TODAY. AUKUS nuclear pact – a lame duck?
What is AUKUS? It’s a weird nuclear pact – loftily described as a trilateral security pact for the Indo-Pacific region.
In reality it’s an agreement made without the knowledge of the Australian people, without discussion in Parliament , to make Australia pay close to $400 billion for second-hand nuclear attack submarines, including their radioactive trash.
How did this agreement come about?
In 2021, Australia’s then Prime Minister, Scott Morrison was a Trump-like figure, basically incompetent, but willing to do anything to get his face on the international media. He organised this extraordinary agreement, much to the joy of the nuclear lobby and Western war-hawks in general.
Morrison caused an international incident, in breaking Australia’s contract with France for non-nuclear submarines, (which would be much better suited for Australia’s coastal security monitoring”)
Is there opposition in Australia to this costly boondoggle?
Yes, but not enough. With the media about 70% owned by Murdoch outlets, the Australian public was fed a steady diet of what a threat China is to us, and how the AUKUS nuclear submarine will save us and blah blah.
And then, we got a new Prime Minister – Labor’s Anthony Albanese, (who has a history of opposition to nuclear). It was a national sigh of relief to get rid of the narcissistic and unpredictable Morrison. But ’twas too much to hope that Albanese would have the guts to stand up to the USA, or indeed to appear “weak” to the Australian public.
What is the present situation with AUKUS?
Well, apart from the misgivings of Australia’s near neighbours, like Indonesia, and the Nuclear-Free Zone, now there’s even trouble in the USA camp. On 12 March came the Tuesday release of the Biden administration’s 2025 defence budget request, – with reduced funding, well below the production rate of 2.33 subs a year the US says is necessary to sell any submarines to Australia. They got cold feet about the deal, as the USA is struggling to build the nuclear submarines that it needs for itself.
Meanwhile the American opposition, whatever you think of Donald Trump, is at the moment less keen on the idea of waging war against China. I mean – they probably do want to, – but they don’t like spending the money on making military stuff for another country.
There are, of course, other problems with the AUKUS nuclear submarine plan. Like the fact these subs will almost certainly be obsolete before they ever get under the water. China, with its shallow coastal waters, is making lots of small drones , that could detect and destroy these nuclear submarines. The AUKUS sub and its peers are intended for surveillance only. but they could be fitted with nuclear warheads. Perhaps that’s the plan. Who knows?
Meanwhile – is there a chance that Australia could avoid this costly boondoggle? And actually have the money to meet some real needs?
This week in nuclear news
A vertical garden at Medellin’s City Hall.
Ralph Nader: Stop the Worsening Undercount of Palestinian Casualties in Gaza.
The horrors of nuclear weapons testing.
March 11 – reflecting on Fukushima.
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Climate. Climate change is warping the seasons. The world is not moving fast enough on climate change — social sciences can help explain why.Europe unprepared for rapidly growing climate risks, report finds.
Noel’s notes. The need for clear thinking on the Holocaust in Gaza. Oh for a bit of sanity and genuine leadership! Normalising the unthinkable – the 16th Annual Nuclear (so-called) Deterrence Summit.
NUCLEAR ISSUES
| EMPLOYMENT. Fukushima fishers strive to recover catches amid water concerns. | ENVIRONMENT. Hinkley Point Responds to Environmental Concerns Over Bristol Channel Eel Populations. | ETHICS and RELIGION. Aiding Those We Kill: US Humanitarianism in Gaza. The West has set itself on a path of collective suicide — both moral and economic’ Oceans. Could Fukushima’s radioactive water pose lasting threat to humans and the environment? |
| HISTORY. The lesson from the criminal H Bomb Bravo “test”– Hibakusha remind us. Oppenheimer feared nuclear annihilation – and only a chance pause by a Soviet submariner kept it from happening in 1962 | MEDIA. New York Times: Nuclear Risks Have Not Gone Away.US Media and Factcheckers Fail to Note Israel’s Refutation of ‘Beheaded Babies’ Stories. ‘Mr Dutton is right’: Murdoch’s News Corp papers grant nuclear power glowing coverage. NewsGuard AI Censorship Targets People Who Read Primary Sources To Fact-Check The News. – (a pro-Trumpist article?- but probably true) | OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . ‘It’ll be a shortlist of one!’ Villagers in England fear nuclear dump proposal. An Open Letter from Hollywood On Oppenheimer and Nuclear Weapons. Kenya. Senator Omtatah to take the Uyombo nuclear power plant war international. |
| POLITICS Australia’s Opposition party’s nuclear red herring is a betrayal of the Australian people . – also at https://antinuclear.net/2024/03/11/1-a-coalitions-nuclear-red-herring-is-a-betrayal-of-the-australian-people/ . Australia has had many significant inquiries into nuclear power, over the past 60 years. Scottish National Party ministers to set out plans for removing nuclear weapons after independence. UK Labour versus Green. UK Budget: Government confirms £160m deal to acquire Hitachi nuclear sites. U.S. Congress about to fund revival of nuclear waste recycling to be led by private start-ups. | SAFETY. Greenpeace warns on danger of restarting Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant . Improvement notice served over storage of hazardous materials at Dounreay. ‘Sometimes I can’t sleep at night’: Adi Roche warns of nuclear risks of Ukraine conflict as she picks up peace award. Aberdeen shipping logistics company warned over nuclear transport safety failings.. | SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. China outlines position on use of space resources. Russia says it is considering putting a nuclear power plant on the moon with China. Russia and China announce plan to build shared nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035, ‘without humans’. |
WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.
