Vinci and Bouygues among six firms fined €31m for bid rigging in nuclear work

KHI By Neil Gerrard08 September 2023

France’s competition watchdog, Autorité de la Concurrence, has fined six companies a total of €31 million for bid rigging relating to tenders for work at a nuclear site in the country.

Nuvia Process (a subsidiary of Vinci Group), ENDEL (formerly and Engie subsidiary), Bouygues Construction Expertises (BCEN), SNEF and SPIE Nucléaire are all subject to the penalties.

The Autorité granted a sixth company, ONET Group, leniency and it has received an exemption from financial penalties.

The fines come after dawn raids at the companies prompted by suspicions of anticompetitive practices when it came to tendering for work at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission’s (CEA) Marcoule nuclear site in the Gard region……………………………………………………………………………………………………

In a statement, the Autorité said, “These practices are among the most serious breaches of competition rules, as they aim to remove the advantages that consumers and the public entity are entitled to expect from a competitive economy, and instead benefit the perpetrators.

“Disrupting the normal course of tendering procedures by hindering the free market pricing process and misleading the public authority as to the reality and extent of competition between tenderers, is detrimental to the sector in which such practices take place, and constitutes a serious breach of economic public policy.”

Nuvia’s penalty amounted to €13.9 million, while Endel received a fine of €11 million and BCEN a fine of €6.2 million.

SNEF and SPIE Nucléaire received lesser fines of €20,000 and €10,000 respectively.

The Autorité said it applied a mark-up to Nuvia, Endel and BCEN as they are all part of conglomerates. It also took into account the “repeated nature” of the offences committed by the Vinci and Bouygues groups. https://www.khl.com/news/vinci-and-bouygues-among-six-firms-fined-31m-for-bid-rigging-in-nuclear-work/8031517.article

September 9, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, Legal | Leave a comment

Why Swiss Neutrality is essential for American national security

SCOTT RITTER, SEP 9, 2023

Thirty years ago, a gathering of like-minded teachers, social workers, and medical professionals took place in a village some 40 miles outside of the northern Swiss city of Zurich. Their goal was to create a discussion group dedicated to the idea of the courageous pursuit of ethical living—“Mut zur Ethik,” in Swiss-German.

Over the course of three days—September 1-3—this group, by this time veterans of three decades of commitment to their cause, convened their 30^th meeting in a conference center in the quaint Swiss town of Sirnach. The conference featured speakers from around the world—Peru, the Congo, and Afghanistan stand out—as well as Europe and North America. The noted journalist Patrick Lawrence, together with his wonderful wife, Kara, were in attendance. I joined them as the only other American present in a crowd that numbered well over 200, with many more participating via video conference.

Numerous topics were discussed, ranging from American exceptionalism to Lithium mining, and almost everything in between. But the one that stood out to me was the issue of Swiss neutrality………………….The main takeaway for me from the Mut zur Ethik conference was the absolute necessity of Switzerland remaining viably neutral, and how important this was from the perspective of American national security………………………………………..

Switzerland continues to honor its current laws prohibiting the direct delivery of weapons to any nation engaged in war. Moreover, the re-export of Swiss-made weapons by third countries requires permission from the Swiss government. In the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, several European governments whose military possess stocks of Swiss-made ammunition have made such requests, but to date, no permission has been granted, something that has drawn the ire of the United States.

Enter Scott Miller, the US Ambassador to Switzerland. Miller has strongly urged Switzerland to allow the re-exportation of munition, declaring that the ban “benefits the aggressor [Russia], who violates all principles of international law.”……………………………………………

Many Swiss are concerned about what they view as the blatant interference in Swiss neutrality on the part of the US and its European allies. Last year, Pro Schweiz, an association affiliated with the conservative Swiss People’s Party, launched a campaign calling for a referendum designed to protect Switzerland’s neutrality by prohibiting it from participating in future sanctions and defense alliances. This would be accomplished through changes in the Swiss Constitution that would prevent Switzerland from joining a defense alliance unless it first came under direct attack, and ban “non-military coercive measures” such as sanctions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

There will be a critical need for a neutral party who can provide a haven for the talks and negotiations that will be essential for the preservation of world peace and security. Switzerland is ideally positioned to be that neutral party, but only if it can regain the stature it enjoyed prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This can only happen if the United States stops pressuring Switzerland to give up on its neutrality in pursuit of shortsighted policies that will do little to change the outcome of the war in Ukraine. Swiss neutrality is not just good for Switzerland. It is also essential for US national security and should be supported at all costs. https://www.scottritterextra.com/p/why-swiss-neutrality-is-essential?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=6892&post_id=136867957&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=ln98x&utm_medium=email

September 9, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Ukraine wasted $17 million on faulty drones – media

Rt.com 8 Sept 23

A company managed to supply only one airworthy drone out of a batch of 55 ordered by Kiev, investigative outlet reports

A drone-manufacturing company has failed to deliver on a lucrative contract with the country’s military, Ukrainian investigative outlet Bihus.info reported on Tuesday. Ukrainian Aviation Systems (UAS) failed to meet a deadline to provide the military with 55 HAWK reconnaissance drones in mid-August, delivering just four units, of which just one was deemed airworthy.

