nuclear-news

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

This week’s Climate Military-Industrial-nuclear-media -complex news

Some bits of good news. Opposing The War Machine Is Cool Again – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us1r9Wsvjts    Hake Fisheries’ Remarkable Recovery Is a Sign of Hope for Our Oceans.

TOP STORIES. `

We’ve barely scratched the surface of how energy efficiency can help the energy transition. 

The End of the World as We Know It.       United States nuclear weapons, 2024 – (long) extracts at- https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/10/2-a-united-states-nuclear-weapons-2024/     Don’t Believe the Washington War Machine: Putin Is Not Going to Invade Another NATO Ally.     

China and the U.S. Are Numb to the Real Risk of War – ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/12/1a-china-and-the-u-s-are-numb-to-the-real-risk-of-war/ Fusion reactor could create ingredients for a nuclear weapon in weeks.

Climate. ‘The stakes could not be higher’: world is on edge of climate abyss, UN warns. Floods in Brazil, Kenya, and Texas USA. Venezuela loses its last glacier as it shrinks down to an ice field. World’s oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat. Afghanistan flash floods kill more than 300 as torrents of water and mud crash through villages.
Ghent students occupy university building in climate and Gaza protest.

Noel’s notes. Time to rise above the tit-for-tat mentality – “Turning Point: the Bomb and the Cold War” (and this is not an ad) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHuuLo-CSRo&t=4s. What is special about “Turning Point -The Bomb and Cold War”?.       “The empire” – an exaggerated, emotive, term?

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AUSTRALIA. 

NUCLEAR ISSUES.

CLIMATE. Fixation on UK nuclear power may not help to solve climate crisis.

ECONOMICS

How long does it take to build a nuclear reactor? We ask France. NuScale, maker of small nuclear reactors, reported revenue of $1.4 million and net loss of $48.1 million for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024. Sizewell C nuclear station ‘absolutely not inevitable‘ says campaigner – Can investors be found?

Sam Altman’s nuclear energy company Oklo plunges 54% in New York Stock Exchange debut. Sam Altman-backed nuclear start-up crashes after Wall Street debut. NuScale Power Corporation (SMR) Reports Q1 Loss, Misses Revenue Estimates.

EDUCATION. Nuclear lobby infiltrates West Lakes Academy and the Energy Coast University Technical College .  ENERGY. Energy Revolutions – time for a change.
Constellation Energy looks to small nuclear reactors for the gross, ever-increasing, energy needs of great steel data containers.		ENVIRONMENT. Hinkley Point C: New public inquiry planned over environmental impact. UK Environment Agency ponders on its concerns over Hinkley Point C nuclear effects on fish and the marine habitat.Inside abandoned ghost town at Fukushima after nuclear power plant meltdown.
ETHICS and RELIGION. Let Israel’s Leaders Get Arrested for War Crimes.LEGAL. The mad waste of public money by UK’s leading nuclear giants to pursue costs against a whistleblower at your expense.
Forces of Impunity: The US Threatens the International Criminal Court.		MEDIA. Biden’s war on Gaza is now a war on truth and the right to protest. Israel Bans Al Jazeera Journalists, Network, Joining Syria and Iran as Repressive Regime.New Lines: How Washington is Weaponizing Media.
POLITICS.USA politicians threaten to invade International Criminal Court if Israel faces war crimes charges. The Summer of Student Activist Protests.UK’s Nuclear roadmap is a massive detour. UK Taxpayers to fund fast-tracked nuclear fusion reactors.Kremlin says nuclear weapon drills are Russia’s response to West’s statements.Polish industry minister announces massive delay in nuclear power plant project. Canada: Nuclear Waste Petition Tabled in Parliament.POLITICS INTERNATIONAL AND DIPLOMACYIran warns it will change nuclear doctrine if ‘existence threatened’.France’s mini nuclear reactor plan – Nuward, gets another financial handout from the European Commission.Nuclear Energy: The New Geopolitical Battleground.South Korean state energy monopoly in talks to build new UK nuclear plant– ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/12/1-b1-south-korean-state-energy-monopoly-in-talks-to-build-new-uk-nuclear-plant/Biden’s Shifting ‘Red Line’ Lets Israel Get Away With Murder.
RADIATION. Canada’s federal budget -calls nuclear energy “clean” – the height of absurdity!SAFETY. Sizewell C in Suffolk granted nuclear site licence.
SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. The detonation of even a single nuclear weapon in space could destroy a significant proportion of satellites in orbit around Earth: UK statement at the UN General Assembly.Astronomers in court against Federal Communications Commission and SpaceX. Russia, China plan nuclear power plant on Moon.TECHNOLOGY. Warren Buffett compares AI to nuclear weapons in stark warning.
The UK makes licensing for nuclear fusion easier: developers can lead site selection.
Nano Nuclear wants to reinvent the nuclear power business—but it could take a while.
Microsoft reportedly planning “Stargate”, a $100billion supercomputer to be powered by several nuclear plants
URANIUM. US Congress Restricts Russian Uranium Imports, Unlocks $2.7 Billion for Domestic Fuel.US nuclear industry clamors for waiver process details as Russian uranium ban looms.
WASTES. Nuclear waste at center of testy Nevada Senate race.
Japan’s government asks Genkai mayor to accept site survey to host nuclear waste.
WAR and CONFLICT. Israeli Invasion of Rafah Appears Imminent After Evacuation Order. Ending the Logic of War. Rafah residents call on the world to act.
NATO escalation in Ukraine threatens nuclear war with Russia. Moscow threatens to strike British military facilities following Cameron’s remarks. Medvedev says aim of nuclear exercises is to work out response to attacks on Russian soil.
Exactly what happens in the seconds after a nuclear bomb is launched – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–dDjjOkY9A		WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.France wants to extend its nuclear umbrella to Europe.US Defenseless Against Russian Hypersonic Missiles and Iranian Drones – Explosive Defence Department Testimony.Military interests are pushing new nuclear power.Students Demanding Divestment: You’re on the Right Side of History.Token gesture: Biden puts hold on approved shipments of ammo to Israel. Hamas will not be defeated for another two to three years: Israeli military sources.Putin orders tactical nuclear weapons drills. Pentagon sees no change in Russia’s strategic nuclear force posture.The Great Ukraine Robbery Is Not Over Yet. The United States Is Expected to Announce a New $400 Million Package of Weapons for Ukraine.

May 13, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. “The empire” – an exaggerated, emotive, term?

Well, I always thought that “Empire” was a dramatic, over-stated, term. And it annoyed me that writers kept using it, in relation to the USA. I thought that criticism of America was warranted – but don’t weaken your case by using such an emotive word.