- The West’s over-involvement in Ukraine.
- F-35A aeroplanes officially certified to carry thermonuclear bomb. NATO bringing missiles closer to Russia – member state.
- Plutonium. Plutonium pit ‘panic’ threatens America’s nuclear ambitions. Does the US Need New Plutonium Pits?.
- Biden is building for Israel a super weapon to replace the Iron Dome.
- Coalition Kill Chain for the Pacific: Lessons from Ukraine. U.S. Sells ‘Link 16’ Battlefield Communications System to Taiwan – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfF4In5Q99Q
- AUKUS: Are nuclear-powered submarines a good idea for Australia?
WOMEN. Our International Women’s Day Heroine: Rosalie Bertell.
The need for clear thinking on the Holocaust in Gaza
Sometimes I wonder if very high education and learning can be an impediment to clear thinking. So many highly educated, prestigious, individuals calmly accept without question the numbers published by various authorities, on the deaths in Gaza. But when you ignore all the learned and official stuff – and just stop and think about this matter – they’re counting only the deaths that have been definitely identified, not the number who lie under the rubble of the bombing.
Fortunately, not all prestigious individuals are as complacent as that. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, warned of an “‘unknown number of people’ – believed to be in the tens of thousands – lying under the rubble of buildings brought down by Israeli strikes.”
And what about the deaths from disease, malnutrition, starvation? Are these deaths from “natural causes” – or from the actions of the Israeli campaign against the Gazans?
Ralph Nader gives an estimate – considering all factors, of a Palestinian death toll today of 200,000 – a number “accelerating by the hour”
And here’s another matter for clear thinking. The Israeli administration and their supporters are vociferous about the evil of Hamas. And I think that they are right about this . Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya ) can purport to respect other nations, and merely seek Palestinian rights, but in fact, their beliefs are profoundly anti-Jewish, denying the Holocaust, aiming to destroy the State of Israel and kill all Jews.
But – not all Gazans believe in that extreme philosophy. Many adults there have joined Hamas simply because that is necessary to get a decent job. And are we to believe that all children there understand and support that philosophy?
So – the Hamas philosophy is evil. Does that make Jewish Zionism good?
Zionism should not be confused with Judaism. Zionism is not the Jewish religion. It is a philosophy dedicated to the continuance of “the Jewish State” run by “the chosen people” at all costs, and the eradication of those untermenschen – the Palestinians. It’s very like Nazism – it’s OK to kill children , pregnant women, anyone -in revenge for Hamas’ violent actions.
Of course, there are historic reasons for the development of Zionism, and of Hamas. But that doesn’t make either of them OK.
Clear thinking is not black and white, supporting one side because we’ve decided that the other side is evil.
Clear thinking is about what is actually happening now. 200,000 Gazans have been killed, and that number is accelerating, – as the world-leader USA feigns regret, pretends to help the Gazans, while funding Israel and providing the weapons for the killing.
Meanwhile – the USA focusses on two individuals strutting about, trying to become the next President, each boasting about himself, and how bad his opponent is – both apparently oblivious to the reality of Gazan catastrophe that America is promoting – what a pathetic sight – American politics!
TODAY. Oh for a bit of sanity and genuine leadership!
I couldn’t resist this facebook comment. It encapsulates the madness of what America and its allies – the Anglosphere and Europe, are doing about the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Does the “West” – slavish followers of the USA – understand that they are observing and apparently accepting a repeat of genocidal atrocities, as they did in the 1930s about Nazi Germany? (At least there was some excuse in the 30’s. that “they didn’t know about it”)
We all know about it now. We know that Joe Biden and co are supplying Israel with the weapons and know-how for its mass murder of Gazans, while mouthing pious statements about humanitarian aid, and about ending the atrocity that they are in fact prolonging.
That lovely word “zeitgeist” – I’m not sure what it means really. But I think it’s time to change the zeitgeist that says that the important goal for human beings is the individualistic one, to make ever-increasing profit. You see, making and selling weaponry is America’s big export industry – and it provides ever-increasing shareholders’ profits, – and jobs and industry and pride and blah blah blah.
So – the Israeli’s disastrous genocide in Gaza is after all – good for business.
