nuclear-news

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

Investing in nuclear energy is bad for the climate, NGOs say

 7 November 2023 https://eeb.org/investing-in-nuclear-energy-is-bad-for-the-climate-ngos-say/

Today, EU nuclear energy stakeholders are meeting at the European Nuclear Energy Forum. The nuclear industry and certain EU countries call for more support and subsidies for nuclear power, particularly for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), in the name of reaching the EU’s climate goals. 

Environmental NGOs join voices to contest this claim, arguing that investing in new nuclear power plants will delay decarbonisation and that SMRs fail to answer the industry’s problems. Governments should rather focus on cheap renewable energy, grids and storage.

At the European Nuclear Energy Forum, NGOs call on the EU and its member states to subsidise energy sources that can reliably and cheaply achieve our climate goals, not nuclear power. Rather, investing in new nuclear power plants may prove detrimental to EU climate goals:


Prolonged delays: The latest nuclear plants built in Europe have experienced delays of over a decade. We cannot risk such delays on our path to reduce fossil fuel emissions. 

Cost overruns: Nuclear power plants have faced huge cost overruns. The nuclear industry seeks to pass these high costs on to taxpayers and households via state and EU subsidies. The French nuclear industry has been nationalised. 

Geostrategic interests: Nuclear energy is being pushed by powerful lobbies and geostrategic interests. Several EU states’ nuclear energy relies on the state-owned Russian nuclear firm Rosatom, importing uranium from unstable countries outside the EU.

Decentralised transition: To quickly decarbonise, we must choose cheap technologies, easy to deploy at scale, like solar panels and windmills. Nuclear power contradicts the vision of a decentralised energy system with citizen engagement.

Environmental impact: According to the IPCC report published in March 2023, nuclear power is one of the two least effective mitigation options (like Carbon Capture and storage). It’s an inefficient option that poses serious contamination risks during use and for future generations due to everlasting toxic waste

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) do not answer any of the industry’s fundamental problems:

  1. Unproven technology: Even the simplest designs used today in submarines will not be available at scale until late next decade, if at all.
  2. Waste and proliferation risks: SMR designs fail to address the persistent nuclear waste problem and pose new risks associated with the proliferation of nuclear materials.

Quotes

Luke Haywood, from the European Environmental Bureau, said:

“It is highly unlikely that small modular reactors will change anything about the poor economics of investments in nuclear energy. Our focus should be on what we know works to rapidly reduce emissions: energy savings and renewables. Every euro invested in nuclear could help replace fossil fuels faster and cheaper if directed to renewables, grids and energy storage. This would also reduce air pollution, radioactive waste, and energy bills while allowing for more citizen participation.”

Marion Rivet, from Réseau Sortir du nucléaire, said:

“New nuclear power plant projects in France are estimated to cost around 52 billion euros. All this money should be invested in immediate and effective solutions for a real energy transition. The reduction of the greenhouse gas our countries produce has to be effective in the next 10 years and has to come from a source fully sustainable (meaning that does not create long-term wastes, that does not rely on uranium.”

Antoine Bonduelle, from Virage Energie, said:

“Small reactors are not an option for the Climate Crisis. At best, they cost double or more per kWh than other nuclear options, and even much more than efficiency or renewables, as shown extensively in the models and in the consensus of the recent AR6 IPCC report. Small reactors would produce more waste than classical reactors, and use more materials and fuels. Accidents are still possible and proliferation risks are much higher. In France, several proposed projects are shady arrangements aimed at using more public money or justifying unproductive research teams. In the end, it is a costly impasse, a loss of time and public money.”

Antoine Gatet, from France Nature Environnement, said:

“For France Nature Environnement, energy choices must be discussed democratically taking on board citizens in general and organized civil society in particular. Discussions must be based on transparent economic, social and environmental data. Discussions must include the whole lifecycle from mining to waste management. To this day, the nuclear renaissance has fallen flat every time, and the 100% renewables options are winning. When will we move to environmental democracy?”