“Empire” brings up thoughts of the murderous regimes of history – the murderous Mongol Empire, the quite punishing Roman Empire, the cruel Empire of Japan, the rapacious British Empire

Oh no – America’s not like that!

Yes, it is.

And in today’s world, the USA government has access to weapons undreamt of in earlier regimes. Not just its smorgasbord of every possible kind of killing tool, but also its economic weaponry, and its media weaponry.

Not that I think that Americans are bad people. They are good, kind people, who value their families highly. So highly that hanging on to their income – their lucrative weapons-company shares, or their jobs, in deceptive and even killer industries is their top priority. And if they have any doubts – well – the magic term “our national security” justifies all government action.

Americans have bought the idea of American exceptionalism. America is good and always right, and can justly interfere in any country, because they know best. So – they’ve got military bases worldwide:

If you didn’t notice America’s interference –  South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – in Chile, Nicaragua, – Libya, wars in Afghanstan, Iraq, – you’d have to be noticing what’s going on now in Ukraine, and in Israel’s massacres in Gaza.

The military bases in increase, the belligerent propaganda increases, and the ‘Western world steels itself to faithfully be the patsies for USA’s next big intervention – Taiwan.

Ukraine, Taiwan , Gaza – all wonderful laboratories for testing the bestest American weapons, enriching American corporations, and no risks to American lives.

When you see articles by Caitlin Johnstone , Chris Hedges, Ralph Nader, Robert Kennedy Jr, Patterson Deppen, and more – talking about “The Empire” – don’t be too hasty to brush them off as way-out radicals.

May 11, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. What is special about “Turning Point -The Bomb and Cold War”?

“This is the most important turning point of the human race.“

EPISODE 1 – The Sun Came Up Tremendous

This Netflix series is well researched, and visually brilliant. What makes it so different, and remarkable, is its study of the psychological aspect, especially the powerful effect of mass psychology.

Like all historical documentaries, it’s all about the men. However, Ironically, Lisa Meitner, discoverer of nuclear fission, does get a mention. But still they don’t mention that this illustrious nuclear physicist was invited to join the Manhatton Project, but refused – “would have nothing to do with a bomb”

By the way – this documentary uses authentic film and dialogue. I was impressed to see how accurately the ‘”fictionalised” version – the film “Oppenheimer”, had portrayed the people and the events – uncanny likenesses in several cases.

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Cold war – it’s a state of conflict with a nuclear-armed opponent, functionally hostile to each other where you can’t get at each other. We’re in a new cold war with the Russians.

The Ukraine war brings the return of the cold war.

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Cold war at its peak, touched every country. The Cold War set off an arms race, for the first war that could destroy civilisation. The Bomb disrupted international relationships. It brought new scale of awfulness. There have been close shaves – we were lucky.

“once humans stop seeing each other as humans, the most horrific acts are possible”

This episode covers the history of the bomb, from the discovery of nuclear fission by Lisa Meitner and Otto Hahn 1938. That lead to Oppenheimer forming the idea of the bomb

With the rise of Hitler came the fear of a 1000 year Reich armed with atomic bombs? Einstein was alarmed and encouraged Roosevelt to develop the atomic bomb. Germany and Russia formed a non aggression pact. Then the Japan dictatorship joined them.

The 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour hastened the Manhattan Project in USA to build the bomb Russia joins Britain, France and USA – as Germany invades Russia. The USA sends weapons to Russia.

In 1942 control of Manhattan Project was turned over from the scientists to the military . General Groves picks Oppenheimer. Secrecy ++. Aim was to beat Hitler

Roosevelt dies April 1945. Truman knows nothing about the Manhattan Project. Henfy Stimson, Secretary of war warns President Truman in a ‘memo – “What is the world going to look like, after an atomic bomb is used?”

This is the most important turning point of the human race.

Truman’s next task :- the war against Japan could last for months, years, How to galvanise public opinion – the enormous task of making the Americans hate the Japanese enough. to fight them in a war. Germans were depicted as sinister enemies – but they were still seen as icy human beings- but the Japanese were portrayed as a sub-species.

Leading up to the bomb- USA fire-bombed Tokyo – 87000 killed -people burned like matchsticks. Then Battle of Okinawaa – 12000 US soldiers killed

Truman needed to find a way to end a war without an invasion – at the lowest cost to American lives. Already there’d been 65 million deaths in WW2. People thought of a quick ending as a deliverance. The hastily tested the atomic bomb in the Mexican desert -Trinity test. New Mexicans werecnot evacuated, At a girls’ dance camp 40 mikes away- white ash – “hot snow” – their health seriously affected;

There was general relief that the bomb worked.

Oppenheimer reacted – “We knew the world would never be the same – I am become death – the destroyer of worlds”.

The Potsdam conference brought up the idea of the arrangements for the end of the war in Japan. Following the division of Berlin., Truman didn’t want division of Japan, was keen to get the war over. Churchill said, on hearing of the atomic bomb – “Now we can tell the Russians where to get off”

Truman sought unconditional surrender from Japan. There was a prevailing hatred between the US and Japan.

We see and hear the tragic personal stories of Japanese-Americans – in concentration camps – the racial factor against Japan

Atomic bomb was aimed to convince the Japanese to surrender. Hiroshima was not a military site – 90% civilians.

Here again -compelling Personal stories. Excellent film footage of the bombing and its results. The fireball had a core temperature of several million degrees – ferocious heat unleashed on the city – survivors burnt – severe burns. Rivers littered with corpses. horrendous injuries due to black rain.

Nagasaki Fat Man was a plutonium bomb. Again – Fearful shots of injuries.

Truman initially was thrilled – but learning of reports from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, changed – ordered no further bombs without president’s authorisation.

The dispute over Truman’s choice to use the atomic bomb. Truman’s advisor Stimson wrote that Japan was effectively beaten. No need to use the atomic bomb.

It was dropped in non-military cities The atom bomb was the first strike in the cold war? When the Russians came in, that would end the war. It was not a question of ending the war. It’s a brutal question of ending the war without the Russians The USA desperately wanted to end the war before the Russians got to Japan.

That is certainly not the dominant point of view. There was overwhelming support, especially in the USA for the use of the bomb. A strong feeling of vengeance,

But then – from 1946, there were voices, including senior military voices, that the use of the bomb was not necessary

The wartime alliance with the Soviet Union broke down quickly

The Soviet Union now controlled half of Europe. In a strong position? The bomb introduces a whole new element of uncertainty into the balance of power. Stalin’s decree: 2 weeks after the Hiroshima bombing Stalin signs a decree “Build the bomb as soon as possible”

USA, Europe Russia lurch towards the cold war – A cold war, not a hot one, because these weapons could never be used

Now instead of direct war – there would be economic rivalry, and proxy wars across the world. The driving force became fear.