And so is the interminable war in Ukraine – in which “negotiation” “diplomacy” “agreement” are dirty words, never to be contemplated. Ukraine is being steadily destroyed militarily, environmentally, humanly, under the messianic Zelenksy cult. The Raytheon, Norhrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Halliburton etc etc celebrations party on…………
Who knows how much money from these, and many other corporations, goes to the USA’s Republican and Democratic parties? Does any politician get in, without that backing? At the moment – all the USA fuss about Biden versus Trump. It is irrelevant. Whoever gets to be president will be the puppet of the corporations and especially of the military-industrial-nuclear complex.
All of which means that getting a decent leader in the USA is an impossible task – as he or she must always be beholden to big business.
It is probably a pretty difficult task anywhere, with the power of corporate lobbies to influence politicians, and the USA’s history of CIA-backed removal of leaders in other countries.
Still – we’d better try. If we can’t change from the paradigm of individualism, and ever-increasing profit – to a paradigm of collective action for human and environmental good, – well, we’ve had it!
TODAY. Normalising the unthinkable – the 16th Annual Nuclear (so-called) Deterrence Summit
The 16th Annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Washington DC finished in early February
The propaganda guff should alert us to the deliberately misty thinking of the war-mongers, as they contort the facts, and kid themselves, and us, that they work for a peaceful world. The lovely phrases trip off their tongues so easily:
“Analytically driven data” “state of the art capabilities” “incredible efficiencies ” ” the cloud-based environments” “A digitalized enterprise”. Blah blah . My favourite is always “the cloud”, when what they really mean is acres and acres of dirty great machines guzzling electricity and water.
What this whole conference (now more gloriously termed “summit”) is really about, is profit, money for the American corporations – weapons ones, digital ones, space companies, contractors, and also the Pentagon, government agencies, corporate media and universities. Check out the sponsors –
There are words and phrases that you won’t hear at these conferences – “diplomacy” “negotiation” “understanding”. There’s no money in that stuff.
But you will hear “adversaries” “enemies” “evil” – there’s money in being “war ready” even better “global war ready”. Some participants actually believe that the USA could wage a nuclear war and win it – (whatever “winning a nuclear war” might mean)
I’m not religious, but I can’t help thinking what might have happened if Jesus somehow got into this crooked conference. He wouldn’t have been polite – tables overturned, lap-tops and projectors busted, corporate salesmen driven. Of course, he would be arrested as a terrorist, and given the Julian Assange treatment.
Nuclear news – week to 4 March 2024
Some bits of good news – Passion for compassion: the group working to make the Commons kinder. Major research suggests humans can break free from tribalism **************************************
TOP STORIES. US Refuses to Assure UK Judges That Assange Won’t Be Executed If He’s Extradited. Atlantic Council report lays out options and possible first use of nuclear weapons against China over Taiwan.
Texas wildfires continue to pose threat to Pantex nuclear weapons plant, and climate change will bring further threats to nuclear facilities. USA is littered with nuclear sites that could face danger from natural disasters.
Nuclear space-based ASAT weapons – A brief international legal perspective.Get These Rich People Off the Moon.
AI’s craving for data is matched only by a runaway thirst for water and energy.
Climate. New Research from Antarctica Affirms the Threat of the ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ but Funding to Keep Studying It Is Running Out.
Noel’s notes. My dilemma in writing about nuclear issues. Nuclear power stopping climate change? IT’S THE OTHER WAY AROUND!
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NUCLEAR ISSUES
CLIMATE. Texas: Disaster declaration issued and nuclear weapons plant shut down as wildfires spread. Texas nuclear weapons facility pauses as fires spread. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba_oPoqeF2Y
Buried Nuclear Waste From the Cold War Could Resurface as Ice Sheets Melt. USA is littered with nuclear sites that could face danger from natural disasters. Could climate change release 35 swimming pools’ worth of nuclear waste? Or worse… unleash a world-ending pandemic? These are the terrifying unexpected consequences of melting ice.