The HAWK drone is a small winged reconnaissance UAV capable of reaching speeds of up to 55 kilometers per hour (34mph), according to UAS. Each unit costs more than 14.5 million hryvnias (nearly $400,000), while the whole contract is worth 807 million hryvnias or almost $22 million, with at least $17.6 million paid to the company in advance, according to Bihus.info.

Reporters with the outlet attended ill-fated trials of the drones, during which only one unit managed to show decent performance and was accepted by the military. One of the drones repeatedly lost connection to ground control mid-flight, while another lost its wings and crashed. A third unit failed to take off at all, the outlet reported.

UAS is linked to Borislav Rosenblat, a former MP and close associate of former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko. Rosenblat has repeatedly been involved in various corruption scandals, ending up being stripped of his mandate in 2017 amid an investigation into illegal amber mining and trade……………………………………………………………………………….. more https://www.rt.com/russia/582430-ukraine-faulty-drones-contract/

September 9, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Disproportionately High Contributions of 60 Year Old Weapons-137Cs Explain the Persistence of Radioactive Contamination in Bavarian Wild Boars

Environmental Science and Technology, Felix Stäger, Dorian Zok, Anna-Katharina Schiller, American Chemical Society, ACS Publications 30th Aug 2023

Abstract

Radionuclides released from nuclear accidents or explosions pose long-term threats to ecosystem health. A prominent example is wild boar contamination in central Europe, which is notorious for its persistently high ¹³⁷Cs levels. However, without reliable source identification, the origin of this decades old problem has been uncertain. Here, we target radiocesium contamination in wild boars from Bavaria. Our samples (2019–2021) range from 370 to 15,000 Bq·kg^–1 ¹³⁷Cs, thus exceeding the regulatory limits (600 Bq·kg^–1) by a factor of up to 25. Using an emerging nuclear forensic fingerprint, ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs, we distinguished various radiocesium source legacies in their source composition. All samples exhibit signatures of mixing of Chornobyl and nuclear weapons fallout, with ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratios ranging from 0.67 to 1.97. Although Chornobyl has been widely believed to be the prime source of ¹³⁷Cs in wild boars, we find that “old” ¹³⁷Cs from weapons fallout significantly contributes to the total level (10–68%) in those specimens that exceeded the regulatory limit. In some cases, weapons-¹³⁷Cs alone can lead to exceedances of the regulatory limit, especially in samples with a relatively low total ¹³⁷Cs level. Our findings demonstrate that the superposition of older and newer legacies of ¹³⁷Cs can vastly surpass the impact of any singular yet dominant source and thus highlight the critical role of historical releases of ¹³⁷Cs in current environmental pollution challenges.

Synopsis

Sixty years old ¹³⁷Cs from nuclear weapons fallout contributes significantly to the notorious contamination levels in wild boars in Central Europe that were previously believed to be dominated by Chornobyl.

Introduction

In the face of climate change, nuclear energy is experiencing a renaissance as a low-carbon option to feed humanity’s hunger for energy. (1) However, the release of radionuclides into the environment from nuclear accidents or nuclear weapons fallout poses potential threats to public health and societies and economic activities as some radionuclides are capable of persistently contaminating the food chain, resulting in widespread and long-term risk of radiation exposure. (2,3) The fission product cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs, half-life T_1/2 = 30.08 y) is a prominent example of such contaminants as it is ubiquitously present in the environment. It originates from the fallout of atmospheric nuclear explosions from the mid-20th century (weapons-¹³⁷Cs) and nuclear accidents, most prominently the Chornobyl (4) and Fukushima (5,6) nuclear accidents (reactor-¹³⁷Cs).