May 9, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

TODAY. Time to rise above the tit-for-tat mentality – “Turning Point: the Bomb and the Cold War” (and this is not an ad)

This is a Netflix series. And I’m sorry to be looking as if I am advertising. But the thing is – life is too serious, too important – to worry about this.

To me, the important thing about this series is that it rises above political and national loyalties. Produced by  Luminant Media and director Brian Knappenberger, this really is the definitive documentary on the Cold War and the Atomic Bomb.

I didn’t know that Americans were capable of creating an unbiased factual history of nuclear weapons – that didn’t justify all American actions, and demonise all Russian’s. But this is it.

I find this lengthy detailed comprehensive study quite gripping, and also believable – authentic. I’m actually now only halfway through it, but I feel so reassured – that there exists such a visual media – that sees all sides as made up of human beings, that respects our common humanity, – while it still sets out the stupidities and atrocities done , and makes no excuses for them.

In this era of short, snappy, unreliable media of all types, there is a desperate need for longer, thoughtful, thorough, properly researched studies on our troubled world situation. We need to be getting past those lofty myths of “honour” “patriotism” “loyalty” – to try to see clearly what is actually happening now, and how we got to the crises of today.

May 7, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

This week’s news about the military-industrial-nuclear-communications ecosystem

Some bits of good news – The positive impact of conservation action.  The ‘Green Nobel Prize’ announced its winners.   Solar Balconies Are Booming in Germany and You Can Plug in and Install Them Yourself

TOP STORIES. 

72 Minutes Until the End of the World? Is There Life Beyond Nuclear Armageddon? 

Five Things the “Nuclear Bros” Don’t Want You to Know About Small Modular Reactors. 

University Investments: Divesting from the Military-Industrial Complex. 

Bill before Australian Parliament would allow UK and USA to dump decades of high-level nuclear waste in Australia.

Climate. ‘Inside an oven’: sweltering heat ravages crops and takes lives in south-east Asia. Brutal 48C heatwave takes its toll on east Asia. – ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/06/1-b1-inside-an-oven-sweltering-heat-ravages-crops-and-takes-lives-in-south-east-asia/

Noel’s notes. The global nuclear industry – rotten to the core. Small modular reactors – yes -the nuclear lobby will keep hyping them – no matter what!

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NUCLEAR ISSUES

ARTS. UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities to join new “Rock Solid2” art exhibition.CIVIL LIBERTIES. Academic arrested for “statements against Zionism” as Israel intensifies anti-genocide crackdown.Enforcing Silence on Genocide.CULTURE.Israel’s Defenders Talk So Much About Feelings Because They Can’t Talk About Facts
ECONOMICS.Industrial action by nuclear submarine workforce hits Rolls Royce.UK government pushing institutional investors to support Sizewell C nuclear project.
A new nuclear energy law will likely mean higher utility bills.
Georgia’s Vogtle 2 nuclear reactors cost over $30Billion, – but were meant to cost $14Billion		ENERGY.G7 Countries Task IRENA to Monitor Group’s Renewable Energy Progress.Germany records 50 hours of negative electricity prices for April, largely due to renewables.California hits stunning new solar and battery records in postcard from energy future. Huge success of renewable energy in California – over 100% of demand for many days
ETHICS and RELIGION. Israel ‘undoubtedly’ committing genocide says Holocaust scholar Amos Goldberg.HEALTH. Dounreay & Scottish Nuclear Policy.. ALSO AT  https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/01/2-b1-dounreay-scottish-nuclear-policy/
INDIGENOUS ISSUES. First Nations leaders voice opposition to nuclear power plants.Land Defence Alliance stands united against the burial of nuclear waste.Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) responds to Land Defence Alliance protest.HUMAN RIGHTS. New US Antisemitism Law Turns Critics Against Israeli Genocide Into Criminals.
LEGAL. INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY ASSOCIATION vs. FCC AND SPACEX.
How Israel violates International Law in Gaza: expert report.		MEDIA. The Vow from Hiroshima film is coming on PBS, this month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RcSCgUBrUc
New Book – The Scientists Who Alerted Us to the Dangers of Radiation.
Gaza Journalists Killed by Israel Honored on World Press Freedom Day. As Peace Protests Are Violently Suppressed, CNN Paints Them as Hate Rallies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOBEHXtWMRI
POLITICS. Inside story: Will Iran’s supreme leader revise his ‘nuclear fatwa’?
US Presidential candidate arrested at anti-Israel protest.
France’s Macron wants to build 14 new Nuclear reactors by 2050. 6 is more realistic. France Increases State Funding for Advanced Nuclear R&D Project.
UK / Parliamentary Committee Chair Criticises Lack Of Clarity On SMR Plans. Why UK Government nuclear quango has ruled out Trawsfynydd from initial mini-nuke rollout.
The breadth and depth of the nuclear lobby in Canada.
Nuclear power makes no sense for Australia – but it’s a useful diversion from real climate action. 		POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 
Why Iran may accelerate its nuclear program, and Israel may be tempted to attack it.

US vs China, Israel vs Iran, India vs Pakistan: Asia plays with fire as nuclear war safety net frays.
SAFETY. Alarm over nuclear safety lapses on the Clyde. Fears raised over Wales accident risk involving aircraft carrying nuclear materials.

IAEA’s top nuclear salesman-cum-watchdog, Rafael Grossi, to visit Iran
SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS.Dead satellites are filling space with trash. That could affect Earth’s magnetic field.

Nukes in space: Why a very very stupid idea just became more likely.
TECHNOLOGY. A Closer Look at Two Operational Small Modular Reactor Designs. Can floating nuclear power plants help solve Northern Canada’s energy woes?. (ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/05/05/2-b1-can-floating-nuclear-power-plants-help-solve-northern-canadas-energy-woes/) 
Small reactors don’t add up as a viable energy source. Small modular reactors aren’t the energy answer for remote communities and mines.

ARC might need to redesign its SMR technology: former president + US bans import of enriched uranium + more to the story		URANIUM. US cutoff of Russian uranium imports viable but costly to replace.WASTES. The undersea nuclear graveyard now more costly than HS2.

Barrels Of Radioactive Waste Turn Up Off The Coast Of California.

To find a place to store spent nuclear fuel, Congress needs to stop trying to revive Yucca Mountain.

Toxic sewage discharged at Chalk River nuclear lab. Nuclear-waste compensation (?bribery) numbers raise eyebrows.
WAR and CONFLICT. The Israel-US game plan for Gaza is staring us in the face. Israel’s Finance Minister Smotrich calls for ‘total annihilation’ of Gaza.