Signatories

European Environmental Bureau (EU), Foundation for Environment and Agriculture (Bulgaria), France Nature Environnement (France), Global Chance (France), Klimaticka Koalicia (Slovakia), Réseau Sortir du Nucléaire (France), Virage Énergie (France), NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark, Védegylet/Protect the Future (Hungary), Estonian Green Movement – Friends of the Earth Estonia, MKG – Swedish NGO Office for Nuclear Waste Review (Sweden), Milkas – The Swedish  Environment Movement`s Nuclear Waste Secretariat (Sweden).

Contact persons in Bratislava:

November 11, 2023 Posted by | climate change, EUROPE | Leave a comment

No American money left for Ukraine – USAID

USAID’s help has enabled Ukraine to spend all of its own government revenue on its defense, including soldier salaries.

 https://www.rt.com/news/586853-us-ukraine-humanitarian-funding-runs-out/ 10 Nov 23

Kiev faces economic collapse if new funding isn’t approved, an official has warned US lawmakers

The US government agency overseeing Washington’s humanitarian relief program for Ukraine has warned lawmakers that funding has run out, putting Kiev at risk of economic ruin if more money isn’t allocated amid the former Soviet republic’s conflict with Russia.

“We have no more direct budget support,” Erin McKee, an assistant administrator for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), testified on Wednesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington. “The last tranche was disbursed at the end of the fiscal year. This jeopardizes, particularly over the coming months, Ukraine’s ability to maintain its economic stability while it continues to fight the war. It’s urgent.”

The US government’s latest fiscal year ended on September 30. Ukraine has relied on Washington not only as its biggest provider of weaponry, but also for money to meet its non-military expenses. President Joe Biden has proposed a $106 billion emergency spending bill that combines aid to help Ukraine fight Russia and Israel fight Hamas. It also includes $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid tied to both conflicts.

McKee said USAID’s help has enabled Ukraine to spend all of its own government revenue on its defense, including soldier salaries. “That means they don’t have any resources to take care of their own people and govern,” she added.

Such outlays as paying teachers, police and health care workers would be suspended without new US funding being approved, McKee said. A prolonged funding disruption would cripple the Ukrainian economy, she claimed, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin the upper hand in the ongoing conflict. “If their economy collapses, Putin will have won.”

Congressional opposition to Biden’s Ukraine policy has grown in recent months. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a $14 billion aid bill for Israel alone last week, leaving new funding for Ukraine to be decided separately. The Democrat-controlled Senate blocked the House bill on Tuesday, demanding that Biden’s bundled aid package be approved instead.

Congress previously approved $113 billion in Ukraine aid in four rounds of legislation. McKee warned that without the approval of a new tranche of funding, Ukraine’s government “would need to use emergency measures, such as printing money or not paying critical salaries, which could lead to hyperinflation and severely damage the war effort.”

November 11, 2023 Posted by | business and costs, Ukraine | Leave a comment

European Commission to create SMR Industrial Alliance dedicated to small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs)

 In response to calls from the nuclear industry, research community and
nuclear safety regulators, the European Commission will establish an
Industrial Alliance dedicated to small modular reactors (SMRs) in early
2024, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson has announced.

 World Nuclear News 7th Nov 2023

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/European-Commission-to-create-SMR-Industrial-Allia

November 10, 2023 Posted by | EUROPE, politics international | Leave a comment

Detained Under UK Terrorism Law, Whistleblower Says Police Questioned His Support for Assange

SCHEERPOST, November 8, 2023, By Mohamed Elmaazi / The Dissenter

On his way back home from Iceland, British whistleblower and former diplomat Craig Murray was stopped by police and interrogated at Scotland’s Glasgow Airport under Schedule 7 of the United Kingdom Terrorism Act 2000.

Murray was subjected to a barrage of questions on October 16 for nearly an hour.

