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Golden Dome is already a turning point for American space policy.

As the space community awaits the upcoming deadline for a Golden Dome architecture, perhaps the biggest story on Golden Dome is how the program is resonating through the industry.

Last month, a new report by the Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy identified Golden Dome (and its prominence within the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 defense budget request) as a significant turning point for American space policy, Pentagon spending priorities and the role of the Space Force.

The report said that “the introduction of Golden Dome is arguably the most important development affecting the defense space budget since the inception of the Space Force.”

As SpaceNews’ Sandra Erwin wrote:

For the relatively young Space Force, established in 2019, Golden Dome represents a significant expansion of resources and responsibilities. Sam Wilson, budget analyst at the Center for Space Policy & Strategy and author of the report, views the initiative as creating “a major opportunity for the Space Force as it brings extra resources for some of Space Force’s priorities such as missile warning satellites that the service already was planning to develop.”

“This is an opportunity to get those funded at higher levels,” Wilson told SpaceNews.

The article describes how Golden Dome’s prominence – and the level of attention paid to it – is elevating space issues within broader defense planning. It’s also a program that could benefit new and old space firms alike while calling broader public attention to the military’s role in and influence over space.

Investors feel the same. A note from Capital Alpha Partners this week highlighted that “Golden Dome gave something new for U.S. contractors to talk about and position for,” but so far details are scarce. At last month’s industry summit in Huntsville, Alabama, defense firms got little more than high-level overviews.

“Even if it’s classified, clarity on the architecture may provide something more meaningful for companies to discuss in the October-November earnings season,” the Capital Alpha note read….(Read more at link –
https://spacenews.bluelena.io/index.php?action=social&chash=980ecd059122ce2e50136bda65c25e07.830&s=d7cea81a8b3dc478fa14dbee41fab337) 

September 5, 2025 Posted by | space travel, USA, USA election 2024 | Leave a comment

Why are saltmarshes such effective carbon sinks?

The invisible yet lethal threat of radioactive pollution is an ever-present risk to the Blackwater. Even a small leakage of nuclear material from the decommissioned Bradwell reactor cores or radioactive waste stores could negatively affect the role that the estuary’s marshlands play in trapping carbon, known as carbon sequestration. In short, radioactive leakage may erode the amount of carbon that can be sequestered in future. This risk alone should be enough to deter any further development of new nuclear power at the Bradwell site.

2 September 2025

David Humphreys explains the role of saltmarshes in the struggle against our heating climate in the August 2025 column for Regional Life

The saltmarshes and mudflats of the Blackwater Estuary are an important yet fragile environment rich in birds, flora, invertebrates, fish and oysters. But saltmarshes are also highly effective in storing carbon, thereby acting as carbon sinks with a vital role to play in tackling increases to the global temperature.

Like all forms of plant life, the vegetation that thrives in marshlands absorbs carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis to create food for the plants.

Carbon sinks may release their carbon back into the atmosphere in two ways. First, combustion generates carbon dioxide emissions, for example during forest fires. Second, carbon dioxide is realised when living organisms respire. Respiration is how life forms, including plants, obtain energy. If plants are in an oxygen-rich (aerobic) environment they create more carbon dioxide when breathing than if their environment is lacking in oxygen (anaerobic).

Why are saltmarshes such effective carbon sinks?

2 September 2025

David Humphreys explains the role of saltmarshes in the struggle against our heating climate in the August 2025 column for Regional Life

The saltmarshes and mudflats of the Blackwater Estuary are an important yet fragile environment rich in birds, flora, invertebrates, fish and oysters. But saltmarshes are also highly effective in storing carbon, thereby acting as carbon sinks with a vital role to play in tackling increases to the global temperature.

Like all forms of plant life, the vegetation that thrives in marshlands absorbs carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis to create food for the plants.

Carbon sinks may release their carbon back into the atmosphere in two ways. First, combustion generates carbon dioxide emissions, for example during forest fires. Second, carbon dioxide is realised when living organisms respire. Respiration is how life forms, including plants, obtain energy. If plants are in an oxygen-rich (aerobic) environment they create more carbon dioxide when breathing than if their environment is lacking in oxygen (anaerobic).