CodePink – Tell President Biden: WE WANT COOPERATION, NOT CONFLICT!

NATO using war games to ‘prepare for conflict’ – Moscow.		WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.Zelensky wants ten more years of US funding. NATO state rejects €100 billion Ukraine war chest ‘madness’.

US Air Force pays $13 billion for new ‘doomsday’ planes that protect president during a nuclear attack .

The Fight Over THAAD in Korea.

May 6, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. Small modular reactors – yes -the nuclear lobby will keep hyping them – no matter what!

Well, we all do know why. The small nuclear reactor (SMR)power industry – moribund though it is, is essential for the nuclear weapons industry – for a number of reasons, but importantly – to put a sweet gloss on that murderous industry.

Never mind that USA’s NuScale’s SMRs were a resounding flop – NuScale is still being touted, along with all the other little nuclear unicorns manouvreing to get tax-payer funding.

The facts remain, and apparently just need to be hammered again and again:

SMRs are not cheap, not safe, do not reduce wastes, are not reliable for off-grid power, are not more efficient fuel users than are large reactors.

The latest hyped -up push for SMRs is in Canada – with the boast that they will benefit indigenous communities . Successful bribery of indigenous people would give a huge boost to the global nuclear lobby, – as indigenous people have historically been the most distrustful of uranium mining and of the whole nuclear fuel chain.

The gimmicks this time are floating nuclear power plants – barges carrying Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactors. These would take over from the current deisal power plants serving remote communities. There are already some solar, wind and battery projects – frowned upon by the nuclear lobby, of course.

These projects are being strongly promoted, but poorly explained to indigenous communities, would bring radiological hazards along Canada’s Northern shoreline

And what really are the chances that these little nuclear power sources would be effective anyway? Recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reveal that while 83 small nuclear reactors are “in development”, but there are only 2 in operation.

In both cases, the development of the reactors was a very lengthy and expensive process.

The Chinese SMR HTR-PM- “Between January and December 2022, the reactors operated for only 27 hours out of a possible maximum of 8,760 hours. In the subsequent three months, they seem to have operated at a load factor of around 10 percent.” 

For the Russian SMR –  “The operating records of the two KLT-40S reactors have been quite poor. According to the IAEA’s PRIS [Power Reactor Information System] database, the two reactors had load factors of just 26.4 and 30.5 percent respectively in 2022, and lifetime load factors of just 34 and 22.4 percent.”

Will Canada’s remote indigenous communitites buy the duplicitous nuclear lobby’s propaganda on SMRs ? And then, subsequently, will the rest of us buy it, despite the facts. I guess that the corporate media will help, – if lies are repeated often enough, people come to believe them.

May 4, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors | Leave a comment

Nuclear and associated news this week

Some bits of good news –  High Seas Treaty: EU votes to ratify landmark international law to protect oceans.  ‘I want to tackle it in a big way’: Meet the Nigerian women spearheading solar projects

TOP STORIES.

Gen Z Just Might Save The World – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXs9LMrwDpA   

Bankers upgrade Lockheed stock after Iran strikes at Israel. 

New civil nuclear programmes crossing over into military nuclear programmes. 

Nuclear-waste dams threaten Central Asia heartland– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExuDrRYHmDE 

How much will the UK’s new nuclear submarines really cost? -ALSO AT more https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/28/2-a-how-much-will-the-uks-new-nuclear-submarines-really-cost/

Climate. Tens of thousands evacuated from massive China floods. Europe baked in ‘extreme heat stress’ pushing temperatures to record highs. Heatwave in India: TV host faints during live broadcast as swaths of country reel from sweltering temperatures.

Noel’s notes.   Japan – the return of the “Nuclear Village“?   Ukraine war – the changing face of weaponry.        The failed social species – Homo-not-sapiens-at-all.  Oh it’s a great time to be an American – with shares in “Defense” companies!  

NUCLEAR ISSUES

CIVIL LIBERTIES. The McCarthyist Attack on Gaza Protests Threatens Free Thought for All.ECONOMICS. Price tag for Poland’s first nuclear plant may reach $37bn.
Nuclear Power’s Lethal, Larcenous End Game. Rolls Royce scales back plans to build nuclear factories in UK. 
EDUCATION. Crackdown On Students And Information As Genocide Widens.

ENERGY. The astonishing growth of renewable energy.

ENVIRONMENT. Unstable nuclear-waste dams threaten fertile Central Asia heartland. Indian Nuclear Sites Impact South Tibetan Plateau Radioactivity. Chernobyl – the Cloud Lingers On.

ETHICS and RELIGION. Zionism Is In Its Flop Era. Acknowledging the Horrors of Gaza—Without Wanting to End Them.

EVENTS. National Not-the-Nuclear-Lobby Returns to Parliament Hill, Ottawa. www.uraniumfilmfestival.org / https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/en/usacanada-2024-program / https://uraniumfilmfestival.org/…/2024_las_vegas…

HEALTH. Nuclear test campaigner demands access to medical files.MEDIA. Cruelty of Language — The New York Times’ Leaked Gaza Memo.

Inside Fukushima’s red zone: Eerie pictures show abandoned schools, hospitals and shopping malls frozen in time 13 years after .nuclear disaster in Japan		OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . Nuclear-Free Future Awards unite unsung heroes.

No Drones Over Gaza Or Anywhere!

PLUTONIUM. NNSA Delays Urgent Research on Plutonium “Pit” Aging But Spends Billions on Nuclear Weapons Bomb Core

POLITICS. Biden signs $95bn aid bill to be sent ‘right away’ – for wars in Ukraine, Israel, and provocations in Taiwan.

Now is the Time for All Good Men and Women to Come to the Aid of Our Country USA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTP-W9VoFKA

War Parties, the Peace Candidate, and the November Election. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDYqMTjA9U

Iran says nuclear weapons have no place in its nuclear doctrine.

Where are France’s nuclear reactors and what is planned for more?

Scottish National Party and UK Government in row over cost of nuclear dumping grounds. Popular UK holiday park to close, as Sizewell C nuclear project takes over

Japan city assembly OKs request for nuclear waste site survey.