| ECONOMICS. Tax-payer to take bigger financial risks under new payment plan for nuclear command satellites. The Cost of Nuclear War in Space. Inside Europe’s only nuclear unicorn — and its €1bn fundraising hopes. | ENERGY. Blackout risks due to Hinkley nuclear delays – a reminder of the value of energy efficienc | ENVIRONMENT. Oceans. Release of fourth batch of Fukushima treated radioactive water begins. China is ‘unlikely’ to lift import ban on Japanese seafood as dumping continues. Conservationists say Hinkley C nuclear water intakes could wipe out Atlantic salmon stocks |
| LEGAL. Fish v. electricity: Could Salem nuclear plant be shut down?More indictments for Ohio nuclear crimes. | MEDIA. When The Imperial Media Report On An Israeli Massacre.Einstein’s Postwar Campaign To Save The World From Nuclear Destruction.Chilling Pictures of Hiroshima Weeks After Atomic Bomb Dropped Emerge. | OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . IT’S TIME TO CANCEL SIZEWELL C |
| POLITICS. Has the nuclear lobby hijacked Welsh democracy? “Big nuclear reactor” lobby fights back against “Small nuclear reactor” lobby. | POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Biden administration restores Trump-rescinded policy on illegitimacy of Israeli settlements. France accused of ‘unacceptable’ behaviour after demanding UK taxpayer cash for Hinkley nuclear. Chris Huhne Letter: UK Taxpayers shouldn’t be footing bill for EDF failings. Macron stands by remarks on NATO troops in Ukraine. | SAFETY. New nuclear reactors shielded from liability if federal law passes Congress: Price-Anderson Act renewal hidden from public. Mistakes, Misfiring and Trident: Britain’s Flawed Nuclear Deterrence |
| SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Satellites burning up in our atmosphere may not be as harmless as first thought. | TECHNOLOGY.So They’re Experimenting With Military Robots In Gaza Now.SMRs are useless says the UK’s leading SMR analyst! – 100 per cent renewable energy is much more feasible!UK spurns European invitation to join ITER nuclear fusion project.Microsoft’s Kate Crawford: ‘AI is neither artificial nor intelligent’.Finland’s Olkiluoto nuclear power station to be disconnected for 37 days. | WASTES.“Tritium Removal” A Report on the Proposed MCECE nuclear Facility at Chalk River also at https://nuclear-news.net/2024/03/03/2-b1-tritium-removal-a-report-on-the-proposed-mcece-facility-at-chalk-river/Burying nuclear waste the best of a bad bunch of options.Locals oppose nuclear waste plant – parish council. Holderness: Government guarantees plans for nuclear waste dump will be dropped for good.New plans to dismantle Rosyth dead nuclear submarines left for decades.Nuclear Restoration Services has been served with an “improvement notice” after the ONR found failures in its storage methods |
| WAR and CONFLICT.Wargame simulated a conflict between Israel and Iran: It quickly went nuclear. Israeli Calls to ‘Nuke Gaza’ Are Undermining the Nuclear Ambiguity Doctrine.After Macron touted troops to Ukraine, Putin warns West of nuclear war risk.Leaked Russian military files reveal its nuclear strike rules.Full Transcript of German Top Military Officials’ Leaked Plot to Attack Crimean Bridge.China urges largest nuclear states to negotiate a ‘no-first-use’ treaty.NewsReal: How Serious Are Western Leaders About Full-on War With Russia? | WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. France creates coalition to arm Ukraine with long-range weapons. Victoria Nuland accidentally reveals the true aim of the West in Ukraine. Setting the record straight on Canada’s arms exports to Israel. The reawakening of America’s nuclear dinosaurs. Iran Reduces Near-Weapons-Grade Stockpile, Defying Expectations. |
Today. My dilemma in writing about nuclear issues.
This might be a peculiarly Australian dilemma. I don’t know. The thing is – most people seem able to tolerate a bit of criticism of the nuclear industry. And indeed, when I post articles on my websites – nuclear-news.net and antinuclear.net, or on my newsletter, – that’s OK.
But if I bring in the subject of Ukraine, or especially of Gaza and Israel, – people get upset. What has that got to do with the nuclear industry? (Well, a lot really – as both situations bring us ever closer to the brink of nuclear war).
The big problem is this. As part of an Australian, and indeed worldwide, movement, for a safe clean nuclear-free world, my stuff is accepted as worthwhile. But, when I digress into examining what is going on in Ukraine, or worse, in Israel – then I am no longer to be trusted. Indeed, I am sometimes being called a Putin-lover, a communist. a terrorist – and especially anti-semitic.
As a consequence, then my anti-nuclear coverage is not to be trusted, either. It’s OK to be anti-nuclear – that’s a respectable opinion, as long as you’re pro Ukraine and pro Israel.
I really don’t know how to deal with this. It seems that, to be respected at all, it is necessary to conform to certain dogmas, such as “Russia is always evil” and “Israelis are holy victims”.
In my view – Putin is a murderous thug, but Russia is not always to blame, and Russian policies and aspirations should be viewed fairly.
Similarly, I think that the Jews, over history, have been terribly persecuted and murdered, but that doesn’t give Israel the licence to now do mass murder of the Gazan people.
There’s a dreadful conformity in Australia, and perhaps in all supposedly-white, English speaking countries. We must side with Ukraine, no matter what. And we must not be seen to be anti-semitic, no matter what.
So – I am left with the dilemma – should I ignore those two nuclear-war-trigger situations, in order to sound credible about nuclear matters?
Should I act “nice” about what Israel is doing, and pretend that I don’t notice? That is all too easy to do, in Australia, with its relentless media focus on sport.
TODAY, Nuclear power stopping climate change? IT’S THE OTHER WAY AROUND!
Climate change makes the nuclear industry EVEN MORE DANGEROUS!