And here’s why saltmarshes are such effective sinks: they are anaerobic, so plants breathe without oxygen. Anaerobic respiration generates less energy than aerobic respiration and produces less carbon dioxide. This enables carbon stocks to build up. Coastal marshlands also receive a constant influx of tide-borne sediment, which buries organic matter in sediment layers, a further factor that enables carbon to accumulate. The result is that coastal marshlands are more effective at carbon storage per hectare than any other ecosystem, including tropical forests.

The Blackwater Estuary forms part of a broader category of carbon sink known as ‘blue carbon’. This is carbon that has been captured and stored by living coastal ecosystems such as saltmarshes, mangrove forests and seagrass beds. Blue carbon ecosystems also provide other environmental services such as protection against sea-level rise and storm surges. Given the global sea-level increases projected for this century, the importance of blue carbon ecosystems cannot be overstated, both for coastal protection and trapping carbon.


The saltmarshes of Essex, then, are a vital asset in the fight against global heating. At the same time, they are threatened by the impacts of climate change, in particular coastal retreat from sea-level rise.

Marshland ecosystems are also at the mercy of pollution, which can reduce their carbon storage capacity. The invisible yet lethal threat of radioactive pollution is an ever-present risk to the Blackwater. Even a small leakage of nuclear material from the decommissioned Bradwell reactor cores or radioactive waste stores could negatively affect the role that the estuary’s marshlands play in trapping carbon, known as carbon sequestration. In short, radioactive leakage may erode the amount of carbon that can be sequestered in future. This risk alone should be enough to deter any further development of new nuclear power at the Bradwell site.

This is a further reason to ‘BANNG the drum’ against new nuclear at Bradwell and to resist further nuclear power construction in the United Kingdom.

David Humphreys is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Policy at the Open University.

September 5, 2025 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

NFLAs join nuclear test appeal to French and Algerian Governments

 On the UN International Day against Nuclear Tests (29 August), the
UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities have joined French, Algerian and
global partners in appealing to the French and Algerian Governments for
justice for the victims of French nuclear tests in North Africa.

 NFLA 29th Aug 2025 https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/nflas-join-nuclear-test-appeal-to-french-and-algerian-governments/

September 5, 2025 Posted by | France, UK, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Extra funding revealed to fuel nuclear fusion energy training and research

 The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), University of York and University
of Edinburgh, will invest £7.8m over the next five years to advance fusion
energy research and post-graduate training. The funding will be distributed
through UKAEA’s Fusion Opportunities in Skills, Training, Education and
Research (FOSTER) Programme, which aims to develop the next generation of
fusion energy specialists. This investment is intended to create new
opportunities across collaborating universities for students to access
level Seven (master’s degree) qualifications in fusion and relevant
fields, supporting the FOSTER Programme’s mission to build a diverse
fusion skills ecosystem.

 Business Desk 3rd Sept 2025, https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/2143485-extra-funding-revealed-to-fuel-nuclear-fusion-energy-training-and-research

September 5, 2025 Posted by | Education, UK | Leave a comment

Memorial unveiled at former RAF airbase threatened by nuke waste dump

 NFLA Secretary Richard Outram was proud recently to participate in a
ceremony (31 August) at which a new memorial was unveiled to honour the
service of the many personnel once based at a Second World War RAF airbase
which may become the preferred site for a nuclear waste dump. The timing is
particularly poignant for, whilst once RAF Millom fought off an attack by a
Luftwaffe bomber, the former airfield now faces a graver threat from nearer
home. At the end of January, Nuclear Waste Services designated that part of
the airfield not occupied by His Majesty’s Prison Haverigg as its primary
Area of Focus in the South Copeland GDF Search Area. This could be the
future location for a surface facility that would receive nuclear waste
shipments as part of the plan to establish a Geological Disposal Facility.

 NFLA 2nd Sept 2025,
https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/memorial-unveiled-at-former-raf-airbase-threatened-by-nuke-waste-dump/

September 5, 2025 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Widened recall of radioactively contaminate shrimp

The FDA continues to widened a recall of shrimp packages contaminated with radioactive cesium 137. Various theories abound regarding the exact source of the contamination. As of September 2, the recall encompasses grocery stores, distributors, and wholesalers across many states.

