation leaks; both accidents were the subjects of attempted cover-ups. Most egregious was the fire and leak of radioactive sodium at the Monju FBR. Japan’s Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC), the government corporation that operated Monju, lied repeatedly to the public about the accident. PNC attempted to suppress video footage that showed the cause of the accident: a ruptured pipe in a secondary cooling system that had spilled an estimated two to three tons of radioactive sodium – the largest such leak in the history of fast-breeder technology. One of the reasons PNC gave for releasing the misinformation was that Monju was too important to Japan’s energy program to jeopardize the reactor’s operation. In other words, the public’s safety was secondary to the breeder program.
Had it not been for a courageous act by a group of Fukui prefecture officials in the early morning of December 11, PNC’s attempted cover-up probably would have succeeded. Suspecting a cover-up, the officials entered the plant and secured the videotape. The action came as a direct result of a previous accident at Fukui’s Tsuruga Unit I reactor in the early 1980s. Fukui prefecture officials were not permitted to investigate that mishap. When the Monju accident took place, the officials were determined not to be turned away a second time. Following revelations that the agency itself had been involved in trying to withhold the video, a PNC executive committed suicide……. http://www.dcbureau.org/201204097128/national-se
TEPCO: Fukushima workers’ lead shields masked radiation readings
Lead shields masked radiation readings up to 30% August 09, 2012 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN Lead radiation shields forced on workers at the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to cover their dosimeters masked radiation readings by about 30 percent. Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the plant, and Tokyo Energy and Systems Inc., a TEPCO group company, made the admission Aug. 8 after a test. Continue reading
Japan’s handling of nuclear disaster far worse than Soviet Russia’s in Chernobyl
If Japan takes evacuation measures equivalent in scale to that following the Chernobyl disaster, it will need to relocate several millions of people in this densely populated country,
*Asahi* Japan Physicist: Several millions will need to be evacuated from around Fukushima plant if gov’t used same scale as after Chernobyl — Japan’s handling of disaster “far worse” than Soviet Union http://enenews.com/asahi-japan-physicist-several-millions-will-need-to-be-evacuated-from-around-fukushima-plant-if-govt-used-same-scale-as-after-chernobyl-japans-handling-of-disaster-is-far-worse August 9th, 2012
By ENENews (Subscription Only) Title: INTERVIEW/ Yuko Fujita: Lone
wolf physicist calls for Nagasaki’s awakening
Source: AJW Asahi Shimbun
Author: HIROSHI MATSUBARA
Date: August 10, 2012 Continue reading
TEPCO ‘doctored’ video of Fukushima conference
Yomiuri: Tepco has ‘heavily altered’ video footage — Expert suspects images have been altered more than necessary http://enenews.com/yomiuri-tepco-has-heavily-altered-video-footage-expert-suspects-images-have-been-altered-more-than-necessary August 7th, 2012 By ENENews
Title: TEPCO video heavily altered / Alternation shows utility’s reluctance to make information available
Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Date: Aug. 8, 2012
The recently disclosed video of Tokyo Electric Power Co. teleconferences that took place just after the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has been significantly altered, with many images blurred and audio heavily obscured. Continue reading
Nuclear power workers co-operate in deception, in order to keep their jobs
Nuclear power plants: A hidden world of untruths, unethical behavior August 06, 2012 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN The long and the short of it is this: Nuclear power plants probably would not operate properly in Japan if workers were not willing to sacrifice their health, and possibly their lives.
It emerges that workers at nuclear plants routinely resorted to ingenious ways to conceal the true levels of radiation to which they were exposed–simply to go on earning a living. Continue reading
How Nuclear Regulatory Commissioners undermined nuclear safety
Congressman releases blockbuster report detailing NRC conspiracy in wake of Fukushima http://enenews.com/just-in-congressman-releases-blockbuster-report-detailing-nrc-conspiracy-in-wake-of-fukushima December 10th, 2011
“Regulatory Meltdown” Reveals Efforts to Improve Nuclear Safety Undermined by Four NRC Commissioners New Report Details Conspiracy to Delay, Weaken US Nuclear Safety in Wake of Fukushima, Congressman Edward Markey, Dec. 9, 2011 (Emphasis Added):
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of his ongoing investigation into U.S. nuclear safety since the Fukushima meltdowns, today Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Congress’s leading voice for nuclear safety, released a blockbuster new report that details how four Commissioners at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) colluded to prevent and then delay the work of the NRC Near-Term Task Force on Fukushima, the entity tasked with making recommendations for improvement to NRC regulations and processes after the Fukushima meltdowns, the worst nuclear disaster in history. The Near-Term Task Force members comprise more than 135 years of collective experience at the NRC, and with full access to expert NRC staff completed a methodical and comprehensive review of NRC’s regulatory system. Continue reading
People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) demand truth on India-Russia deal
Article 13 of IGA clearly states that Russia will not be held liable for any 
accident at the Kudankulam nuclear power plants.