Bad enough that nuclear facilities run the risk of catastrophic nuclear meltdown. Admittedly, that is a risk for some, but not all nuclear facilities, and it is a very rare event.
But while the probability of such an event is rare, the consequences of such an event are severe. That is why nuclear facilities can’t get insurance
Bad enough that nuclear facilities, even when running well, release low level ionising radiation, which increases the risk of cancer for millions of people. Bad enough that nuclear workers have a higher risk and rate of cancer and other radiation-associated diseases.
Bad enough that the nuclear industry’s only real raison d’etre is to produce nuclear weapons, thus endangering the whole world.
But now we’ve got climate change.
This week’s news carries not only the wildfire danger to nuclear facilities, but also some of the drastic risks of sea level rise- Buried Nuclear Waste From the Cold War Could Resurface as Ice Sheets Melt. And that’s only one of the “water effects” of global heating.
On the one hand – there’s the danger of sea surges, rising sea levels, floods. On the other hand – the shortage of water when nuclear reactors require continuous huge amounts of water for cooling. ( Do they think of this as they bound into the Artificial Intelligence Age, with its plans for huge data farms powered by nuclear?)
It sure is time, as a global human community, that we really took global heating seriously.
It’s also time to put a stop to this nefarious nuclear industry – before climate change puts a stop to it, in a very nasty way.
Nuclear news – week to 26 February.
A bit of good news: Success in protecting and restoring isolated island ecosystems
TOP STORIES. The Show Trial against Julian Assange. After years of avoiding extradition, Julian Assange’s appeal is likely his last chance. Here’s how it might unfold (and how we got here). Chris Hedges: Julian Assange’s Day in Court
Germany and nuclear weapons: A difficult history.
Fatal Flaws Undermine America’s Defense Industrial Base.
Environment. The Growing Environmental Footprint Of Generative AI
Climate. Antarctica sea ice reaches alarming low for third year in a row.
Nuclear. Same same – media promotion of small nuclear reactors, despite the economic realities. UK in turmoil over nuclear costs. Angst over the idea of nuclear war in space.
Noel’s notes. Alexei Navalny – the paradox of his legacy
NUCLEAR ISSUES
| ECONOMICS. Utility EdF Writes Down $14B Loss on Delayed UK Nuclear Megaproject. Citizens Advice says Sizewell C costs should not be paid with energy bill hikes. Energy Costs UK : The Price Of Power-Nuclear Fandango. Private Financiers Pour Billions Into Nuclear Weapons Production. Most Japan fishing groups hit by China import ban in Fukushima row. | ENVIRONMENT. Hinkley Point C could kill 22 BILLION fish in the Severn estuary. Environment Agency and Natural England behind Hinkley Point wetland plan, says MP. HEALTH. Body Map – Nuclear Power. HISTORY. Rethinking Ukraine: Putin and the Mystery of National Identity |
LEGAL. John J Mearsheimer On behalf of Julian Assange. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN_Shacd2Iw DAY ONE: Assange Timeline Exposes US Motives. Assange’s final appeal – Your man in the public gallery, part 2. Julian Assange Faces Final “Life or Death” Extradition Appeal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPfB2z-lotU
Japanese mafia boss conspired to traffic nuclear materials, says US. Justice Department Announces Nuclear Materials Trafficking Charges Against Japanese Yakuza Leader.
More indictments for Ohio nuclear crimes.
MEDIA. Ralph Nader: What the Mass Media Needs to Cover Re: Israel/Gaza Conflict.
OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . Stop Sizewell C’s Response to Regulated Asset Base Licence Consultation.
Locals campaign to oppose Hinkley Point C’s plans to build a saltmarsh on the Pawlett Hams .
| POLITICS. Great British Nuclear seeks to buy EDF land for small modular reactor . Victory: Nuclear Free Local Authorities welcome Council vote on South Holderness nuke dump plan. House is heading toward “nuclear” war over Ukraine funding, one top House GOP leader says . Nuclear route does Scotland no favours – Tommy Sheppard. Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest lampoons Coalition’s nuclear push as ‘bulldust’. | POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. The odds of China using nuclear war to resolve the Taiwan issue. SAFETY. UK lawmakers seek reassurances after nuclear missile test fails for second time. Minister urges TEPCO to ensure nuclear safety measures. SECRETS and LIES. How British Intelligence Framed Julian Assange As Russian Agent. |
SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. U.S. Militarizes Space While Accusing Russia of Doing So. Touring South Korea to support opposition to US space warfare plans. Putin says Russia has no intention of putting nuclear weapons in space. Shock Horror! Serious risk TO INVESTORS of nuclear war in space!
SPINBUSTER. What’s fueling the commercial fusion hype? Proponents of nuclear power are peddling hot air.