Such a recall comes as no shock to many organizations — including Beyond Nuclear — who, in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns, have warned about radioactive contamination of food for over a decade. These groups petitioned FDA (2013), and two appeals are currently being made to lawmakers, to reduce the amount of radioisotopes allowed in U.S. food. The U.S. has one of the highest allowable limits worldwide for radiocesium. https://nislappdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/FFAN-FINAL-release-on-shrimp-recall-1-4-1.pdf

September 5, 2025 Posted by | environment, USA | Leave a comment

US nuclear safety regulators say their jobs could be at risk under Trump

By Timothy Gardner, September 4, 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-nuclear-safety-regulators-say-their-jobs-could-be-risk-under-trump-2025-09-03/

  • Summary
  • Pressure high on nuclear regulators after Trump orders
  • Trump wants to quadruple nuclear power capacity by 2050
  • Commissioner: hard to make safety calls if more staff leave

WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Two of the three remaining commissioners at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. nuclear safety watchdog, told a Senate hearing on Wednesday they feel President Donald Trump could fire them if they obstruct his goal to approve reactors faster.

Trump signed executive orders in May that set goals of fast-tracking new reactor licenses and quadrupling U.S. nuclear energy capacity by 2050 to boost the power grid, while also reducing staffing at the NRC.

Trump later fired Commissioner Chris Hanson, a Democrat, while Commissioner Annie Caputo, a Republican, left in July, saying she wanted to more fully focus on her family. That brought the traditionally five-member panel down to three.

Commissioner Matthew Marzano, a Democrat, told the hearing he felt he could be fired by the administration if he decides a new reactor design is unsafe and declines to license it.

Commissioner Bradley Crowell, also a Democrat, said he felt on “any given day I could be fired by the administration for reasons unknown.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NRC Chairman David Wright, a Republican, said the agency has five applications from so-called advanced nuclear reactors that it is reviewing and it expects another 25 to 30 soon.

Wright declined to say whether he felt he could be fired, saying it would be “speculation.”

But he said NRC should not approve incomplete applications from companies looking to build new nuclear plants, even if it means missing an 18-month approval deadline set in Trump’s executive orders.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat who supports nuclear energy for its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said about a dozen senior level managers at the NRC have left or announced they will leave since January, and that 143 staff departed between January and June.

“It’s a personnel bloodbath,” Whitehouse said. “The industry stands or falls on the NRC’s gold-standard reputation for nuclear safety. It’s now in jeopardy.”

Crowell said if the agency lost any more staff, it would be tough to credibly make safety cases on the timeline in Trump’s orders.

September 4, 2025 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Why NuScale Power Stock Slid 31% Last Month

By Brett Schafer – Sep 3, 2025 ,
https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/09/03/why-nuscale-power-stock-slid-31-last-month/

Key Points

  • NuScale Power’s stock has pulled back after a huge gain coming from a recent executive order signing.
  • The company has a small modular nuclear reactor approved, but has not won a customer contract.
  • The stock trades at an expensive price, even though it generates barely any sales and has no customer wins.

The nuclear energy stock doesn’t generate much in revenue and is losing a lot of money.

Shares of NuScale Power (SMR 8.15%) fell 31% in August, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The nuclear energy upstart and designer of small modular reactors (SMRs) is experiencing wild gyrations with its stock price. The stock is up 432% in the last year and trades at a market cap of $11.5 billion, even though it generates minimal revenue and is burning a lot of cash.

It’s been a roller-coaster ride for nuclear start-ups

Nuclear energy stocks soared at the beginning of this summer, with the current presidential administration’s push to accelerate the development of nuclear energy to keep up with data center demand around artificial intelligence (AI). President Trump signed an executive order for advanced nuclear reactor technologies, of which NuScale Power is one.

In fact, NuScale Power is the only SMR company to have its design approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which could give it a head start in winning customer contracts. However, it has failed so far to win any customer contracts outside prospective contracting from a Romanian power company that’s exploring whether to use SMRs for its upcoming energy needs.