For safety regulations, many countries have employed strict regulatory limits for ¹³⁷Cs levels in general food products (e.g., EU < 600 Bq·kg^–1 and Japan: <100 Bq·kg^–1). (7) However, although routine radiation surveillance provides essential quantitative information on ¹³⁷Cs contamination levels, the attribution of a contamination to its origins remains poorly understood as the ubiquitous weapons-¹³⁷Cs cannot be distinguished from any reactor-¹³⁷Cs. This analytical challenge impedes the comprehensive understanding of the origin of environmental ¹³⁷Cs contamination, which is a critical prerequisite for a quantitative assessment of the responsibilities for certain ¹³⁷Cs legacies and the establishment of more targeted strategies for environmental remediation and protection. More than ever, with threats of nuclear strikes or accidental releases in the course of the Russo-Ukrainian war, it is now imperative to be able to identify the source of any release of ¹³⁷Cs and evaluate their environmental consequences.

Synopsis

Sixty years old ¹³⁷Cs from nuclear weapons fallout contributes significantly to the notorious contamination levels in wild boars in Central Europe that were previously believed to be dominated by Chornobyl.

Introduction

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Jump To

In the face of climate change, nuclear energy is experiencing a renaissance as a low-carbon option to feed humanity’s hunger for energy. (1) However, the release of radionuclides into the environment from nuclear accidents or nuclear weapons fallout poses potential threats to public health and societies and economic activities as some radionuclides are capable of persistently contaminating the food chain, resulting in widespread and long-term risk of radiation exposure. (2,3) The fission product cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs, half-life T_1/2 = 30.08 y) is a prominent example of such contaminants as it is ubiquitously present in the environment. It originates from the fallout of atmospheric nuclear explosions from the mid-20th century (weapons-¹³⁷Cs) and nuclear accidents, most prominently the Chornobyl (4) and Fukushima (5,6) nuclear accidents (reactor-¹³⁷Cs). For safety regulations, many countries have employed strict regulatory limits for ¹³⁷Cs levels in general food products (e.g., EU < 600 Bq·kg^–1 and Japan: <100 Bq·kg^–1). (7) However, although routine radiation surveillance provides essential quantitative information on ¹³⁷Cs contamination levels, the attribution of a contamination to its origins remains poorly understood as the ubiquitous weapons-¹³⁷Cs cannot be distinguished from any reactor-¹³⁷Cs. This analytical challenge impedes the comprehensive understanding of the origin of environmental ¹³⁷Cs contamination, which is a critical prerequisite for a quantitative assessment of the responsibilities for certain ¹³⁷Cs legacies and the establishment of more targeted strategies for environmental remediation and protection. More than ever, with threats of nuclear strikes or accidental releases in the course of the Russo-Ukrainian war, it is now imperative to be able to identify the source of any release of ¹³⁷Cs and evaluate their environmental consequences.

While isotopic signatures of actinides (e.g., uranium and plutonium) have been used successfully to distinguish the contributions between various sources, (8,9) radiocesium isotopic fingerprints have not yet been applied routinely for source identification. Cesium-135 is an ideal and long-lived candidate (T_1/2 = 2.3 My) after a release, better suited than fast-fading ¹³⁴Cs (T_1/2 = 2.07 y). Also, the production mechanism of ¹³⁵Cs provides more detailed information on the nuclear origin of a contamination, which hence allows attribution of a radiocesium contamination to its source via its distinct ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio. Its mother nuclide (¹³⁵Xe) has a large cross-section for thermal neutron capture, resulting in suppressed onset of ¹³⁵Cs under the high neutron flux density of a reactor core. (10) By contrast, despite the intense but short neutron flux at the moment of a nuclear explosion, ¹³⁵Xe mostly “survives” the explosion because most primary fission products of the 135 isobar are ¹³⁵Te and ¹³⁵I, which have yet to decay to ¹³⁵Xe. (11)

A nuclear explosion hence yields a relatively high ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio, whereas a reactor yields a low ratio. Nowadays, analytical protocols for commercial triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-QQQ-MS) as well as thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) are available for the precise determination of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs, thus allowing the application of the ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio as an isotopic fingerprint in nuclear forensics and environmental tracing studies. (12−19) In any case, the application of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs as a forensic fingerprint is still far from routine as it requires meticulous chemical separation and sophisticated analytical procedures.

Synopsis

Sixty years old ¹³⁷Cs from nuclear weapons fallout contributes significantly to the notorious contamination levels in wild boars in Central Europe that were previously believed to be dominated by Chornobyl.