The questions partly focused on his sources of income and his connection to WikiLeaks, the Don’t Extradite Assange campaign, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his family.

The former diplomat has since made his way to Switzerland to, in his words, “seek protection from the United Nations.” Sharof Azizov of the Switzerland-based group Justice for All International, and Emeritus Professor of International Law Douwe Korff, have co-authored a letter detailing Murray’s situation and expressing their “grave concern” over his Schedule 7 stop.

The letter, which is addressed to a number of U.N. experts known as special rapporteurs and based in Geneva, requests an urgent meeting to discuss Murray’s case, and the use of terrorism laws to “intimidate” and “silence” journalists and activists.

The U.N. experts addressed in the letter include the Special Rapporteur for the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

‘You Do Not Have A Right To A Lawyer’

The powers granted to “examining officers” to question people arriving in the U.K., at any air, sea or land port, are incredibly broad. A person can be detained and interrogated for up to six hours without being arrested. The normal rights afforded to people questioned by the police (“Miranda warnings,” as they are known in the U.S.) do not apply. 

Murray, who said that he was “used to life being a bit strange,” told The Dissenter that three police officers, two male and one female, were waiting for him after passport control. “They just walked up to me, identified themselves as police and asked to see my passport.” 

“They then took me to a small room, it was like a small office. I sat down and they said, ‘We are detaining you. You are not arrested, you are detained, therefore you do not have the right to a lawyer, you do not have the right to remain silent,’” Murray added. 

When police asked about his job, he explicitly identified himself as a “journalist”.

“They didn’t identify themselves at all. They didn’t show anything with their names on. No badges, they were just in plain clothes,” he said.

The Terrorism Act 2000 was controversial at the time that it was passed by the U.K. Parliament over a year before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The law permits detention without charge for 48 hours, and subsequent amendments allow detention for up to 28 days without charge, “the longest of any common law country,” according to the U.K.-based civil liberties group JUSTICE.

The government may ban organizations and criminalize association with those organizations as well as speech deemed to be supportive of those groups or organizations.

Groups banned under the Terrorism Act include those associated with the Basque, Kurdish, Tamil, and Palestinian struggles for self-determination. Entire U.K.-based diaspora communities have found themselves subject to stops, interrogations, surveillance, arrest, and asset seizures under the various U.K. terrorism laws.

Returning From Assange Defense Meeting In Iceland…………………………………

Are You Financed By WikiLeaks?’

“They were keen to tie me to Assange or WikiLeaks,” Murray said. They asked, “‘Are you financed by [Don’t Extradite Assange]? Are you financed by WikiLeaks? Are you financed by the Assange Family?” The answer to all of those questions was “no,” Murray added.

“I wouldn’t even know why [they asked these questions]. Even if the answer was yes, I don’t know what the crime would be.” The police also demanded to know if Murray belonged to any groups.

“I’m not really a member of anything,” he said, other than the pro-Scottish independence Alba Party and the FDA, a trade union for civil servants.

………………………………………….. The interrogators seized Murray’s laptop and phone, and took photocopies of all of his documents, including bank cards, library card, and Alba Party membership card.

While they returned his laptop, Murray still has yet to have his phone returned to him.

The law says that seized items should be returned within seven days. He was told his phone was being retained for “the purpose of investigation,” though Murray has yet to find out what investigation. “I still don’t know what the hell is happening.”

Targeting Journalists And Human Rights Activists

Journalists, activists, and human rights workers are among the hundreds of thousands of everyday men, women, and children who have been subjected to Schedule 7 stops.

Schedule 7, which was even more expansive a decade ago, allows police, customs agents, and immigration officers to stop any adult or child and subject them to questioning. ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Between 2009 and 2019, 419,000 people have been subjected to Schedule 7 stops, according to data analysed by CAGE. Out of those, only 83 were charged with an offense and only 30 people, less than 0.007% of those stopped, have been convicted of an offense.