With close to zero revenue and a history of burning cash, NuScale Power is a stock that trades with a ton of volatility. As the air comes out of the post-executive order excitement, it is no surprise to see NuScale Power stock hit a bit of a rough patch. The company has no fundamental basis to anchor its $11.5 billion market cap, which makes it a risky stock to invest in.

NuScale Power’s uncertain future

NuScale Power has a few energy projects in the works that it could potentially win deals on, including a recent proposal from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Bringing these to fruition could help it actually develop an SMR to be deployed in the real world instead of talking about it, which has been all the company has done since its inception.

Even if these projects get approved, NuScale Power won’t generate much in revenue to warrant its $11.5 billion market cap, with revenue not showing up for years due to the long project life for nuclear energy developments. It is foolish to buy a stock valued at over $10 billion that’s generating zero revenue. Therefore, investors should avoid putting NuScale Power in their portfolios, given its uncertain future.

September 4, 2025 Posted by | business and costs, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, USA | Leave a comment

War spending is ever greater

“The military personnel sent to Ukraine would be military personnel from countries that are mostly NATO members. And it is precisely NATO’s expansion in Ukraine that has been one of the main causes of the current conflict.”


Manlio Dinucci, Voltairenet.org, Sat, 30 Aug 2025, https://www.sott.net/article/501617-War-spending-is-ever-greaterhttps://www.sott.net/article/501617-War-spending-is-ever-greater

As US military spending in Ukraine declines, European spending increases. Although it appears that these weapons will be manufactured in the European Union and no longer across the Atlantic,they will inevitably be destroyed in Ukraine.

The war continues to spread to the heart of Europe because it is fundamentally fueled by the very strategy that caused it to explode. After the summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Donald Trump said that, if an agreement were reached between Russia and Ukraine, the United Stateswould not send troops to Ukrainebut, as a “security guarantee,” would provide Kiev with air and intelligence support. Troops, however, would be sent to Ukraine by some European countries.

The US Joint Chiefs of Staff reports that, to finalize this plan, US General Dan Caine summoned the chiefs of staff of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine to the Pentagon. The Kremlin reaffirms that it does not accept this plan. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared:

“The military personnel sent to Ukraine would be military personnel from countries that are mostly NATO members. And it is precisely NATO’s expansion in Ukraine that has been one of the main causes of the current conflict.”

Immediately after, NATO Secretary General Mark Ruttewas dispatched to Kyiv, where, in a press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky, he stated:

“Our support for Ukraine is unconditional and continues to grow, including through a flow of lethal US weapons to Ukraine financed by European NATO Allies and Canada. So far, three arms packages, each worth $500 million, have been delivered. The first paid for by the Netherlands; the second by Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; and the third by Germany. More packages will follow.

“Allies support the Ukrainian defense industry, investing in ways that not only strengthen your security, but also your economy. We are working with NATO Command Germany to ensure that your armed forces have what they need today and in the future.”

Immediately after, Canada purchased a fourth “package” of US weapons, bringing the total to $2 billion, which went into the coffers of the largest US war industries.

At the same time, the European Union has allocated €4.05 billion for Ukraine: €3.05 billion from the Ukraine Fund and €1 billion from the “reinvestment of income from Russian fixed assets.“ The EU and its member states have spent a total of €168.9 billion on Ukraine since February 2022. And Ursula Von der Leyen guarantees that “Europe will stand by Ukraine for every single day of the war and for every single day after the war.” These enormous war expenses, made up of public money, are paid directly and indirectly by European citizens through taxes and cuts in social spending.

The latest data released by NATO show that the 32 member countries — as required by the United States — have met the goal of allocating 2 percent of GDP to military spending. In 2014 — the year the Obama administration, with Biden as vice president, carried out the coup in Ukraine that launched the war against Russia — the United States accounted for 73 percent of NATO military spending, compared to Europe’s 27 percent. By 2025, the United States’ share will have fallen to 60 percent, while Europe’s will have risen to 40 percent. As the Trump administration demands — NATO military spending will rise to 3.5 percent and then to 5 percent of GDP, Europe’s share will continue to rise.