Saudi Arabia is set to witness major developments in nuclear sector: IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

Dutton’s plan to save Australia with nuclear comes undone when you look between the brushstrokes. US bases including Pine Gap saw Australia put on nuclear alert, but no-one told Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Patrick Lawrence: The Impotence of Antony Blinken. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MHtQ9CF_-s&t=218sPROTESTS. Protesters in Taiwan demand closure of nuclear power plants.SAFETY. Paul Dorfman: “In Ukraine or the Middle East, the risk of a nuclear accident is real” –ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/24/2-b1-paul-dorfman-in-ukraine-or-the-middle-east-the-risk-of-a-nuclear-accident-is-real/
Nuclear: In Flamanville, the EPR farce continues.Chernobyl campaigner Adi Roche warns of global nuclear threat as power plant attacked in Ukraine. Thirty-eight years on, lessons from Chernobyl. Grim nuclear anniversary: Zaporizhzhia must not repeat Chornobyl.
IAEA clears Japanese reactor for 60-year lifetime.
SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Russia, US clash at UN over nuclear weapons in space
TECHNOLOGY. Problems delay Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor restart.


The former rail chief now minding the (construction) gap at Sizewell. ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/29/2-b1-the-former-rail-chief-now-minding-the-construction-gap-at-sizewell/

WASTES. Scotland could be hit ‘with £22bn nuclear clean-up bill’ ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/26/2-b1-scotland-could-be-hit-with-22bn-nuclear-clean-up-bill/
Nuclear waste storage facility told to take action after breach. Plutonium.


The long path of plutonium: A new map charts contamination at thousands of sites, miles from Los Alamos National Laboratory
WAR and CONFLICT. Israeli Strikes in Rafah Kill 22, Including 18 Children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OdABlkwi6M&t=67s
Russia: West military support for Ukraine could lead to confrontation between world’s nuclear powers.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Oversees Simulated ‘Nuclear Counterattack’.
Why Iran may accelerate its nuclear program, and Israel may be tempted to attack it.		WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. U.S. Senate Passes $95 Billion Foreign Military Aid Bill. The US secretly sent long-range ATACMS to Ukraine — and Kyiv used them. Three Cheers for Our Red, White, and Blue War Profiteers. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Applaud $95 Billion Supplemental Arms Package.
US nuclear weapons in Poland would be priority military target – Moscow.
Russia-Ukraine war: EU ministers fail to pledge Patriot systems to Ukraine at key meeting – as it happened.
Macron ready to ‘open debate’ on nuclear European defence.
Polish president: Poland ready to deploy allied nuclear weapons on its territory.
“Fiscally conservative” Congressman Sean Casten votes to squander $95 billion to further destroy Ukraine, enable genocide in Gaza, provoke military confrontation with China,

April 29, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

Ukraine war – the changing face of weaponry

I mused today on the lovely words of the lovely war-mongering Australian Minister for Defence – Richard Marles. He’s nearly as good as that USA smarm master Antony Blinken – in choosing the nicest words to cover nasty stuff.

Today he was talking about Australia sending $millions to Ukraine – for:

uncrewed aerial systems air-to-ground precision munitions  spurring on competition among Western nations to harness technology and drive down the equipment’s production cost.

All these weasel words sort of obscure the reality that one big goal is to support the American, Australian, and even Israeli weapons companies. Yes – Israel.  In February, the Israeli company Elbit Systems received a A$917 million contract from the Australian Defence Department.

The other goal is to be part of American militarism and its experimental work in Ukraine.

You see – the beauty of the Ukraine war, for America, is that there should be no American lives at risk. Tough about the Ukrainian lives, (and of course the thousands more Russian soldiers’ lives don’t count).

But this is a sort of experimental interim-type war – between having troops of soldiers getting killed and just having heaps of civilians getting killed, (and seeing if America can win by having no persons at risk in it).

World War 1 was the classic – the ultimate war for killing soldiers. – estimated 9.7 million and also 10 million civilians

World War 2 an even bigger killer of soldiers – 20 million, but also 40 million civilians – an “improvement” in killing civilians.

The “in-between” wars – Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan – have still been a mixture of killing soldiers and civilians – but especially with the Afghanistan war – the emphasis shifted towards drone killings, with the officer directing the killing from the distant comfort of an office in USA.

So – getting back to the lovely Marles – he avoided words like “drones” and “missiles” – thus sort of obscuring the fact that Australian weapons are headed right into Russian territory as part of an American long distance attack. Of course, it is called defence – though it is not at all clear that Australia is under military threat from Russia.

Anyway, Ukraine is a good practise ground for deploying weapons that can kill civilians of another country. The weapons-makers are getting better and better at this. The Biden administration last month secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine. The newest 1$billion package  will include additional long-range ATACMS. Nuclear weapons might be deployed in Poland. Biden administration’s $850 billion defense budget request for fiscal year 2025 includes $69 billion for nuclear weapons.

It’s all great fun. USA will be able to more or less comfortably fight another country (? China) without putting any “boots on the ground”, (except perhaps a few Taiwanese boots – but after all, they’re not even being worn by white feet, so – no matter, really)

The only fly in the ointment is that American militarism is causing a reaction in other countries. They have populations and leaders who feel that they will have to reciprocate. And they too have gee-whiz clever men with little-boy minds who devise killing machines.

It is truly a vicious circle. There’s a lack of leaders with wisdom. But no shortage of the mealy-mouthed Marles and Blinkens who make it sound as if everything is OK.

April 28, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | , , , , | Leave a comment

TODAY. Japan – the return of the “Nuclear Village”?

A first in Japan – The municipal assembly of Genkai in southwestern Japan will request a survey to see if their area is suitable for an underground disposal site for highly radioactive waste. When the Mayor approves this survey,  the Saga Prefecture town, will receive up to 2 billion yen ($12.9 million) in state subsidies for allowing the survey.

Local business associations had submitted separate requests for the survey to the assembly, hoping the subsidies and survey activity will prop up the local economy. The associations called on the town, as already a host of a nuclear power plant, to proactively cooperate with the central government.

That would be just the start. The nuclear lobby everywhere is well experienced in arranging “community benefits”. And in nowhere better than Japan.

It starts with the catch-cry of “Jobs Jobs” – first in the construction industry, then in the operations of the nuclear facility, local contractors, and then onward – to the promise of enlivening the local economy. But this wonderful goal is also to be achieved by all sorts of grants and subsidies –  “incentives for acceptance” -in Japan Japan: “siting promotion subsidy” – community funds for local development.

For Japan, this could be back to the bad old days.

in the late 1990s, Iida Tetsunari3 coined the term ‘nuclear village’ to describe the ‘syndicate’ of actors pushing Japan’s nuclear power program – institutional and individual pro-nuclear advocates in the utilities, the nuclear industry, the bureaucracy, the Diet (Japan’s parliament), business federations, the media, and academia. 

The influence of the nuclear industry over government and the judiciary was powerful and involved ‘regulatory capture’ – industry influence over safety regulation. In safety-related class-action lawsuits, the courts tended to decide in line with government interests to further develop Japan’s nuclear power program

Beyond just “normalisation” of areas hosting nuclear facilities, the “nuclear village” became a celebration of the wonderful, positive role of the nuclear industry in Japanese life, lauded in politics, business, and. education.