Introduction

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Jump To

In the face of climate change, nuclear energy is experiencing a renaissance as a low-carbon option to feed humanity’s hunger for energy. (1) However, the release of radionuclides into the environment from nuclear accidents or nuclear weapons fallout poses potential threats to public health and societies and economic activities as some radionuclides are capable of persistently contaminating the food chain, resulting in widespread and long-term risk of radiation exposure. (2,3) The fission product cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs, half-life T_1/2 = 30.08 y) is a prominent example of such contaminants as it is ubiquitously present in the environment. It originates from the fallout of atmospheric nuclear explosions from the mid-20th century (weapons-¹³⁷Cs) and nuclear accidents, most prominently the Chornobyl (4) and Fukushima (5,6) nuclear accidents (reactor-¹³⁷Cs). For safety regulations, many countries have employed strict regulatory limits for ¹³⁷Cs levels in general food products (e.g., EU < 600 Bq·kg^–1 and Japan: <100 Bq·kg^–1). (7) However, although routine radiation surveillance provides essential quantitative information on ¹³⁷Cs contamination levels, the attribution of a contamination to its origins remains poorly understood as the ubiquitous weapons-¹³⁷Cs cannot be distinguished from any reactor-¹³⁷Cs. This analytical challenge impedes the comprehensive understanding of the origin of environmental ¹³⁷Cs contamination, which is a critical prerequisite for a quantitative assessment of the responsibilities for certain ¹³⁷Cs legacies and the establishment of more targeted strategies for environmental remediation and protection. More than ever, with threats of nuclear strikes or accidental releases in the course of the Russo-Ukrainian war, it is now imperative to be able to identify the source of any release of ¹³⁷Cs and evaluate their environmental consequences.

While isotopic signatures of actinides (e.g., uranium and plutonium) have been used successfully to distinguish the contributions between various sources, (8,9) radiocesium isotopic fingerprints have not yet been applied routinely for source identification. Cesium-135 is an ideal and long-lived candidate (T_1/2 = 2.3 My) after a release, better suited than fast-fading ¹³⁴Cs (T_1/2 = 2.07 y). Also, the production mechanism of ¹³⁵Cs provides more detailed information on the nuclear origin of a contamination, which hence allows attribution of a radiocesium contamination to its source via its distinct ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio. Its mother nuclide (¹³⁵Xe) has a large cross-section for thermal neutron capture, resulting in suppressed onset of ¹³⁵Cs under the high neutron flux density of a reactor core. (10) By contrast, despite the intense but short neutron flux at the moment of a nuclear explosion, ¹³⁵Xe mostly “survives” the explosion because most primary fission products of the 135 isobar are ¹³⁵Te and ¹³⁵I, which have yet to decay to ¹³⁵Xe. (11) A nuclear explosion hence yields a relatively high ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio, whereas a reactor yields a low ratio. Nowadays, analytical protocols for commercial triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-QQQ-MS) as well as thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) are available for the precise determination of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs, thus allowing the application of the ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio as an isotopic fingerprint in nuclear forensics and environmental tracing studies. (12−19) In any case, the application of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs as a forensic fingerprint is still far from routine as it requires meticulous chemical separation and sophisticated analytical procedures.

Bavaria, southeastern Germany, is notorious for its heavy ¹³⁷Cs contamination following the Chornobyl nuclear accident. (20) It was reported that ¹³⁷Cs inventory in surface soil ranged from 10² to 10⁵ Bq·m^–2 in April 1986 [data from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), Germany]. As a potent accumulator of ¹³⁷Cs, (21,22) regional wild boars (Sus scrofa) were subsequently contaminated, and the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in their meat exceeded the regulatory limit by approximately 1–2 orders of magnitude. However, unlike most forest species, which initially also exhibited high ¹³⁷Cs contamination in their bodies followed by a decline with time (i.e., a short ecological half-life), (23,24) ¹³⁷Cs levels in wild boars have not shown a significant decline trend since 1986. (20,25)

In certain locations and instances, the decline in contamination levels is even slower than the physical half-life of ¹³⁷Cs. (26) This phenomenon has been termed “wild boar paradox” and is generally attributed to the ingestion of ¹³⁷Cs accumulating hypogeous fungi (e.g., deer truffle, Elaphomyces) by wild boars. (27,28) Depending on the soil composition, especially clay mineral content, (29) these underground mushrooms are a critical repository of the downward migrating ¹³⁷Cs. They are one major food item for wild boars, particularly during winter when food on the surface is scarce. (30) However, due to the lack of convincing evidence for identifying the sources of ¹³⁷Cs, the origins of the persistent contamination in wild boars remains unclear.