The government refuses to release the data it has on those stopped and interrogated between 2000 and 2009, including on their real or perceived religion. Although a 2014 report by Cambridge University determined that 88 percent of those stopped were Muslim…………………………………………

People targeted by U.K. authorities using “national security” and “terrorism” legislation, such as Schedule 7, include those associated with the Kurdish, Tamil, Palestinian, Basque and Somali movements for self-determination, those who simply happen to hail from these ethnic communities (regardless of whether they have engaged in political activism), critics of the U.S.-led “War on Terror,” and more broadly, critics of the foreign policy of Western governments.

There has also been a steady increase in the use of “terror” powers to target journalists in the U.K., with Craig Murray as the latest example.  https://scheerpost.com/2023/11/08/detained-under-uk-terrorism-law-whistleblower-says-police-questioned-his-support-for-assange/

November 10, 2023 Posted by | civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

U.S., European officials broach topic of peace negotiations with Ukraine, sources say

The conversations have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal with Russia.

nbc news, Nov. 4, 2023, By Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee and Kristen Welker

WASHINGTON — U.S. and European officials have begun quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail to end the war, according to one current senior U.S. official and one former senior U.S. official familiar with the discussions.

The conversations have included very broad outlines of what Ukraine might need to give up to reach a deal, the officials said. Some of the talks, which officials described as delicate, took place last month during a meeting of representatives from more than 50 nations supporting Ukraine, including NATO members, known as the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the officials said.

The discussions are an acknowledgment of the dynamics militarily on the ground in Ukraine and politically in the U.S. and Europe, officials said.

They began amid concerns among U.S. and European officials that the war has reached a stalemate and about the ability to continue providing aid to Ukraine, officials said. Biden administration officials also are worried that Ukraine is running out of forces, while Russia has a seemingly endless supply, officials said. Ukraine is also struggling with recruiting and has recently seen public protests about some of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s open-ended conscription requirements.

And there is unease in the U.S. government with how much less public attention the war in Ukraine has garnered since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly a month ago, the officials said. Officials fear that shift could make securing additional aid for Kyiv more difficult. 

Some U.S. military officials have privately begun using the term “stalemate” to describe the current battle in Ukraine, with some saying it may come down to which side can maintain a military force the longest. Neither side is making large strides on the battlefield, which some U.S. officials now describe as a war of inches. Officials also have privately said Ukraine likely only has until the end of the year or shortly thereafter before more urgent discussions about peace negotiations should begin. U.S. officials have shared their views on such a timeline with European allies, officials said…………………………………………………………………………………..

The Biden administration has spent $43.9 billion on security assistance for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, according to the Pentagon. A U.S. official says the administration has about $5 billion left to send to Ukraine before money runs out. There would be no aid left for Ukraine if the administration hadn’t said it found a $6.2 billion accounting error from months of over-valuing equipment sent to Kyiv.

Public support slipping

Progress in Ukraine’s counteroffensive has been very slow, and hope that Ukraine will make significant advances, including reaching the coast near Russia’s frontlines, is fading. A lack of significant progress on the battlefield in Ukraine does not help with trying to reverse the downward trend in public support for sending more aid, officials said.  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-european-officials-broach-topic-peace-negotiations-ukraine-sources-rcna123628 #Ukraine #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNuke

November 8, 2023 Posted by | politics international, Ukraine, USA | Leave a comment

Ukraine’s counteroffensive is finished – governor

 https://www.rt.com/russia/586687-ukraine-counteroffensive-halted-zaporozhye/ 6 Nov 23

The attempt to cut Russia’s land corridor to Crimea in Zaporozhye Region has failed, Evgeny Balitsky has said

Moscow’s forces have stopped the Ukrainian counteroffensive dead in its tracks, Evgeny Balitsky, the governor of Zaporozhye Region, has said. 