Based on the official documentation published by NATO at the end of August 2025, Italian military spending in 2025 will amount to more than 45 billion euros (45,315 billion euros): an average of more than 124 million euros per day. To get an idea of ​​the priorities, just think that this sum deposited in one day for the war is roughly equivalent to the 130 million euros allocated by the Government in 2025 for the “First Home Guarantee Fund”, an important program that allows young people who request it to have a facilitated loan for their purchase.

September 4, 2025 Posted by | EUROPE, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Israel beginning mass mobilization to take Gaza City – Jerusalem Post

02 Sep 2025 , https://www.sott.net/article/501619-Israel-beginning-mass-mobilization-to-take-Gaza-City-Jerusalem-Post

Tens of thousands of Israeli reservists have begun reporting for duty as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prepares for a new offensive to take full control of Gaza City,The Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday. Israeli Army Radio said about 40,000 reservists were expected to be called up.

The renewed pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet to speed up the operation reportedly has faced pushback from the military. During a heated cabinet meeting on Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called for a ceasefire deal, warning that the campaign could endanger hostages still held in Gaza and overextend the army, the Post wrote.

According to officials present, the IDF said it cannot begin the operation for at least two months due to logistical and humanitarian concerns, as more time is needed for aid to civilians in Gaza, where starvation has spread.

This follows similar exchanges between Zamir and Netanyahu’s cabinet last month, when the prime minister ordered the military to speed up the timetable for taking what he describes as Hamas’ last bastion.

Some reservists have also voiced frustration with the government’s plan, Reuters reports. Surveys cited by the outlet have shown notable dissatisfaction within the ranks, with some citing the lack of a clear strategy for victory. “I don’t feel like I’m doing anything that really applies significant pressure to have Hamas release the hostages,” one combat reservist told Reuters, speaking anonymously.

Israel launched the latest Gaza City operation last month, targeting Hamas command centers, weapons caches, and tunnel networks embedded in civilian areas. Over 1,000 buildings have been demolished, which has left hundreds trapped under rubble and thousands without homes, according to the Palestinian authorities.

Israel has said the operation is necessary for national security, and that the goal is to eliminate Hamas infrastructure.

The conflict began on October 7, 2023, after the militant group led an attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Around 50 remain in captivity. Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 62,000 people have been killed and about 156,000 wounded in Israeli strikes since then.

Comment: Obsession is ‘Never Enough’:

More than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed in Gaza City’s Zaytoun and Sabra neighborhoods since Israeli forces began a new ground incursion this month, Al Jazeera has reported, citing Palestinian Civil Defence.

In a statement on Sunday, Civil Defence reported that continued shelling and blocked access routes have made it nearly impossible for emergency crews to reach hundreds of trapped civilians or respond to reports of missing persons. Hospitals in the area are reportedly overwhelmed.

“There are grave concerns about the continued incursion of Israeli forces into Gaza City, at a time when field crews lack the capacity to deal with the intensity of the ongoing Israeli attacks.”

Israeli tanks have reportedly advanced into Sabra, and heavy bombardment has been reported across the city. Al Jazeera quoted medical sources saying at least 51 people were killed on Sunday, including 27 in Gaza City, and 24 others who were seeking aid.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health said eight more people died of hunger on Sunday, bringing the total number of malnutrition-related deaths since the war began to 289, including 115 children.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warned that famine was now the“last calamity”affecting Gaza.“People are enduring hell in all shapes,” he said, calling for full access for aid groups and international journalists.

The Israeli military announced the start of an operation to take over Gaza City last week, targeting Hamas command centers, weapons caches, and tunnel networks embedded in civilian areas. Zaytoun and Sabra have previously been identified by Israeli officials as strategic zones for the militant group’s activity.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 62,000 people have been killed and around 156,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

A global blowback has begun in earnest, the winds of change are upon him. Netanyahu wants to complete his land grab ASAP. Genocide and total destruction…his best shortcuts.

September 4, 2025 Posted by | Gaza, Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

China’s SCO Summit Highlights West’s Growing Ideological Isolation, + Zelensky’s Desperate Gambit

On the Ukrainian-political front, it’s obligatory to note that Trump’s two-week deadline has now expired. He had threatened some kind of consequences for Russia, and predictably there aren’t any, though he has now hinted that he has “learned something very interesting” about the war that he will reveal in the next few days—likely another made-up deflection to buy himself time.