TECHNOLOGY. Rolls-Royce will build first mini-nuclear reactor in Europe instead of UK, boss warns.
| WASTES. Decommissioning. The San Onofre Briefing: The Latest on SoCal’s Shut Down Nuclear Power Plant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGDwkokX1NA The War Over Burying Nuclear Waste in America’s Busiest Oil Field. Nuclear industry veterans warn some radioactive waste destined for Ontario disposal facility should not be accepted. | WAR and CONFLICT. Ukraine: how nuclear weapons continue to increase the risks, two years on. NATO says Kiev can use F-16 jets to strike targets ‘outside Ukraine‘, despite Russia’s warning. First 2 years of US proxy war against Russia finds both US and Ukraine in downward spiral. Netanyahu’s Post-War Plans for Gaza Call for Military Occupation ‘Without T |
TODAY. How the USA betrays and disdains its allies – the case of Julian Assange.
Right now, USA leaders are bewailing and admiring Alexei Navalny – the courageous Russian who stood up to Putin, and paid the ultimate price for publicly exposing the government’s crimes .
The hypocrisy of Joe Biden and the rest of these phony U.S. “patriots” – too cowardly to face up to the truth, – to accept that their great “exceptional” nation could have done some wrong things! Like the Russian government, you get rid of, you kill, the person who exposed your wrongdoing.
Only the Russians do it quickly, without finesse.
The American government constructs an elaborate legal justification, and, with the sycophantic support of the British government, a long-drawn out procedure of torture – over many years – punishing the truth-speaker – the Australian citizen Julian Assange – in the name of “justice”.
Julian Assange is not an American citizen. He was not an official of the USA government. He did not hack into U.S. government computers to discover classified documents. Yet Assange is charged with this computer misuse, and espionage of classified documents! With violating 17 counts of the 1917 Espionage Act, with a potential sentence of 170 years!
What Assange did was to do what journalists do – publish information given to him by a source (- Chelsea Manning). The New York Times, The Guardian, and Der Spiegel also published this information. Why are their editors and journalists not also being charged with espionage?
Assange revealed crimes – massacres of civilians, torture, assassinations, the list of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay and the conditions they were subjected to, as well as the Rules of Engagement in Iraq, helicopter pilots who gunned down two Reuters journalists and 10 other civilians and severely injured two children. These perpetrators have never been charged. with anything.
Apart from the intrinsic injustice of the claims against Assange, there has been a whole series of illegal and very questionable actions against him. Some examples – the surveillance of Assange and his lawyers by a Spanish firm, while he was in the Ecuadorian Embassy, Ecuador’s rescinding Julian’s asylum status allowing police in, the UK court’s acceptance of the claim that Assange is “not a journalist”. A key witness admitted to fabricating the accusations against him. The CIA made plans for kidnapping and assassinating him.
Julian was convicted of breaching his bail conditions. The punishment? Almost 5 years in solitary confinement in maximum security Belmarsh prison. Belmarsh is for Category A prisoners, those who “pose the most threat to the public, the police or national security” and stand accused of terrorism, murder, or sexual violence.
Article 4 of the Extradition Treaty between USA and UK prohibits extradition for political offenses. Why has this been ignored in the drive to send Assange to trial in the USA?
It is likely that the British court will continue the British kow-towing to America.
As for Australia – the Australian Parliament, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, actually now have put their heads above the parapet, and called on the USA to release Assange. A bit of courage on their part – not seen since the days of Gough Whitlam (who was severely punished for attempting to stand up to the USA.)
But it matters little – what Australia wants for its citizen Assange. Australia has signed up for the nuclear submarine boondoggle, and for plastering U.S. military bases around the nation, and for being ready to join in attacking China whenever asked to.
Right now, Australia IS making some feeble attempts to separate itself from Joe Biden’s fealty to Israel, and even from castigating China. These will be disregarded by the mighty USA.
“Friendship’ with the USA is entirely one way, and Assange awaits his ultimate persecution.
TODAY. 11 year old boys and nukes in space.
Yeah – I’ve been reading about the awful threat of Russia sending its evil nuclear weapons up into space to destroy our benign satellites. Shock horror – we could lose TikTok coverage and our media focus on Taylor Swift!
Not to mention that it’s not a great idea to cause nuclear explosions in space, and spread toxic radioactive debris all over the place.
But – is it true?
Are the Russians that stupid?
or the North Koreans, or the Chinese ? Or anyone else that we’re scared of?
Well, they might be. Because. Here’s the rub. The biological development of the male does mean that they have a tendency towards aggression, and to develop inhibition rather late – say towards the age of 30. So the young teenage boys, on average, are a bit keener on risk-taking than they will be at later ages.
This aggression, competitive drive, and low fear of danger was probably useful way back when sabre-toothed tigers were the big threat. But not so useful now when other teenage boys can be a big threat.
The problem is – that risk-taking, competitive, aggressive teenager seems to still live and thrive within the men that are actually running things in our world.
They probably are not planning nuclear weapons to hit satellites, because even they see what a stupid idea that is. However, they’re surely organising all sorts of other ways to damage the satellites of “the other side”. Do you think for one moment that it’s only the Russians etc who are doing this? Of course the 11 year-old boys inside the psyche of the Western leaders are up to the same tricks, and probably leading the pack.