He further described what he called Kiev’s last-ditch attempts to breach Russian defenses as not particularly impressive. In recent months, Zaporozhye has emerged as a scene of some of the fiercest fighting.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Balitsky stated that “the enemy has been halted, as has been its much-hyped counteroffensive.” He said that the ongoing fighting near the settlements of Rabotino and Shcherbaki and on the Vremievsky Ridge was “almost an agony for the Ukrainian regime.”

The official declared that Ukrainian forces, which have been trying to storm Russian positions for months, have “completely run out of steam.” 

“Now, when the enemy launches an attack, they deploy only small forces because their companies are understrength,” he added.

According to Balitsky, the plan to reach the Sea of Azov and cut Russia’s land bridge to Crimea – widely seen as the main objective of Kiev’s summer campaign – has been thwarted. He also claimed that Ukrainian attacks are now largely unsupported by armor, as Russian forces have knocked out many vehicles.

The governor stated that the current “meat onslaught” had been organized by Kiev’s Western backers, suggesting that the latter would prefer to lose Ukrainian soldiers rather than their own expensive military equipment.

Ukraine began a large-scale offensive in early June, but has failed to make substantial progress. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said last week that “the Kiev regime is losing.” He has previously estimated Ukraine’s losses at more than 90,000 troops, nearly 600 tanks, and 2,000 armored vehicles since the start of the push.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have admitted difficulties with the campaign, blaming a lack of progress on delays in Western support, strong Russian defenses, and extensive minefields as well as Moscow’s air superiority. 

Last week, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, characterized the frontline situation as a “stalemate” due to the level of technological prowess of both sides. That assessment, however, was rejected by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who insisted that while his country found itself in a “difficult” situation, it still had the initiative. #Ukraine

November 8, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Why France’s Emmanuel Macron is courting Central Asia

 French President Emmanuel Macron is in Central Asia, on a visit that
highlights the region’s increasing importance to Europe’s supply of nuclear
and fossil fuels. The trip is partly an attempt to drum up business and
foster links with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, but the key to understanding
the presidential visit dates back to July.

A military coup in the West
African country of Niger raised the prospect that supplies to France’s
vital nuclear industry might be in jeopardy. In reality, the fears were
overblown. Last year, Niger was only the second supplier of uranium to
France. The first was the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan.

 BBC 2nd Nov 2023

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67283849

November 8, 2023 Posted by | France, politics international | Leave a comment

Storm Ciarán: Hinkley Point C workers transported off site

By Jamie Grover@jamiegrover9

 HINKLEY Point C workers are set to be transported off site imminently as
works have been paused due to the threat posed by Storm Ciarán. A bus
fleet will work to relocate the majority of the 10,000 workers on site, as
all but essential works have come to a halt as a result of the adverse
weather conditions. The office-based staff will continue working as normal,
and the nightshift is expected to continue as scheduled. A spokesperson for
the Hinkley Point C project said: “We will continue to monitor the
situation closely.”

 Bridgwater Mercury 2nd Nov 2023

https://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/news/23897372.storm-ciaran-hinkley-point-c-workers-transported- #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes #climatechange

November 7, 2023 Posted by | climate change, UK | Leave a comment

Together Against Sizewell C wait on outcome of battle with government over new nuclear power plant

 https://tasizewellc.org.uk/press-release-tascs-high-court-appeal-1st-2nd-november/

On 1st and 2nd November, the Court of Appeal heard Together Against Sizewell C’s challenge to the development consent for the Sizewell C nuclear power station. The issues of the case are whether the Secretary of State should have assessed the environmental impacts of the power station together with its potable water supply as a single project or, failing that, whether he should have assessed the cumulative effects of the two projects.

TASC Chair, Jenny Kirtley said “As one of the Justices pointed out during one and a half days of legal arguments, in a worse case scenario Kwasi Kwarteng’s decision to grant Sizewell C development consent without identifying or assessing its essential potable water supply could result in a brand new £30 billion+ ‘gleaming power station’ on Suffolk’s Heritage Coast which may never be able to operate. How can granting Sizewell C consent, on the hope that a sustainable and environmentally acceptable supply will someday be found, be lawful?”