Simplicius, Sep 03, 2025

Last week Zelensky made the curious decision to open up the borders to Ukraine’s 18-22 year old males. The decision was met with both approval and disgust in different quarters of the country:

“We say:” Those who are not in the army, you are 18-22, you can leave the country, no one is holding you, you are cool guys.” And we go back to the army, we say: “You are slaves. Listen to what you will do and when, how much you will fight in this army, ” said the deputy of the Kiev City Council, an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Pogrebissky in an interview with a Ukrainian TV channel.

The bigger question is why did Zelensky “liberate” such a vital age group at a time when manpower is at critical lows on the front? Astute observers have noted it wasn’t simple coincidence that the decision came mere weeks after the NABU investigations and decision reversal. More importantly, it came weeks after Ukraine’s youth took to the streets in protest against Zelensky, in what appeared at times to be a new Maidan in the making.

The natural conclusion, then, is that Zelensky was forced to loosen the check valve on society, letting off some pressure from himself and allowing the most dissenting and anti-war 18-22 year-olds to flee the country so that they’re not able to form up a rebellious vanguard to create a political headache for Zelensky.

Even Le Monde leaned toward this natural angle:

The timing of the new regulation is not insignificant. It comes just over a month after the Ukrainian government tried to strip two anti-corruption agencies of their independence, on July 22. Thousands of young people protested in several Ukrainian cities for days, until the presidency backtracked and passed a law restoring the agencies’ autonomy.

The fact that Zelensky himself raised the issue of allowing 18- to 22-year-olds to leave the country, on August 12 during a youth forum, was a strong political signal. “I think the president was trying to make amends with the younger generation by granting them some benefits,” said Sovsun. MP Bohdan Yaremenko, a member of Zelensky’s party, shares this view: “There will probably be more similar actions in the future to reach out to young people.”

It’s interesting that the 18-22 cohort was chosen, whereas 23-24 year olds are still prohibited from leaving given that they’re on the cusp of the critical age of 25 to which mobilization was lowered.

Across Ukraine, there are growing signs of the lack of young males. This photo [on original] was posted by a professor at a Kiev university, reportedly showing a class overflowing with young females:

NO BOYS – NO MEN:

Andrey Dlyhach, a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, published a photo of the first-year students, showing that the overwhelming majority of the students are girls.

“You wanted to say something else with this photo, but what I see there are the consequences of 3 years of closed borders for men aged 18+,” comments economist Gleb Vyshlinsky on the photo.

Other people reportedly chimed in in the comments, posting photos of similar gender disparities in their own schools across Ukraine.

There are other possible deductions to make about Zelensky’s sly decision. We can hypothesize on the following:

  1. Zelensky sees the negotiations and peace track as being definitive such that he does not expect the war to last and does not see the need for the eventual tapping of the 18-22 cohort.
  2. The political danger to Zelensky was so great—more so than even we know of—that he needed a boost to his image in order to restore some semblance of control. This also has to do with the quiet initiations of Zaluzhny’s political campaign—this could be Zelensky’s attempt to win back favor with society to increase his poll numbers and fortify himself against potential challengers.
  3. Ukraine’s ‘recruitment problems’ are not as bad as we were led to believe, and its authorities are confident they can sustain military manpower regeneration even without the 18-22 cohort.

More than likely, Zelensky weighed the options and viewed the tradeoff as favorable. Crunching the numbers, his team likely concluded it was worth the long term risk to manpower in order to secure the short term political viability of Zelensky’s rule.

On the Ukrainian-political front, it’s obligatory to note that Trump’s two-week deadline has now expired. He had threatened some kind of consequences for Russia, and predictably there aren’t any, though he has now hinted that he has “learned something very interesting” about the war that he will reveal in the next few days—likely another made-up deflection to buy himself time.

Trump “seems to have run out of ideas regarding the advancement of the peace process” in Ukraine, as his latest two-week deadline has expired, and the meeting between Putin and Zelensky that he wanted has not taken place, writes The Times newspaper.