Here, we analyzed the ¹³⁷Cs activities together with ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratios in wild boar meat samples, collected from 11 Bavarian districts during 2019–2021. Reporting the largest environmental sample set of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs to date (n = 48), we undertook a critical comparison with the published values and validated the feasibility of utilizing ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs for source identification. Using a mixing model, we estimated the contribution of weapons-¹³⁷Cs and reactor-¹³⁷Cs, which not only deepens our understanding of the “wild boar paradox” but may also allow a future location-specific prediction of the evolution of the ¹³⁷Cs contamination in wild boars with time. Lastly, our method can be applied for the traceability of ¹³⁷Cs in any environmental samples in the future.

Materials and Methods……………………………………………………..

Results and Discussion………………………………………………………..

……..more https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c03565

September 8, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Germany, Reference | 2 Comments

Fyodor Lukyanov: Why the ‘world majority’ sees the Ukraine conflict as an example of declining European and North American power

Most believe ethnic Europeans are colonialists and hope to end their stranglehold on power

By Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and research director of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

It’s now the fall of 2023, and the Ukraine conflict has become an integral part of the international political and economic landscape. A cessation of hostilities is not expected.Meanwhile, neither a decisive victory for one side nor a compromise peace agreement seems likely in the foreseeable future.

The situation remains the most important factor influencing the global balance of power.

When the fighting started, it was immediately clear that relations between Russia and the West were entering an acute phase. But the severity and persistence of the conflict have exceeded expectations. In February 2022, few could have imagined the current level of NATO’s military-technical support of Ukraine and such a thorough dismantling of all ties between Russia and the Western countries.

The predictions of the first phase did not work out for anyone. Moscow misjudged the military-political and public mood in Ukraine and the willingness of the United States and its allies to go so far in supporting Kiev. The West made the mistake of assuming that the Russian economic system could not withstand an external blockade, but that the global economy could do without Moscow relatively painlessly. Both parties’ perception of their own ability to force their adversaries to change course and make concessions did not match reality.

The mistakes made in the early stages were the result of stereotypes formed earlier. If we strip away the nuances, the opponents exaggerated each other’s vulnerability and mistook their rivals as “paper tigers.” This is still partly an element, but more as a figure of speech in propaganda. The game has turned into a protracted process in which each side tries to mobilize its advantages and accumulate decisive superiority in order to escape the stalemate. The intensity of the confrontation between Russia and the West is increasing, but not its quality.

The most significant changes have taken place in the part of the world that is not involved in the conflict, although it is affected by it. The currently fashionable Russian notion of a “world majority,” which applies to the non-Western part of humanity, is somewhat confusing because it suggests a consolidated community. However, the essence of this majority is its heterogeneity – in contrast to the universal cohesion of values that the West offers. However, the term does outline the contours – a set of countries that are unwilling to be drawn into processes that follow the tradition of Western politics. The Ukraine crisis is a product of Western political culture, to which all the immediate participants belong. Russia, which has adopted an extremely anti-Western stance, is also acting (or let’s say is forced to act) within the Western military-political paradigm.

There is a growing opinion among the world’s majority that the influence of those who have long dictated the rules in the international arena is waning. ………………………………………………………………………….more https://www.rt.com/russia/582455-declining-europe-america-power/

September 8, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Ukraine | Leave a comment

US to Arm Ukraine With Toxic Depleted Uranium Ammunition

The munitions will be used with US-made Abrams tanks

by Dave DeCamp September 3, 2023 https://news.antiwar.com/2023/09/03/us-to-arm-ukraine-with-toxic-depleted-uranium-ammunition/

The US is set to arm Ukraine with controversial depleted uranium (DU) ammunition as part of an upcoming arms package for use with US-made Abrams tanks, Reuters reported on Friday.

DU is a heavy metal that’s a byproduct of enriched uranium and is extremely dense, making it a good material for armor-piercing rounds. But DU ammunition is toxic and is linked to cancer and birth defects in places it has been used, including Iraq, where the US used an enormous amount of DU in the Gulf War and the 2003 invasion.

The UK has already provided Ukraine with DU ammunition for use with British-made Challenger 2 tanks, but the US has yet to take the step. Earlier this year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was deploying nuclear weapons to Belarus, he said it was a response to the UK arming Ukraine with DU.

According to Reuters, the arms package for Ukraine that will include DU ammunition is expected to be announced this week. The first Abrams tanks are due to arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks.

The Wall Street Journal reported in June that the Biden administration was expected to arm Ukraine with DU. The report said some officials were concerned the move would open up the US to criticism for providing weapons that could cause health and environmental damage.