AGAIN – THE POWER OF THE ZIONIST LOBBY
I was banned from Mastodon because I posted a link to an article supporting humanitarian aid to Gaza.Now I have been banned from one part of Reddit ( r/worldnews) for posting this link https://www.unz.com/…/over-a-million-palestinians-are…/
I can still post to other parts of Reddit.
TODAY. Israel, USA, the “West” can’t hide their atrocious guilt any more
Look – it was sort of OK in the 1930s – for Western political leaders, and their people, to sort of “didn’t know” what was going on in Germany. Hell, they had the lovely 1936 Olympics, and workers were getting a good deal, and Hitler was lovely to dogs.
If there were atrocities going on, – like millions of Jews, homosexuals, dissidents, mentally ill…. getting tortured and murdered – well, we “found out” about it only years later, didn’t we?
BUT. It’s different now. There is ample evidence – first hand real photography, real videos and film, real firsthand aural and written accounts of the mass cruelties being inflicted by Israel on the people of Gaza.
“War against Hamas” – what nonsense ! It’s massacre of Palestinians, and everybody knows it.
President Joe Biden and co. can bleat all they like about “urging Israel to be humanitarian to the Gazan people”, AT THE SAME TIME AS BIDEN AND CO ARE SUPPLYING WEAPONS TO ISRAEL TO DO THE KILLING!
US officials told POLITICO that the Biden administration was not planning any consequences for Israel if it went ahead with a major assault on Rafah, which would inevitably kill a huge number of civilians. “No reprimand plans are in the works, meaning Israeli forces could enter the city and harm civilians without facing American consequences,” the report reads.
“We’re going to continue to support Israel … And we’re going to continue to make sure they have the tools and the capabilities to do that.”
Of course the only thing that Biden really cares about is himself getting elected again in November. That might make him, and USA’s sycophantic allies, care a little bit about the miseries in Gaza.
But the world is appalled. We are not taken in by pious bleatings about “humanitarian aid” – while the Genocide finding of the International Court of Justice is ignored by the powerful, and while the one agency of support to the Gazans is closed down by the powerful.
Perhaps they’ll try to pretend that all the mass of evidence of genocide is “fake news”, and produced by artificial intelligence, and critics are just “tools of Russia” – or some other rubbish that the CIA and nuclear-military-industrial complex think up.
Their hypocrisy is boundless. Now they’re all alarmed because Iran might make a nuclear bomb. Israel has about 90 nuclear bombs, according to some experts. Israel has had nuclear bombs for decades, and the “Western powers” just pretend that they don’t know this. Israel is OK, safe to manage its nuclear weapons. Really?
This week in nuclear news
A bit of good news. Illegal to marry below 18 – Zambia passes the landmark Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2023
TOP STORIES.
Mary Kostakidis: Assange’s Very Life Is at Stake.
‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 127: Growing international alarm over Israeli plans to invade Rafah.
Full Speed Ahead on the Global Titanic -Going Along with the Utter Madness of Nuclear Weapons.
Small Modular Reactors do not solve the many problems of nuclear, NGOs say.
Rich men with the wrong answers – nuclear power has no future and yet they persist.
From the archives. Nuclear expert Mycle Schneider on the COP28 pledge to triple nuclear energy production: ‘Trumpism enters energy policy”
Climate. Atlantic Ocean circulation nearing ‘devastating’ tipping point, study finds. Hottest January on record sees the world reach 1.7°C warming mark.
Nuclear. Very hard to exclude all the Israel-Gaza news – which could bring on nuclear war anyway!
Noel’s notes. Why we get distorted, unreliable, news about Ukraine and Israel. Against all the evidence – nuclear industry propaganda blunders on – and the media regurgitates its nonsense!