Kudankulam activists seek answers on nuclear power project, NDTV, Indo-Asian News Service August 06, 2012 Chennai: The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) protesting against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) on Monday decided to send a postcard to the Russian ambassador to India demanding a copy of the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signed between India and Russia paving the way for the mega power project.
In a statement issued on Monday, PMANE said, “Since we have not got a copy or any response from the Indian government, we have decided to ask the Russian embassy for a copy of the 2008 IGA on liability. People from southern Tamil Nadu would be sending a terse postcard to the Russian embassy in New Delhi.”
According to PMANE, Article 13 of IGA clearly states that Russia will not be held liable for any accident at the Kudankulam nuclear power plants. “The Indian government does not want to give a copy of the IGA to Indian citizens, or to the people around Kudankulam. We do not know what is so secret about it? What is the Manmohan Singh government
hiding from its own people,” PMANE said.
“If they secretly sign an agreement with Russians and do not want to show it to their own people, who are they being loyal to? Isn’t this a seditious crime,” PMANE questioned……
http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/kudankulam-activists-seek-answers-on-nuclear-power-project-251896
Fukushima – deception in the workplace
Asahi: Disturbing picture emerging as nuclear employees come out of the woodwork — Fukushima workers report groups clocking in with no dosimeters http://enenews.com/asahi-disturbing-picture-emerging-nuclear-employees-woodwork-fukushima-workers-report-groups-clocking-dosimeters August 6th, 2012
By ENENews (Subscription Only) Title: Nuclear power plants: A hidden world of untruths, unethical behavior
Source: Asahi AJW
Author: Compiled from reports by Miki Aoki, Toshio Tada and Tamiyuki Kihara
The long and the short of it is this: Nuclear power plants probably would not operate properly in Japan if workers were not willing to sacrifice their health, and possibly their lives.
It emerges that workers at nuclear plants routinely resorted to ingenious ways to conceal the true levels of radiation to which they were exposed–simply to go on earning a living. Continue reading
Privacy concerns about Department of Homeland Security and drones
Drones tested as tools for police and firefighters, The Department of Homeland Security is trying to accelerate the use of unmanned aircraft for hostage standoffs, hazardous spills and other scenarios. Legal experts worry about civilian privacy. By Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times August 5, 2012, “…. some legal experts are worried about the effect of surveillance drones in U.S. skies.
“This is putting the cart before the horse where DHS and other federal agencies are looking to put money toward drone use without looking at what it means for privacy and civil liberties,” said Jennifer Lynch, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco.
DHS has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to at least 13 police departments to buy small surveillance drones. But safety restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration — and the fact that some models have proved difficult to use — have kept most on the ground.
That could change soon. Congress this year passed a law requiring the FAA to ease restrictions on commercial drone use in U.S. airspace by 2015. Next year, the administration is expected to issue a rule allowing law enforcement and first responders to fly small unmanned aerial vehicles…. Some lawmakers have also criticized DHS, which has a fleet of 10 Predator B drones for border security, for not addressing safety and privacy concerns earlier.
“DHS seems either disinterested or unprepared to step up to the plate to address the proliferation of drones, the potential threats they pose to our national security, and the concerns of our citizens of how drones flying over our cities will be used, including protecting civil liberties of individuals under the Constitution,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) complained after the department declined to send an official to an oversight hearing he had called about domestic use of drones….. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-drones-testing-20120805,0,6483617.story
Court rules that USA police can use drones to arrest USA citizens
Police can use drones to arrest Americans on US soil: New court ruling August 3, 2012 Deborah Dupre, Human Rights Examiner High tech human rights abuses escalate with court green-lighting drones to arrest Americans on US soil
A North Dakota court has approved using drones to help arrest American citizens on US soil as domestic drone human rights abuses escalate. “The whole thing is full of constitutional violations,” lawyer Bruce Quick told US News. Continue reading
Julian Assange and US government’s campaign to intimidate human rights activists
Assange’s mother stated, “The US government feels that it can seek to try my son for espionage, and possibly executing him simply for doing the job of a good investigative journalist, which is telling the truth about power.”
Assange’s mother justifiably fears U.S. would torture, maybe kill him http://www.examiner.com/article/assange-s-mother-justifiably-fears-u-s-would-torture-maybe-kill-him?CID=examiner_alerts_article, AUGUST 3, 2012 BY: DEBORAH DUPRE
The mother of WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange is seeking refuge in the small safe haven nation, Ecuador, due the Assanges’ fear of United States persecution, a justified concern, according to The Guardian on Thursday. The American government, that claims world leadership in press freedom and democracy, is using Assange as an example of what will happen to other journalists and human rights defenders who expose high-level government corruption, The Guardian reports.