That worked out well for Japan, (and for the USA) – in Japan’s great industrial leap forward, and in overcoming and atoning for that old nuclear disaster – the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan’s success became a pointer towards other nuclear villages.

But then came the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in 2011, – and it all ground nearly to a halt. Public opposition to nuclear power has held the industry back over the years since.

But the small global phalanx of nuclear promoters continues to work assiduously to control public opinion. It preys on people’s fear of global heating, and on fears of economic downturn, and promotes nuclear facilities as ‘the answer”. It looks as if that message might now be being heard by at least one municipality in Japan.

Could this be the start of Japan’s nuclear village all over again?

April 27, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. Saint Rafael Grossi on the road to Damascus.

On the road to Damascus is where you get an epiphany. Well, Saint Paul did, anyway. He was on his way to Damascus to do punishing stuff to Christians, when he had a divine revelation and was transformed into an apostle, all aglow with Christian love.

Well, I don’t know that Rafael Grossi had any such revelation, in going to Damascus. But it seems clear that he decided that the proliferation of nuclear weapons is really nothing to worry about, certainly not when compared with the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is to promote the nuclear industry.

We always knew that countries that get nuclear weapons first get a “civil” nuclear industry. Except for the USA, which started the whole thing off the other way around, with the atrocity of the bombs for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They then launched enthusiastically into the hypocrisy of the “peaceful nuke.

Britain’s leader Rishi Sunak, and France’s Emmanuel Macron have both publicly made it clear that “commercial” nuclear power is essential for their nuclear weapons industry. (So it doesn’t matter if commercial nuclear is a financial catastrophe.) The USA and Russia don’t seem to care, as long as they can sell all kinds of nuclear technology to anybody, really.

The new “advanced” small nuclear reactors make the problem worse, as they use enriched uranium, and reprocessing technologies that provide a great cover for making weapons grade fuel .

Rafael Grossi is well known for his earnest and pious statements about nuclear safety. Indeed, didn’t we all think that this is his job, to ensure the safety and non-weapons-proliferation of the world’s reactors?

But when did Rafael’s epiphany happen? When did he realise that safety and non-weapons proliferation did not matter now?

Rafael doesn’t seem to understand that all nuclear facilities become a target for terrorism, and a target in war-time. He has said a few cautionary words about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine, but he’s quite OK with Ukraine setting up new nuclear power stations.

Rafael has expressed worthy worries about Saudi Arabia and nuclear weapons, but nevertheless “expressed his delight and admiration for Saudi Arabia’s nuclear capabilities” – and promoted them .

Syria is a place, and with a leader, prone to military disruptions, and , like Saudi Arabia, to human rights abuses, but that doesn’t seem to worry Grossi, over there to arrange for a Syrian nuclear industry.

An epiphany? Or did Rafael know all the time that his job is to be a nuclear salesman ?

Blatant hypocrisy

April 25, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. The failed social species – Homo-not-sapiens-at-all

‘We’re supposed to be “social animals”, but I wonder about that.

Especially the “advanced” world, the predominantly white people, and particularly the anglophone world are directing their attention, their energy, and above all their MONEY. into ways to kill each other. More importantly perhaps, to kill “less white” people – Arabs and Chinese.

In Pakistan, melting of glaciers and extreme rain is causing heavy loss of life.

Today I read that millions of people in China are threatened by record-breaking floods – tens of thousands evacuated.

European villages are suffering unprecedented extreme heat stress, with rising numbers of heat deaths, as well as having experiencing months of drought and wildfires

One might think that the most important task for a social species would be to help these victims of global heating, and indeed to put a stop to, or at least slow down global heating.

But perhaps, the not-very-bright leaders of the advanced countries do not understand that we are all in fact one species, that for example, Palestinians are not a separate species of untermenschen. That even Russians and Chinese are people, too.

And that we’re all in the same perilous boat -and the job is to deal with climate change – not to enrich weapons manufacturers.

April 23, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Nuclear news – week to 22 April

Some bits of good news – ‘The Largest Environmental Restoration in History’ Continues to Restart the Heart of the Everglades
Adopting the Aquaculture of the Future in Thailand A sustainable, integrated approach to fish farming has caught on in China and elsewhere. Thailand could be next.

TOP STORIES. 

Iran Israel: An audible sigh of relief in the Middle East. The ‘Accepted Insanity’ of World War III 

From the archives. How long can Israel defy the world?

Climate. Coral bleaching: Fourth global mass stress episode underway – US scientists. Swiss ruling could pave way for more climate activist cases. Pakistan issues flood alert and warns of heavy loss of life due to glacial melting.

Noel’s notes. Israel v Iran – religious fanaticism or common sense in the atomic age. Ukraine’s going the full Ukraine – no more bilingual nonsense, thank you very much.

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NUCLEAR ISSUES 

ARTS and CUTURE. No more Russian language on air in three months – KievECONOMICS. Abrdn and two more City giants shun Sizewell C nuclear project. Small reactors don’t add up as a viable energy source. Sizewell C signs multi-billion euro deal with nuclear reactor business Framatome.
EMPLOYMENT, Two days of strikes planned at Dounreay nuclear power complex. The size of the workforce at Hunterston B Nuclear is to be cut by nearly a third.ENERGY. Should we use nuclear energy?ENVIRONMENT. New Hinkley nuclear power plant expected to kill 46 tonnes of fish a year. – ALSO AT https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/18/1-b1-new-hinkley-nuclear-power-plant-expected-to-kill-46-tonnes-of-fish-a-year/ Japan starts 5th ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-tainted wastewater despite opposition.

EDUCATION.  Universities for AUKUS: The Social License Confidence Trick. 

ETHICS and RELIGION. The climate crisis and nuclear weapons. Is the possibility of a World War real?HISTORY. Labour and nuclear weapons: a turbulent ideological history.
OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . Survey by East Lindsay District Councillor and Guardians of the East Coast (GOTEC) say ‘85% don’t want nuclear dump’.Seasoned Clams back – anti-nuclear alliance of the 1970’s revived .POLITICS 5 Reasons Why What U.S. Congress Just Did Does Not Help UkraineYou will not BELIEVE what the Tories just gave Fujitsu ANOTHER government contract for. Keir Starmer doesn’t speak for Labour members on nuclear weapons.Analysis of Canada’s Budget 2024 provisions related to nuclear.
POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY.

“Rules-Based Order” Means Rules For Thee But Not For We.
Washington Syndrome: Australia’s sovereignty sell-out hidden in plain sight. 