But at this point in the war, the administration has shown it’s not concerned about damaging Ukraine’s environment. In July, the US started arming Ukraine with cluster bombs, which spread small submunitions over large areas. Unexploded submunitions, or bomblets, can be found by civilians years or decades after use. Because of their history of killing civilians, cluster munitions have been banned by over 100 countries.

September 8, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | depleted uranium, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Unite urges employer to pay a fair wage and avoid nuclear plant shutdown

Unite urges employer to pay a fair wage and avoid nuclear plant shutdown.
Electricians who certify tools for use in nuclear power stations are taking
strike action.

Unite, the country’s leading trade union, announced today
(Wednesday 6 September) that its members at Altrad Babcock Ltd are taking
strike action following a dismal pay offer from the employer. Electricians
at Altrad Babcock, based in Tipton in the West Midlands, are responsible
for certifying that electrical tools are safe to use in nuclear facilities
across the country. Yet this safety-critical role is not being valued by
the employer, with some members earning as little as £13.62 per hour.

Unite 6th Sept 2023

https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2023/september/unite-urges-employer-to-pay-a-fair-wage-and-avoid-nuclear-plant-shutdown/

September 8, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | employment, UK | Leave a comment

Could new nuclear kill one of the world’s most promising offshore windmarkets?

Sweden is slated to host some of the biggest projects at sea
globally but its government is talking up the virtues of atomic power,
writes Bernd Radowitz.

Recharge 5th Sept 2023

https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/could-new-nuclear-kill-one-of-the-worlds-most-promising-offshore-wind-markets-/2-1-1512285

September 8, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, Sweden | Leave a comment

Nation-States as “Business Models”: Ukraine as Another Neoliberal Privatization Exercise

By Dr. T. P. Wilkinson, Global Research, August 31, 2023 https://www.globalresearch.ca/states-business-models-ukraine-another-neo-liberal-privatization-exercise/5830818

Introduction

Perhaps the leading two veteran critics of US policy in Ukraine, Colonel Douglas MacGregor USA and Major Scott Ritter USMC, have said loud and clear that at least from a military standpoint the Ukrainian armed forces have lost the war against Russia.

There have been numerous voices calling for an end to the conflict, not least because the more than USD 46 billion and counting in military aid alone, has yet to produce any of the results announced as aims of what has finally been admitted is a war against Russia.[i]

If Mr Zelenskyy, the president of the Ukraine’s government in Kiev, is to be taken at face value, then the hostilities can only end when Crimea and the Donbass regions are fully under Kiev’s control and Vladimir Putin has been removed from office as president of the Russian Federation. To date no commentator has adequately explained how those war aims are to be attained. This applies especially after the conservatively estimated 400,000 deaths and uncounted casualties in the ranks of Kiev’s forces since the beginning of the Special Military Operation in February 2022.

Before considering the political and economic issues it is important to reiterate a few military facts, especially for those armchair soldiers who derive their military acumen from TV and Hollywood films.

As MacGregor and Ritter, both of whom have intimate practical knowledge of warfare, have said. Armies on the ground need supplies, i.e. food, weapons, ammunition, medical care for wounded, etc.

These supplies have to be delivered from somewhere.

In ancient times, armies could live off the land. Essentially this was through looting and plunder—stealing their food from the local population as they marched. To prevent the local population from becoming the enemy in the rear and avoid early exhaustion of local supply, generals started paying for what was requisitioned.

To prevent this defending forces would often withdraw the civilian population and destroy what could not be taken. In fact this kind of rough warfare against civilians still occurs although it has been forbidden under the Law of Land Warfare.[ii]

Naturally the soldier in the field can no longer make weaponry and even less plundered from the local inhabitants—unless one comes across some tribe the US has armed with Stingers perhaps.

All the weapons the Ukrainian armed forces deploy have to be imported from countries with factory capacity.

As the two officers among others have said, the capacity is unavailable for the Ukraine.

Obviously it would also be unavailable to NATO forces were they able to deploy in Ukraine in any numbers.

It is illusory to believe that a NATO army can do what the Wehrmacht could not some eighty years ago with three million men under arms and the most modern army of its day.

This was so obvious from the beginning that one has to wonder why this war ever started.

Is it possible that wars are started without any intention of winning them?

If winning the war is not the objective, then what is?

September 7, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Eastern European NATO Countries Fear Peace Talks Between Ukraine and Russia

Poland and the Baltic states are worried growing opposition to the proxy war inside the US could lead to negotiations

SCHEERPOST, By Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com,6 Sept 23

NATO members that border Russia and Belarus are afraid that growing opposition to the proxy war in Ukraine inside the United States will put pressure on the Ukrainians to pursue peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Hill reported on Tuesday.