In reality, Putin is presently hitting his stride as celebrated guest in Beijing where the Global South power-players are convening to showcase just how little the wretched ‘Western world’ matters anymore:

In the grand ebb and flow of the Ukrainian negotiations cycle, we’re in a kind of waning phase, with no real initiatives or urgency at the moment as all involved parties have essentially gotten fatigued from the same old copy-pasted carousel of banality and deadend options……………………………………………………………………………

two clashing systems of ideologies: one that elevates war and domination—what Xi called hegemonism in his earlier SCO speech—to the status of national religion, while the other seeks to unite the world in mutual development, and most importantly, shared respect……………………….. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/chinas-sco-summit-highlights-wests?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1351274&post_id=172310012&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=rq5yc&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

September 4, 2025 Posted by | politics, Ukraine | Leave a comment

“We gave for France… now that’s enough”: La Hague residents reject Orano’s nuclear pools project

by Marie du Mesnil-Adelée, 08/31/2025, https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/normandie/manche/cherbourg-cotentin/on-a-donne-pour-la-france-maintenant-ca-suffit-des-habitants-de-la-hague-rejettent-le-projet-des-piscines-nucleaires-d-orano-3205250.html

“It’s never too late to say: we don’t want it.” Gathered at a public meeting, residents of La Hague spoke out against the “Downstream of the Future” project at the Orano site. A project that includes the installation of three new nuclear pools for storing spent fuel.

An extraordinary nuclear project in La Hague

An extraordinary nuclear project at La Hague, presented by Orano as “the largest industrial project in the world”, costing several tens of billions of euros, “Downstream of the Future” (that’s its name), plans the construction of three new nuclear pools for storing spent fuel and also new workshops and factories on the La Hague site by 2040-2050.

How is this project received by residents?

How is this project being received by residents? In his documentary “Encore de l’énergie” broadcast on Thursday, September 4 on France 3 Normandie and france.tv, Laurent Pannier filmed a public meeting.

Yannick Rousselet, a nuclear expert for Greenpeace, spoke: ” There was no consultation . We would like to debate the appropriateness, the justification of something like this. Today is good. We have given for France, for the nuclear industry and that’s enough. Let’s stop, let’s move on. We want our future to be shaped differently. I think it’s never too late to say we don’t want it.”

A resident adds: “I find it a bit easy for Orano to be able to do whatever they want in terms of construction, however they want, while all the residents of La Hague, as soon as they want to have a window transformed, put in a veranda, do anything, they can’t do anything.”

And a third: 
“Today we only have 4 or 5 small hectares of moorland left. It’s more than a relic now, it’s become a symbol. People are saying to us: well, since there’s more than that left, we’re going to remove it and I think that’s a real shame.”

The words are powerful. But the room is far from full… Here, as elsewhere, nuclear power divides. And 
those who oppose it are a minority.

Anti-nuclear activists of yesterday and today

In April 2006, the city of Cherbourg held its largest demonstration since the Liberation. Twenty years after Chernobyl, 30,000 activists gathered to protest the proposed construction of a new reactor in Flamanville, the EPR.

Yet, fifteen years later, despite construction delays, despite the additional costs, despite the Fukushima disaster, distrust of nuclear energy has virtually disappeared. Environmental movements are divided between pro- and anti-nuclear supporters. And the announcement of the revival of nuclear power in France, particularly in Normandy, has been generally welcomed by the population.

Laurent Pannier’s new documentary explores this reversal. What happened to the former activists? Is there a new generation? In the face of climate change, is nuclear power a necessary evil?

“Encore de l’énergie” by Laurent Pannier, a documentary to watch this Thursday, September 4 at 10:55 p.m. on France 3 Normandie and on france.tv , for one month.

September 4, 2025 Posted by | France, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Government ‘replanning’ £53.3bn geological disposal facility project

“Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable. “There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable.”

02 Sep, 2025 By Tom Pashby

 Government ‘replanning’ £53.3bn geological disposal facility project.
Construction of a UK geological disposal facility (GDF) for long-term
nuclear waste disposal is being “replanned” after recent revelations
about its cost and deliverability, according to the government.

A GDF represents a monumental undertaking, consisting of an engineered vault placed between 200m and 1km underground, covering an area of approximately 1km2 on the surface. This facility is designed to safely contain nuclear waste while allowing it to decay over thousands of years, thereby reducing its radioactivity and associated hazards.