Biden Administration Defies Australia’s Call To End Assange Case, Submits ‘Assurances’ To UK Court. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zwfQX5evbA

Iran warns Israel it knows where its nukes are hidden. Iranian commander says Tehran could review ‘nuclear doctrine’ amid Israeli threats.
Biden considering a new Iranian nuclear deal. I’ve seen Iran’s nuclear HQ – these are the risks if Israel tries to destroy it,.

Kiev demands Israel-style security guarantees.		SAFETY.
Attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear plant put world at risk, IAEA warns.

An additional eight days for the annual outage of Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor due to new faults.

Corrosion found in treated radioactive water tanks at Fukushima plant.

Theberton faces nightmare Sizewell C roadworks disruption. Safety probe at Cheshire-based nuclear cargo firm.

Continuing safety problems
with New Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Shaft.

More deficiencies in the @NuScale_Power standard design approval application.
ECRETS and LIES.Fujitsu ‘managing top-secret military system’ two years after contract expired.

Bombs and viruses: The shadowy history of Israel’s attacks on Iranian soil.

Wyden Says Spying Bill Would Force Americans to Become an ‘Agent for Big Brother‘.
Facebook designates Grayzone journalist Kit Klarenberg a ‘dangerous individual’		SPINBUSTER. The fantasy of reviving nuclear energy – ALSO AT ……TECHNOLOGY.New Fujitsu security research center in Israel to further develop digital identity tools. MPs flag UK’s HM Revenue & Custom’s £1.4bn active contracts with Fujitsu.

Nuke authorities approve loading fuel at Niigata’s long-idled Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.

Stuxnet – how a simple USB stick sabotaged Iran’s nuclear plan in a ‘world-first’ showdown.
Potential for small and micro modular reactors to electrify developing regions.

WASTES. Decommissioning. EDF wants public views on plans for Hinkley Point B decommissioning.

WAR and CONFLICT.Under UN Charter, Iran’s Attack Was a Legal Response to Israel’s Illegal Attack. The West now wants ‘restraint’– after months of fuelling a genocide in Gaza. Iran Closes Nuclear Sites Fearing Israeli Attack: IAEA Chief.
Eve of destruction.Can war in the Middle East be avoided? Iran President Warns of ‘Massive’ Response if Israel Launches ‘Tiniest Invasion’ .
 Israel attacking Iran ‘could prompt it to develop nuclear bomb in months’ Israel: the road to Masada.
AI-assisted genocide’: Israel reportedly used database for Gaza kill lists.
We are closer to nuclear disaster today than at any point in the Cold War.		WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.U.S. House Passes $95 Billion Foreign War Bills. Missile Defenseless.
Israel has nuclear weapons. Iran does not. Frequently Asked Questions about nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
 US reportedly built missiles that can ruin Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Iron Dome and US-Israel Relations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TBiTNVV4Og

The short march to China’s hydrogen bomb.‘
Pakistan advanced nuclear weapons programme despite economic challenges’
No Russian heavy weapons at Zaporozhye plant – IAEA boss.
U.S. is building first new nuclear warhead in decades.

April 22, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. Israel v Iran – religious fanaticism or common sense in the atomic age.

Decision to use nuclear bombs could be made for religious reasons, not military strategy.

Trying to understand the culture of other nations, looking from the outside, is a tricky task.

But – as I attempt this, about Israel and Iran, I find some remarkable similarities

Israel is supposed to be a democracy. But the fact that they call it “The Jewish State” immediately sheds doubt on that claim. It is a technocratically advanced state – but with a prevailing religious culture which is quite counter to the ideas of modern secular states. With the current war on Gaza , Israel now functions as a brutal fascism.

Iran makes no pretense of being a democracy. Under the veneer of genuine Islam, the clerics and mullahs run an oppressive, vengeful, misogynist dictatorship.

Yet in both cases, the rulers have twisted religion to suit their cruel aims.

 ZIONISM. Jewish tradition abhors violence and reinterprets war episodes, plentiful in the Hebrew Bible, in a pacifist mode. Tradition clearly privileges compromise and accommodation. Albert Einstein was among the Jewish humanists who denounced Beitar, the paramilitary Zionist youth movement, today affiliated with the ruling Likud. He deemed it to be“ as much of a danger to our youth as Hitlerism is to German youth”.

The first Zionist congress in 1897 had to be moved from Germany to Switzerland because German Jewish organizations objected to holding a Zionist event in their country. The Zionist argument that the homeland of the Jews is not the country, where they have lived for centuries and for which many have spilled their blood in wars, but in a land in Western Asia. For many Jews, this message bears disconcerting resemblance to that of the antisemites who resent their social integration.

 ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN IRAN.

From Prophet Muhammad: “Kindness is a mark of faith, and whoever is not kind has no faith.” “Do good to others, and goodness will come back to you.” “He who does not show mercy to others will not be shown mercy.” 

The Quran places great emphasis on the dignity of human beings regardless of their gender or race or even status. The dignity also means that human beings have a right to life, right to freedom of religion, right to freedom of lifestyle, right to labor, right to security and right to family 

In Iran,  The crux of the fundamentalist conflict is not between Islam and Christianity. Nor is it between Islam and the West, and nor between the Shia and the Sunni. The conflict is over freedom versus subjugation and dictatorship, between equality on the one hand and oppression and misogyny on the other.

When it comes to the nuclear bomb – these forms of religious extremism become a critical danger to the world. The idea of martyrdom becomes important – sacrificing oneself, and one’s people become a value, a virtue even. It has been prominent in many wars – a notable example – Japan’s Kamikaze airmen in World War 2.

Martyrdom has been a value for some extremist Islamists. I don’t think it would be so for the mullahs of Iran.

But – when it comes to Israel – there’s a definite strand of martyrdom in Israeli military thinking.

Ultimately, all the nuclear powers have no intention of firing first, as this would undoubtedly lead to their destruction. The exception is Israel, which seems to have adopted the “Samson doctrine” (“Let me die with the Philistines”). It would thus be the only power to imagine the ultimate sacrifice, the “Twilight of the Gods”, dear to the Nazis.

The military atom was never envisaged as a classic form of deterrence, but as an assurance that Israel would not hesitate to commit suicide to kill its enemies rather than be defeated. This is the Masada complex [3]. This way of thinking is in line with the “Hannibal Directive”, according to which the IDF must kill its own soldiers rather than let them become prisoners of the enemy [4].

April 20, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Fujitsup-ing UK ‘s Post Office IT system, – and now its Nuclear Lab?

The UK government’s National Nuclear Laboratory has given Fujitsu a £155k contract for ‘software support’ IT – for nuclear science and experimental programmes in nuclear power and weapons.