Paul Collins, Chair of Stop Sizewell C said “Given the uncertainties that remain around Sizewell C, not only its water but other aspects of the project too, it’s nothing short of scandalous that it has already sucked up over a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money. Potential investors should stay well clear and the government should cut its losses and not waste any more of our hard-earned cash on this risky, damaging project.”

Rachel Fulcher from Suffolk Coastal Friends of the Earth said Rachel Fulcher of Suffolk Coastal Friends of the Earth said: “Our members are heart-broken that Sizewell C Co. is continuing to clear hundreds of acres of the site and its environs, thereby destroying irreplaceable wildlife habitats, even before the outcome of the legal challenge is known.” #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes

November 7, 2023 Posted by | Legal, UK | Leave a comment

NewsReal: Ukraine War Ends, Mid-East War Begins? Why America is Shifting Gears


Sott.net, Sun, 05 Nov 2023

Anglo-American legacy media this week “quietly” announced an “end” to the Ukraine War, informing – correctly, for the first time since February 2022 – Western audiences that Kiev doesn’t stand a chance militarily against Russia, that Zelensky is “deluded” and “messianic” about recovering the four provinces lost to Russia, and that American and European leaders have begun pushing him to enter negotiations with Moscow.

So, peace on Earth?!

Given current events in the Middle East, not least the Israeli obliteration of Gaza and the major deployment of US warships and forces in Israel and on the surrounding seas, it’s more likely that the US Empire is ‘pivoting’ from Ukraine only because it considers the job there ‘done’ and now has bigger goals in sight………. more https://www.sott.net/article/485737-NewsReal-Ukraine-War-Ends-Mid-East-War-Begins-Why-America-is-Shifting-Gears# #Ukraine #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes #Israel #Palestine

November 7, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Court of Appeal: Together Against Sizewell v Sec of State for Energy Security

 It could be some time before we know the outcome of the one and a half day
hearing on Sizewell C. Together Against Sizewell C’s KC, David Wolfe, gave
a strong performance and we recommend watching his summing up, 25 minutes
before the end – accessed through the latest of the three videos of this
case. The lead Justice concluded by saying “you’ve given us a lot to think
about”.

 

Court of Appeal 3rd Nov 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odppDe_GO3Y

November 7, 2023 Posted by | Legal, UK | Leave a comment

Defense Department announces $425M aid package for Ukraine, cleaning out USA’s long-term assistance fund

By Tony Bertuca / November 3, 2023  https://insidedefense.com/insider/dod-announces-425m-aid-package-ukraine-cleaning-out-long-term-assistance-fund

The Pentagon today announced a $425 million military aid package for Ukraine, with $125 million accounting for immediate weapons transfers from U.S. stocks and the remaining $300 million exhausting what is left of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative meant for long-term defense needs.

The weapons transfer package funded via presidential “drawdown” authority includes:

  •           Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
  •           Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
  •           155mm and 105mm artillery rounds; 
  •           Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
  •           Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
  •           More than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades; 
  •           Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing;
  •           M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
  •           12 trucks to transport heavy equipment; 
  •           Cold weather gear; and
  •           Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.

The USAI portion of the package, which includes contracts for “additional laser-guided munitions to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems,” makes use of $300 million provided under a continuing resolution that Congress recently passed and “exhausts the remaining USAI funds currently available to support Ukraine,” according to the Pentagon.

Senior defense officials said the department’s weapons transfer authority is also nearly spent.

“The administration continues to call on Congress to meet its commitment to the people of Ukraine by passing additional funding to ensure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of choice,” the Pentagon said.