The National Infrastructure and
Service Transformation Authority (Nista), a Treasury unit, assessed the GDF
in its Nista Annual Report 2024-2025 and gave it a Red rating in Delivery
Confidence Assessment. This means: “Successful delivery of the project
appears to be unachievable. “There are major issues with project
definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at
this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may
need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.” In addition,
the Nista annual report lists the “whole life cost” of the GDF as
£20bn as a mid-range assessment and £53.3bn as a high-end assessment.
Government says GDF project facing ‘replanning’ by NDA, but remains
necessary

 New Civil Engineer 2nd Sept 2025, https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/government-replanning-53-3bn-geological-disposal-facility-project-02-09-2025/

September 4, 2025 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

The final furlong: EDF announces further lifetime extension for aging AGR reactors

 Britain’s aging Advanced Gas Cooled reactors may, like exhausted
racehorses, be on their last legs, but operator EDF Energy is clearly
intent on keeping them running for as long as possible.

The company
announced yesterday a twelve month extension in operations at their Heysham
1 and Hartlepool AGR plants until March 2028, citing the retention of jobs
and a desire to contribute to the UK achieving net zero and energy security
– but the NFLAs suspect a more pressing motivation.

In a comment to
industry media, NFLA Secretary Richard Outram said: ‘The EDF announcement
is unsurprising. Although company bosses may crow a lot about the
preservation of local jobs, the NFLAs suspect this is about the
preservation of EDF’s bottom line. ‘Given the parlous state of the
French parent company’s finances, the intermittent output of the domestic
fleet, and the vast overspend on Hinkley Point C, EDF have a clear
incentive to keep open for as long as possible any nuclear plant in their
portfolio which operates and generates profits.’

Dr Ian Fairlie, an
independent consultant on radioactivity in the environment and a former
advisor to the UK Government and European Parliament, is also sceptical as
to EDF’s motives: “The real reason why French parent company
Électricité de France wants to prolong the lives of their obsolete,
past-it, reactors is financial.

 NFLA 3rd Sept 2025, https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/the-final-furlong-edf-announces-further-lifetime-extension-for-aging-agr-reactors/

September 4, 2025 Posted by | France, politics, UK | Leave a comment

NATO has outlived its purpose – Jeffrey Sachs

The military bloc should have been dissolved after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US economist has argued

2 Sep, 2025 , https://www.rt.com/russia/623964-sachs-nato-outlived-purpose/

NATO has outlived its purpose and should have been dissolved decades ago, prominent American economist and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs believes. 

Speaking to RIA Novosti on Sunday, Sachs argued that NATO was initially formed for the sole purpose of countering the USSR and should have been disbanded in 1990 when Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev dissolved the Warsaw Pact – the Soviet-led military alliance that had grouped Eastern Bloc states since 1955.

“NATO was a treaty to defend against the Soviet Union, which doesn’t exist. So in this sense NATO definitely outlived its role. It became instead a mechanism of US power expansion, which is not what NATO should be,” Sachs told the news agency.

He further argued that NATO’s eastward expansion since 1990 has been “wholly unjustified and contrary to Western promises,” referring to assurances given by US officials after the dissolution of the USSR that the bloc would not move closer to Russia’s borders. 

Sachs stressed that the organization’s enlargement has had no legitimate security rationale and instead deepened divisions on the European continent.

Russia has repeatedly condemned NATO’s expansion and has described the bloc as a tool for confronting Moscow which destabilizes Europe by fueling tensions. Moscow has pointed to NATO’s attempts to bring Kiev into the bloc as one of the root causes of the Ukraine conflict.

Sachs also noted that Washington still believes it runs the world, a view he described as outdated and dangerous. He said that this delusion is a “source of danger” as the world has become multipolar and new “centers of power” have emerged.

His comments came ahead of the upcoming Eastern Economic Forum, which is set to take place in Vladivostok from September 3 to 6. The economist is scheduled to participate in a session dedicated to the UN’s development agenda beyond 2030, alongside discussions on international cooperation in a changing world order.

September 4, 2025 Posted by | EUROPE, politics international | Leave a comment

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