Fujitsu? The Japanese software company that supplied, and apparently is still supplying, the British Post office with software – its bodgy Horizon IT programme being at the root of  one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in UK history.. Yes, that one!

It doesn’t fill you with confidence about the safety of the UK’s nuclear lab activities, does it?

The Post Office’s contract with Fujitsu was, (is) extremely complex, with the Post Office lacking the expertise to understand how the IT system works. Does the nuclear lab have the same problem?

These types of contracts deliberately lock the buyer in, with the supplier having control of all upgrades, fixing of any technical problems. The Post Office contract also limited the amount of information they could get from the system.

This created a dependance by the Post Office on the company Fujitsu. Is the British military and nuclear system also locked into dependance on Fujitsu? A source told the i newspaper that the Japanese firm has been managing a secretive computer system facilitating the “strategic command and control of UK Armed Forces” for decades.

The contract for the National Nuclear Laboratory is the first government contract with Fujitsu in 2024, – to the anger and frustration of many, as the inquiry into the Post Office software scandal is still underway, with more litigation likely to come.

April 17, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes, secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear – the not so wonderful news this week

Some bits of good news. The Beautiful Place that Stopped Big Bottled Water.    A Tidal Wetland Restoration of Epic Proportions. 

TOP STORIES. 

Annie Jacobsen: ‘What if we had a nuclear war?’

What are the risks at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after drone attack? –ALSO AT … https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/10/3-a-what-are-the-risks-at-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-plant-after-drone-attack/    

What’s Inside the President’s Nuclear Football?

Climate. Heatwaves now last much longer than they did in the 1980s. What if global emissions went down instead of up?- ALSO AT …… https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/12/2-b1-what-if-global-emissions-went-down-instead-of-up/         Swiss women win landmark climate victory at European Court of Human Rights.

Nuclear. I’m quite fascinated that the UK is using Fujitsu’s software in its nuclear lab –    after the total scandal and shemozzle of Fujitsu’s software in the UK Post  Offices –  more about that next week.

Noel’s notes. Australia is EVER so grateful to the global nuclear lobby!   The nuclear lobby’s new “prime wheeze” – Community Interest Companies.

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AUSTRALIA. 

NUCLEAR ISSUES

CLIMATE. Nuclear energy ‘now an obstacle to delivering net zero’ – Greenpeace.CIVIL LIBERTIES. Flicker of Hope: Biden’s Throwaway Lines on Assange.

ECONOMICS.

EDUCATION. U.S. adds to the $1billion already granted to education for the nuclear industry.ENERGY. Finland: Grid Limitations Force Olkiluoto-3 to Curtail Output.HEALTH. St. Louis Residents Seek Compensation for Illnesses Tied to Nuclear Contamination.
LEGAL. Kevin Gosztola: Correcting the Record on the Assange Case. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2xPL230qCY
UK Government decision to withhold nuclear power plant information unlawful.		MEDIA. Books. Nuclear Lies, Cover-Ups and Secrecy
OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . Past anti-nuclear activists in Europe speak out against current plans.

Non-proliferation experts urge US to not support nuclear fuel project. 
Tax day and war resistance.

Sizewell C Nuclear : too destructive, too costly, too late.
PERSONAL STORIES. Five Years At Belmarsh: A Chronicle Of Julian Assange’s Imprisonment.
POLITICS.UK government could still replace Fujitsu in key nuclear contract.UK revamps Sizewell C nuclear funding to avoid delays.Hunterston: Scottish National Party see no nuclear future due to terrorism risk – ALSO AT …https://nuclear-news.net/2024/04/13/1-b1-hunterston-scottish-national-party-see-no-nuclear-future-due-to-terrorism-risk/Keir Starmer slammed over staunch defence of nuclear weapons.The Scottish National Party support signing an international treaty banning nuclear weapons, post independence.In an Ontario town split over a nuclear dump site, the fallout is over how they’ll vote on the future. Ballooning costs and secret projects at Canada’s federal nuclear labsPOLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY.US Declines Israel’s Invitation To Start WW3 (For Now).There Is No Grudge That Cannot Be Resolved, China’s Xi Jinping Tells Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in Momentous Beijing Meeting.
The Mutually Reinforcing U.S. and Israeli Empires.
The US and Japan’s Mission to Push Next Generation Nuclear Power .
Former Australian PM Paul Keating on a craven acceptance of US strategic hegemony in Asia. 
PUBLIC OPINION. Ukraine fatigue: Kiev and the West are tiring of war and each otherSAFETY. Zaporizhzhia: Russia claims Ukrainian drone hit dome of nuclear powerplant. Nuclear power plants in war zones: Lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. Attacks on Ukrainian nuclear facilities ‘must cease immediately’: UN atomic watchdog. UN nuclear watchdog’s board sets emergency meeting after Zaporizhzhia attacks. Ukraine: Briefing on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: The ‘Sum Of All Fears’.
Towards an international regulatory framework for AI safety: lessons from the IAEA’s nuclear safety regulations.
SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Not enough war on the ground, the US is taking it to space.
U.S. Space Command adopts multipronged approach to prepare for ‘a conflict that has never happened’.
Rolls Royce taps funding for nuclear-powered space missions.		TECHNOLOGY. Getting bigger but not safer or cheaper – the myth of Rolls Royce and its very big non-modular reactor.U.S. nuclear industry upbeat on small reactors, despite setback.
Death by Algorithm: Israel’s AI War in Gaza.		URANIUM. Production of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) threatens our environment, health, and safety.WASTES.   First Images Inside Fukushima’s Nuclear Reactor Show “Icicle-Like”Structures
WAR and CONFLICT. Amid Serious Iran-Israel Tension, The Nuclear Elephant Is In The Room.

US, Philippines, Japan, and Australia Conduct First Joint Military Exercise in South China Sea.

Brutal, chaotic war – norms, conventions and laws of conduct are being erased.

Israel Prepares For Potential Strike On Iranian Nuclear Sites.

Will Biden’s zero sum game approach to foreign conflict bumble US into regional/nuclear war in Europe and Middle East?

The Longer it Takes the West to Accept that Ukraine is Losing, the Worse Things Will Get for Ukraine.		WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.Civil and military nuclear mutuality.Increased activity at nuclear test site in northern Russia: expert.

Patrick Lawrence: ‘Automated Murder’: Israel’s ‘AI’ in Gaza. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza. Israel’s ‘Where’s Daddy?’ AI system helps target suspected Hamas militants when they’re at home with their families, report says.

BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR BRITAIN’S WEAPONS EXPORTS.

The Math on Ukraine Doesn’t Add Up

Secret Agreements: The Australian-Israel Defence Memorandum of Understanding.

April 15, 2024 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

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