While the Biden administration’s stated policy is to back Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” and the majority of Congress still supports the proxy war, there is there is fatigue among Americans. A recent poll from CNN found that 55% of Americans are against Congress authorizing more spending on the conflict.

Former President Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 election, has claimed he would end the war in Ukraine within “24 hours.” The Biden administration is looking to sign a long-term security deal with Ukraine to tie the hands of a future administration on the issue, but the political climate has some NATO members nervous that peace might be pursued.

The report said that for Poland and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, talking with Putin is a “red line.” The four nations want the US and the rest of Ukraine’s Western backers to prepare for a future where the Russian leader is completely isolated……………………….

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has maintained demands for peace talks that are a non-starter for Moscow, including a full Russian withdrawal and Russia ceding Crimea. Zelensky and his government will likely not drop the maximalist demands unless Ukraine loses the support of the US and NATO, which Kyiv has acknowledged is fueling the entire war effort……………………………………………. more https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/06/eastern-european-nato-countries-fear-peace-talks-between-ukraine-and-russia/

September 7, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, politics | Leave a comment

Russia warns return of US nuclear weapons to UK would be seen as escalation

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/09/05/Russia-warns-return-of-US-nuclear-weapons-to-UK-would-be-seen-as-escalation

Russia would regard any return of US nuclear weapons to bases in Britain as an “escalation and a destabilizing practice,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Tuesday.

She also said that such a practice is “openly anti-Russian in nature, as it provides for joint planning and regular training exercises for the prompt delivery of nuclear strikes by members of NATO which is hostile to us against targets in Russia from the territory of non-nuclear European countries.”

“We will continue to demand the return of all American nuclear weapons to US territory, followed by the removal of infrastructure that would allow them to be quickly deployed in Europe,” she added.

September 7, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Russia linked hackers hit UK Ministry of Defence as security secrets leaked

Russian hackers suspected to have leaked sensitive UK military and defence
material on the dark web including information about nuclear submarine base
and chemical weapons lab. Sensitive military and defence material has been
stolen by suspected Russian hackers and leaked on to the internet.

Thousands of pages of data about the HMNB Clyde nuclear submarine base,
Porton Down chemical weapons lab and a GCHQ listening post are understood
to have been posted on to the dark web after the hack. Information about a
specialist cyber defence site and some of Britain’s high-security prisons
was also stolen in the raid on Zaun, a provider of fences for maximum
security sites.

Daily Mail 4th Sept 2023

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12476765/Russian-hackers-leaked-sensitive-UK-military-defence-material-dark-web.html

Russia linked hackers hit UK Ministry of Defence as security secrets
leaked. Hackers targeted the database of a firm which handles the security
for some of Britain’s most secretive sites – including a nuclear submarine
base and a chemical weapon lab.

Mirror 2nd Sept 2023

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/russia-linked-hackers-hit-uk-30850139

September 6, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Germany, Italy highlight growing European nuclear divide

By Federica Pascale and Julia Dahm | EURACTIV.com and EURACTIV.it

Germany’s place as the leader of Europe’s anti-nuclear lobby has been further solidified as Chancellor Olaf Sholz doubled down on his view that nuclear has no place in the country’s energy mix, while Italy has vowed to speed up its integration of nuclear energy in a bid to cut costs, save the economy, and power the Green Transition.

Nuclear power is controversial as some countries have embraced it, while others have considered it more of a risk than it is worth. Its inclusion by the European Commission as a green energy source in the Taxonomy Regulation further laid bare divisions across Europe as countries bickered over whether it could truly be considered green and sustainable………………………………………………………..

In an interview with radio station Dlf on Saturday, Scholz stressed using nuclear power in Germany’s energy mix is no longer an option.

“In Germany today, the topic of nuclear power is a dead horse,” the Social Democrat said.

“Whoever would want to build new power plants would take 15 years and would have to spend 15 to 20 billion per unit,” he added.

Scholz’s remarks come after representatives of the FDP, the chancellor’s liberal coalition partner, called to stop the dismantling of reactors that are still usable to reactivate them.

“This is the only way to remain capable of acting in any situation,” Christian Dürr,
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/germany-italy-highlight-growing-european-nuclear-divide/

September 6, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, politics international | Leave a comment

America is not worried about the huge losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

America is not worried about the huge losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – Judging Freedom https://rusvesna.su/news/1693656211 4 Sept 23

Washington representatives are absolutely not concerned about the huge losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the economic well-being of US citizens, at the expense of which assistance to Kyiv is paid.