Assange’s and his mother’s concerns of U.S. persecution are justified on two counts, according to The Guardian:
“A grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, empanelled to investigate violations of the Espionage Act – a statute that by its very nature targets speech – has subpoenaed Twitter feeds regarding Assange and WikiLeaks. An FBI agent, testifying at whistleblower Bradley Manning’s trial, said that “founders, owners and managers” of WikiLeaks are being investigated.
“And then there is Assange’s 42,135-page FBI file – a compilation of curious heft if the government is “not interested” in investigating its subject.”
In considering whether Assangs’s concerns about being treated inhumanely if extradited to the US,The Guardian reports, “One need only consider how the US treated Bradley Manning, the army private who allegedly leaked the cables to WikiLeaks to see why.” Manning spent nearly a year in 23 hours a day solitary confinement and then eight months “under conditions designed to pressure him into providing evidence to incriminate Assange”: stripped of clothing and made to stand nude for inspection.
Thousands of people, including legal scholars and the United Nations special rapporteur on torture, have condemned the U.S. treatment of Manning as inhumane and torturous.
“There is no reason for Assange to expect he will be treated any better.” Continue reading
The secret, corrupt, and unaccountable face of India’s nuclear establishment
On account of the reluctance of the national media, print and electronic, to take up investigative journalism in the nuclear field , the Indian public has been deprived of a fair and full opportunity to know the true face of the Indian nuclear establishment.
Who Benefits From Nuclear Power Plants In India? By Buddhi Kota Subbarao. Ph.D. 02 August, 2012 Countercurrents.org The rest of the world is moving towards renewable energy and away from nuclear power. But India is pouring most of its energy budget into
establishing more and more nuclear power plants. It raises two compelling questions. Why is the present Union Government of India committing an enormous portion of its energy budget to imported nuclear power plants? Who benefits from these nuclear power plants?
The answers to these questions are not difficult to find. The secrecy that surrounds nuclear issues affords the Union Government to deal with vast sums of money in an easy way. Corrupt practices in the nuclear field do not get exposed as easily as in other fields. Big
money and political ambitions go hand in hand. This is one part of the answer. The other part is the way the Indian nuclear establishment functions.
Indian nuclear establishment has some unique features. Pursuit is more for administrative power and less for knowledge in science and technology. Consequently, pretence to knowledge grew over the years. Accountability is conspicuous by its absence. Mediocre results and at
times even nil results are proclaimed as outstanding achievements. The cleverness of the Indian nuclear establishment is from the way it can claim indigenous development and at the same time devise methods to import foreign technology. Continue reading
Fukushima workers made to cover radiation dosimeters with lead plates
Criminal? Fukushima Daiichi workers told to rip open radiation protection suits and insert lead plates — “Make sure nobody sees what you are doing” — Threatened with being fired ENE News July 21st, 2012 Follow up to: Fukushima Daiichi workers ordered to cover dosimeters with lead plates (PHOTO)
(Subscription Only) Title: TEPCO subcontractor used lead to fake dosimeter readings at Fukushima plant Source: AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Authors: Jun Sato, Chiaki Fujimori, Miki Aoki, Tamiyuki Kihara and Takayuki Kihara Date: July 21, 2012
Workers at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant were ordered to cover their dosimeters with lead plates to keep radiation doses low enough to continue working under dangerous conditions, the Asahi Shimbun has learned….. Continue reading
Further cheating by TEPCO on Fukushima radiation monitoring
Tokyo Paper: Thick iron shielding placed below radiation monitoring post — Dose was double 5 meters away http://enenews.com/tokyo-paper-thick-iron-shielding-below-radiation-monitoring-post-journalist-dose-doubled-5-meters-away August 1st, 2012 By ENENews
Follow-up to: Japan TV: Monitoring posts show far lower radiation dose — Levels shoot up just steps away
Tokyo Shinbun article from March 2012 with summary translation on July 31, 2012 by Safecast member ‘the_STIG’ who lives in Japan:
Journalist Shoji Ozawa reported that surface soil had been replaced and that a thick iron shielding had been placed below a monitoring post in Iitate that measured 1.2uSv. He measured 2.4uSv when he walked 5m away from the post. The Ministry of Education currently publishes less than 1uSv for Iitate. Professor Imanaka of Kyoto University said that the current monitoring posts are not usable at all.
1 This Month
26 September – International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
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