NUCLEAR ISSUES
| CLIMATE. European Union now promoting the lie that nuclear power is “green”. REVIEW CONFERENCE: CLIMATE CRISIS – WHY NUCLEAR IS NOT HELPING - also at | CIVIL LIBERTIES. UK steps up war on whistleblower journalism with new National Security Act. | ECONOMICS. The clock is ticking on the nuclear renaissance. – also at Rolls-Royce snubbed for UK’s first private small nuclear reactor plant. EDF’s nuclear struggles dampen EU nuclear prospects – the industry “on a slow descent to hell”. |
| EMPLOYMENT France: EDF Faces Unprecedented Nuclear Workload in France, | ETHICS and RELIGION. All is fair in A.I. warfare. But what do Christian ethics have to say? The West: guilty of genocide. | EVENTS. 19 February - Webinar with Dr Helen Caldicott and Martin Sheen |
| INDIGENOUS ISSUES. Tribes condemn start of uranium mining at Pinyon Plain Mine south of Grand Canyon | LEGAL. 100 Jewish Cease-Fire Supporters Arrested Blocking Biden’s NYC Motorcade Route. Canada citizens challenge environmental safety of Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission waste facility near Ottawa River. | MEDIA. CNN’s CEO Is Making Staff Churn Out Israel Propaganda. CNN staff say network’s pro-Israel slant amounts to ‘journalistic malpractice’. “In The War Of Propaganda, It Is Very Difficult To Defeat The United States”. Study Finds Media Giants NY Times, CNN and Fox News Pushing for US War in Yemen. Chicago Tribune needs reality check on Russo Ukraine war. |
| OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . History repeats — and radiation radiates. Campaigners deeply concerned at Dr Thérèse Coffey’s support for Bradwell new nuclear power . | POLITICS. Nuclearization is underway. Or not.. (also at The future of nuclear: France’s nuclear dreams or nightmares? The folly of Ontario’s nuclear power play. Iran Plans More Nuclear Reactors Despite Serious Hurdles. Do the Right Thing: Put the South African Government’s Nuclear Plans to a Popular Referendum. Call to withdrawal from Holderness nuclear waste site talks amid tourism and farming ‘fears’. | POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Report: Egypt warns Israel Rafah offensive may lead to suspension of peace treaty. Western officials in protest over Israel Gaza policy Israel Aid Bill Fails in House as Progressives Slam ‘Blank Check for Netanyahu’. Walt Zlotow: Biden seeks $14 more billion to complete destruction of Palestinians in Gaza. EU Policy. Commission invites industry to join support platform for mini nuclear. Menaced by five Omnicides – Ralph Nader. Putin ‘tried everything possible’ to make peace – Ukrainian diplomat. |
SAFETY. Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is falling apart, and the world is ignoring the danger . The dangerous craze for SMRs – also at IAEA watchdog to visit nuclear plant in occupied Ukraine to assess safety of ageing fuel and low staffing.
France’s Flamanville EPR has numerous technical problems which mean that its safety issues are not “now closed”.
| SECRETS and LIES. Absence of Evidence: Israel’s Case Against UNRWA. | SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Nuclear secret: India’s space program uses plutonium pellets to power missions |
| WAR and CONFLICT. Escalating to de-escalate with nuclear weapons: Research shows it’s a particularly bad idea. The pragmatist’s guide to nuclear disarmament. NATO-Russia confrontation ‘could last decades’ – Stoltenberg. Israeli PM orders evacuation of last Gaza ‘safe zone’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l59LjI4XoA Worst places in Australia to be if World War Three hits. | WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. Noetic Continental | Part I: How CIA Foists Military Equipment Through Private War Companies. Over $1 Billion in Weapons Missing In Ukraine. Why Biden’s $61 billion in weapons for Ukraine won’t prevent inevitable defeat. Citing World Court, Japan Firm Cuts Ties With Israel Arms Maker. |
TODAY. Against all the evidence – nuclear industry propaganda blunders on – and the media regurgitates its nonsense!
It would be funny, if it were not so serious.
Promoting the nuclear industry is not just serious, but dangerous. The industry’s only real purpose is nuclear weapons.
Everybody knows that big nuclear reactors are a no-no. They’re astronomically expensive to build, and even more obscenely expensive to demolish and dispose of. (that latter cost to be paid by our great-grandchildren).
So what is needed now by this insane industry – is a fairy-tale window-dressing. And hey presto! There are the non existent magical small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) .
Today – I see heaps of enthusiastic articles, especially from the UK. Wow! Westinghouse Electric Company doing a deal with Community Nuclear Power, privately funded, - “The companies will work together to develop plans for the plants, with the aim of getting backing from the Government.” - to set up SMRs - Business Wire, Teesside Gazette, Northern Echo, Proactive Investor, ………..
They don’t mention the spectacular failure of the USA’s one and only SMR business, as NuScale heads towards bankruptcy.
What else the mainstream media does not say about SMRs:
- Problems of massive cost blowouts and multi-year delays.
- Unproven technology: Even the simplest designs used today in submarines will not be available at scale until late next decade, if at all. Taking into account the learning curve of the nuclear industry, an average of 3,000 SMRs would have to be constructed in order to be financially viable.
- Ineffective climate solution: According to the latest IPCC report published in March 2023, nuclear power is one of the two least effective mitigation options (alongside Carbon Capture and Storage).
- Waste problem: Current SMR designs would create 2-30 times more radioactive waste in need of management and disposal than conventional nuclear plants.
And there’s that other intriguing little problem. The proudly British company Rolls Royce has been counting on government backing to start off its SMR project. Now shock horror – an American company looks like winning this foolish SMR sack race. Bill Gates’ Terra Power, GE-Hitachi, Mitsubishi – all these companies will be peeved, too. An international political fracas?
1 This Month
of the week – Shut Down Drone Warfare!
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
Petition to revoke the licensing of the Near Surface Nuclear Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River. https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7247
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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