They also don’t really care about the casualties among American soldiers, but they are afraid of internal political pressure, Scott Horton, director of the Libertarian Institute, said in an interview with Judging Freedom.

SCOTT HORTON, Director, Libertarian Institute: Let’s get back to those politicians’ quotes, Judge…

They provide the basis for your book.

SCOTT HORTON: Yes, of course. Listen. I mean that (US Senator Richard – ed.) Blumenthal puts it extremely simply. In other words, Russian soldiers have value. We need to kill them. American soldiers are valuable and we don’t want to lose any of them.
Источник: https://rusvesna.su/news/1693656211

US tax dollars have no value. The fact that you work hard means nothing to a politician. And the lives of Ukrainian soldiers have the same value for American politicians as American taxes, that is, they are worth nothing.

They openly say that they do not take these costs into account. This would be a cost if American soldiers had to die. And that is only because in this case they (representatives of the Washington establishment – ed. note) would face political pressure, and not because they care more about American cannon fodder than Ukrainians.

They are monsters. That’s who runs the American empire. Judge, they are the worst people in the world.

I’m sorry, but I agree with you. I mean, I’m not sorry to say that I agree with you. I’m sorry that this is the state of affairs. But this is the inevitable conclusion that those of us who observe what is happening come to.

Now the United States and not all, but many of its NATO allies are negotiating some kind of agreement with Ukraine that will come into effect in the next presidency, whether it be Joe Biden’s second term or his successor’s first term. Joe Biden, Tony Blinken and Victoria Nuland seek to prevent future presidents from ending the conflict in Ukraine.

SCOTT HORTON: Yes.

I don’t know how long this will last. I don’t know what his (Biden’s – editor’s note) solution is. He obviously wants to be able to refer to some progress that has taken place in the conflict between now and Election Day.

The situation is getting worse and worse, our military is telling us that this cannot continue for long, that (the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces – editor’s note) will not last until winter. You heard the words of the President of Hungary. But does Joe Biden really think the American public wants an extension of what’s going on?

SCOTT HORTON: Well, I mean, you have to look at the situation from his point of view. There’s this thing with a funny name, Judge. I’m not sure who its author is. James Buchanan probably coined the term “public choice theory.”

It sounds weird and boring, but it really just boils down to the fact that politicians are people and they take care of themselves. In reality, there are no national interests. They do what is in their own interest, in the interest of their agency or department, and their actions have nothing to do with what is good for the American people as a whole.

So, Judge, losing this pre-election conflict is a bad outcome for Joe Biden. George W. Bush faced a similar situation in 2003 and 2004, where the outrage got worse and worse and worse. So what is he going to do, retreat? No, he needs to redouble his efforts and just make sure that things continue after the election. So the promise that we prevented the worst still stands. And this makes no sense.

I mean, The Wall Street Journal published a huge article about what the 2024 spring offensive would look like. Yes, they are teasing! These are the same people who not so long ago said they were going to win with the 2023 spring offensive that turned into an absolute disaster this summer, and they are going to continue.

September 6, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Poland begins to extradite to Ukraine men who left it after February 24, 2022

It is reported that after crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border, about 80 thousand Ukrainians might have not been listed.

MOSCOW, September 4. /TASS/. https://tass.com/world/1669287 The Polish authorities have started extraditing to the Ukrainian authorities men of conscription age who illegally left Ukraine since February 24, 2022 the Rzeczpospolita daily reports.

According to the newspaper, based on an agreement with Ukraine, Poland has already extradited citizens of that country who are involved in smuggling illegal migrants to Europe.

According to the Polish Border Guard’s data, after February 24, 2022, about 2.87 million Ukrainians aged 18 to 60 have entered Poland. About 2.8 million returned over the past 18 months.

Rzeczpospolita says that after crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border, about 80 thousand Ukrainians might have not been listed.

“This is a large number for Ukraine, because all these people can be mobilized to strengthen the ranks of the armed forces, thus strengthening our defense and security,” the newspaper quotes Ukrainian presidential representative in the Verkhovna Rada and member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, Fyodor Venislavsky, as saying.

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office can use international arrest warrants to start prosecuting Ukrainian citizens abroad, as many evaders have left the country either with the help of bribes to border guards or through the so-called green border, using the services of intermediaries.

“If we detain such a foreigner, for example, during a simple check on the road, our National Police Information System will show that he is wanted by the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, because Interpol data feature there. We detain such a person, inform the prosecutor’s office, and the court decides on the extradition,” Polish police spokesperson Mariusz Czarka explained.

September 6, 2023 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Ukraine | Leave a comment