Congress, meanwhile, has not yet approved additional aid for Ukraine as some House Republicans oppose it. #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes #Israel #Palestine

November 6, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

UK poised to brand dissent as ‘extremism’ – Guardian

Rt.com 5 Nov 23

Anyone who “undermines” the country’s institutions or values could be targeted under controversial proposed regulations

The UK is considering adopting a new definition of “extremism” that includes anyone who “undermines” British institutions or values, The Guardian reported on Saturday, citing internal government documents.

“Extremism is the promotion or advancement of any ideology which aims to overturn or undermine the UK’s system of parliamentary democracy, its institutions and values,” reads the new definition, reportedly drafted as part of a national counterextremism plan announced by cabinet minister Michael Gove’s Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities earlier this year. 

The source documents, marked “official – sensitive,” trumpet its potential to “frame a new, unified response to extremism.” The lack of public debate or consultation regarding the new definition has worried activists, who fear it will effectively criminalize dissent.

Index on Censorship editor Martin Bright called the move “an unwarranted attack on freedom of expression [that] would potentially criminalize every student radical and revolutionary dissident.” 

Even government officials are reportedly concerned the new definition constitutes “a crackdown on freedom of speech.” One unnamed Whitehall official told The Guardian, “The definition is too broad and will capture legitimate organizations and individuals.”

Amnesty International UK racial justice director Ilyas Nagdee pointed out that a similar definition was already in use under the government’s counterterrorism project Prevent, where it was already hampering attempts to organize.

Prevent, which defines extremism as the “active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs,” has been criticized as both Islamophobic and soft on Islamic extremism………………………………………………………..

As thousands of Britons took to the streets last month to demand Israel halt its bombardment of Gaza, Home Secretary Suella Braverman denounced the pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “hate marches,” demanding police officers re-examine whether waving Palestinian flags or chanting slogans could constitute hate crimes. On Friday, two women were charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 for carrying signs depicting paragliders like those used by Hamas to enter Israel.  https://www.rt.com/news/586636-uk-redefines-extremism-dissent-protest/ #Israel #Palestine

November 6, 2023 Posted by | civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Worldwide protests against Israel’s ethnic cleansing in Palestine

BY OLEG CETINIC AND FATIMA HUSSEIN, 10, November 5, 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — From Washington to Milan to Paris, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday, calling for a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

The marches reflected growing disquiet about the mounting civilian casualty toll and suffering from the Israel-Hamas war. Protesters, particularly in countries with large Muslim populations, including the U.S., U.K. and France, expressed disillusionment with their governments for supporting Israel while its bombardments of hospitals and residential areas in the Gaza strip intensify.

The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 9,448, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war.

In the U.S., thousands converged on the nation’s capital to protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel and its continued military campaign in Gaza. “Palestine will be free,” demonstrators donning black and white keffiyehs chanted as an enormous Palestinian flag was unfurled by a crowd that filled Pennsylvania Avenue — the street leading up to the White House.

Leveling direct criticism of President Joe Biden, Renad Dayem of Cleveland said she made the trip with her family so her children would know “the Palestinian people are resilient — and we want a leader who won’t be a puppet to the Israeli government.”

Dozens of small white body bags with the names of children killed by Israeli missiles lined the street and demonstrators held signs calling for an immediate cease-fire……………………. more https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-protests-europe-193a9aaca97df2c5c6a515f756a40a34 #Israel #Palestine

November 6, 2023 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

Russia test-fires ballistic missile from new nuclear sub

9 News, By Associated Press, Nov 6, 2023

The Russian military has reported a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads from a new nuclear submarine.

The report comes as tensions are soaring between Russia and the West over the fighting in Ukraine.

Adding to those tensions, President Vladimir Putin last week signed a bill revoking Russia’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban in a move that Moscow said was needed to establish parity with the United States…………………… more https://www.9news.com.au/world/russia-says-it-testfired-an-intercontinental-ballistic-missile-from-a-new-nuclear-submarine/34b2c5e9-8dfb-4455-92d9-910ce20d205e #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclearfree #NoNukes

November 6, 2023 Posted by | Russia, weapons and war | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »