nuclear-news

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

TODAY. Media determined to ignore the intrinsic connection between “new small nuclear reactors” and nuclear weapons

Yah gotta wonder – are the journalists aware that the sole true purpose of “new generation” nuclear reactors is to feed the nuclear weapons industry? Or are they just stupid? I am charitably going for the latter explanation.

With all the hubbub about Putin suspending Russia’s participation in the START nuclear weapons treaty, both the USA and Russia are now enthused to beef up their omnicidal nuclear weapons.

But – oh dear! The huge cost of this! And the dumb public who don’t really like nuclear weapons! What to do?

Well the traditional method is the way to go – brainwash the public with a distraction that will keep attention away from this omnicidal weapons development – new nuclear for climate action.

Especially small nuclear reactors.

The logic is simple – and goes like this:

Big nuclear reactors are expensive, create toxic wastes, are weapons proliferation risks, and their fuel cycle emits carbon and radioactive isotopes.

Small nuclear reactors are “new” and different from big. Therefore they must be cheap, safe, clean. Stands to reason, doesn’t it?

You might not believe me – that the purpose of small nuclear reactors is to keep the nuclear weapons industry going , but Rolls Royce and other nuclear experts know this – and are proud of it:

“the “reliable provision of Russia’s defense capability is the main priority of the nuclear industry” – Rosatom

a host of other defense policy discussions are very clear that the UK nuclear ‘submarine industrial base’ would not be sustainable, if a decision were taken to discontinue civil nuclear power…statements from UK submarine industry sources note incentives to “mask” the costs of this military programme behind the related civilian industrial infrastructure…

a programme of submarine-derived small modular reactors should be adopted in UK energy policy in order to “relieve the Ministry of the burden of developing and retaining skills and capability” on the military side. – Rolls Royce “

But – you tap “nuclear” into Google News – and up will come a stream of articles from respectable corporate journalists – all about the wonders of small nuclear reactors – not a peep out of them about the weapons connection.

February 24, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

TODAY. Painful realisation that Australia’s Labor defence minister is even more stupid and subservient to USA than the Liberals were!

From the Guardian yesterday :

The sustained controversy has prompted the defence minister, Richard Marles, to declare in a speech to parliament that acquiring nuclear-powered submarines would  “dramatically enhance” Australia’s sovereignty, rather than undermine it.

I am almost lost for words…. Is Richard Marles really that stupid? (a) to believe this nonsense himself and (b) to think that aware Australians would believe it.

Australia’s “sovereignty” has always been dubious. From 1770 we were absolutely a British colony . From 1901 we were still a British colony in reality, though no longer in name. Australian soldiers went to World War 1, unnecessarily, for the British. I would argue that since 1945, Australia morphed into an American colony, in our gratitude for USA fighting off the Japanese in WW2.

My measure for true colony-status is – going to war on behalf of the boss nation. Australia has enthusiastically (and unnecessarily) sent our young men and women to fight for America’s wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan – wars that had nothing whatever to do with Australia.

America has got smarter about running wars now. They’ve got Ukraine to try to conquer Russia on USA’s behalf (rather than work out a diplomatic solution to the 8 year war in the Donbass). America just sells Ukraine the weapons . This is a two-way win – both financially and politically – no American lives at risk.

Ukraine is probably a dress rehearsal for the big one – against China. This time Australia will be the patsy.

As a prelude, America sells us $171 billion of nuclear submarines. Which Australia can ill afford. These are so that we can fight China on USA’s behalf, (along with nuclear bombers based in Australia). Once again – the colony practically bankrupts itself, (as in Ukraine), and takes all the risks (as in Ukraine)

Why did I imagine that a Labor government would really be any better that the Liberals, when it comes to international relations?

Instead of macho-muscling up against China, – Australia should be recognising its position as a part of Southern Asia, teaching Asian languages and cultures, and fostering good relations and trade with our neighbours, and honestly expressing our differences. That includes China, which shows no intention to attack Australia militarily. Why should they, when they’re better at spreading influence with trade and culture? The Chinese have a different system, in some ways deplorable, – but evolving, and they are not demons.

February 23, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

The news in things nuclear this week

Some bits of good news –  What went right this week: relief for the Great Barrier Reef, plus more. Man Finally Meets Family That Hid Him During Nazi Holocaust 80 Years Ago–And Visits the House.

Coronavirus. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update. Current trends in reported COVID-19 cases are underestimates of the true number of global infections and reinfections.

Climate.China provinces top list of regions at risk from climate change.  Australian states among world’s most at risk from climate change, extreme weather.

Nuclear.  Much the same as last week. USA warmongers panicking about balloons. Nuclear safety issues being downplayed. The media faithfully regurgitating gushing nuclear lobby handouts about small nuclear reactors.

Christina notes:  Complacency about nuclear safety – a killer waiting to strike!  Bewdy! It’s gonna happen sooner than we thought. Just like Ukraine does against Russia, Australia will fight America’s war against China.

CLIMATE. Global leaders are dropping the ball on climate change. Rising seas threaten ‘mass exodus on a biblical scale’, UN chief warns. Judge commends Just Stop Oil activists. “No regrets” as UK government portrays nuclear power as “clean” and “green”. 

The ‘Icefin’ bore deep into an Antarctic glacier. What it found were temperatures warmer than melting point. Antarctic sea ice level now lowest on record. War is a climate killer.

EARTH EVENTS. Earth Changes Summary – January 2023: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs.

ECONOMICS. Russia’s Grip on Nuclear-Power Trade Is Only Getting Stronger. EDF’s historic $13.5 billion loss in 2022 – as France became an importer of electricity. Zelensky is literally selling Ukraine to US corporations on Wall Street. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fHZCfRE3n4

EDUCATION. We’ve Forgotton The Potential Horrors of What a Nuclear Winter Would Be Like. Pentagon-Funded Plymouth University Cancels Anti-War Academic: the militarization of higher education.

EMPLOYMENT. Renewable energy workers are in high demand, global survey reveals. At Sellafield nuclear site workers ready to go on strike .

ENERGY.  Thousands of solar panels sent to power recovery effort in earthquake devastated Türkiye . France’s nuclear output plummeted in 2022. Small scale renewable technology installations being deployed rapidly in Britain without government subsidies.

ECONOMY. 

ENVIRONMENT. Fukushima: Japan insists release of 1.3m tonnes of ‘treated’ water is safe. Campaigners claim permit change at Hinkley Point would kill billions of fish.

INDIGENOUS ISSUES. Some, but not all, First Nations support small nuclear reactors in New Brunswick.

MEDIA. Microsoft Puts New Limits On Bing’s AI Chatbot After It Expressed Desire To Steal Nuclear Secrets.  Media Ignores Evidence That West Opposed Ukraine Peace Deal. Pro nuclear film. Murdoch Propaganda Pushes Australia To Double Its Military Budget For War With China

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Checking Back in on China’s Nuclear Icebreaker. Rolls Royce’s “small” nuclear reactor will occupy 5.3 acres..

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Scotland’s campaign groups call on government to reject plans for nuclear power at new Green Freeports.

POLITICS. Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick (CRED-NB) informs Senate with analysis of “advanced” small nuclear reactors. Scotland’s Minister Matheson reassures the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) that no small nuclear power station will be permitted near Grangemouth refinery.   Small modular nuclear reactors: a good deal for Southwest Virginia? Despite massive losses of nuclear company EDF, and reactor corrosions, France plans to build a new fleet of EPR reactors. France’s government may switch funds from social housing to the cause of propping up the nuclear industry.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Biden says three aerial ‘objects’ US shot down likely not related to China surveillance. EU Commission abandons plans to sanction Russia’s nuclear industry. Ukraine approves second sanctions package targeting Russian nuclear industry Post-war Ukraine – a triumphal land owned by Western business corporations. Iran denies enriching uranium to 84 percent purity amid IAEA row. Iranians Caught Between Optimism, Pessimism Over Nuclear Talks.

Nuclear zealout Jonathan Mead touts nuclear-powered submarines- Australia to have “full control” – (oh yeah?). 7.30 Report: Sarah Ferguson Opens Up New Perspectives on the AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Deal.

SAFETY. Turkey’s Akkuyu nuclear power plant – a useless and dangerous prestige project?. Concerns over the construction of a nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, Turkey, due to its proximity to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake’s epicentre. Quake revives debate over Turkey’s nuclear plant Japan to extend life of nuclear power stations, and also. remove rules specifying the operational periods of reactors. Operational life of Finland’s nuclear reactors extended till 2050, and wastes to be stored onsite till 2090. Sizewell B nuclear station switched off for 66 days for maintenance work. Extending more than two nuclear reactors is dangerous, says deputy prime minister Gilkinet.

SECRETS and LIES. Pentagon testing mass surveillance balloons across the US. Watchdogs File FOIA Request for Holtec’s Secretive “Regulatory Path to Reauthorize Power Operations at Palisades Nuclear Plant”. Ukraine Hawk Who Heads European Commission Has a Nazi Pedigree She Does Not Want You to Know About.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. NASA Gets High on Its Nuclear Supply. NATO reveals new space fleet.

SPINBUSTER. Japan PM Kishida tells ministers to assuage public concerns over nuclear policy. Object downed by US missile may have been amateur hobbyists’ $12 balloon. What We Know About The US Air Force’s Balloon Party So Far.

WASTES. The World’s Dumping Ground for Nuclear Waste Doesn’t Want Fukushima’s Wastewater. Dumping 1M gallons of radioactive water in Hudson is ‘best option,’ per Indian Point nuclear plant owner.

WAR and CONFLICT. The Horrifying Endgame in Ukraine. Betting on Ukraine victory was ‘suicidal’ – Seymour Hersh. Ukraine ‘peace petition’ backed by nearly half a million Germans.    American Architect of the Ukraine War Gives Go Ahead to Attack Crimea. NATO to participate in Ukraine war “for as long as it takes”.     Why the US seeks War with China by 2025.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. 

February 21, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 7 Comments

TODAY Complacency about nuclear safety – a killer waiting to strike!

Worrying about Chernobyl, Fukushima, Three Mile Island, Santa Susana, Windscale, Church Rock, Tokaimura , Maya…. all those devastating nuclear accidents? That’s so old-fashioned!

True – caesium, strontium, plutonium, americium, cobalt. iodine 131,polonium – these are killer isotopes produced by nuclear fission- and released bit by bit in the nuclear fuel cycle – or suddenly in an accident.

But, aw shucks, our big boys, nuclear engineers etc – they can cope with all that. I mean some of them (though not all nuclear engineers), think that the safety rules should be relaxed. After all, how can the nuclear industry survive if we keep strict rules on when old reactors must be shut down?

And more to the point, well – I hate to break this secret news, but really, nobody can afford the financial cost of shutting down creaky old reactors, and disposing of the pools and canisters of highly toxic radioactive trash.

So much cheaper and easier to just keep it all going – at least until the next nuclear disaster!(when with any luck, our children, not us, will cop the pain and the cost)

So – thinking along these lines:

  • Finland will extend the life of its nuclear reactors by over 20 years, and its “intermediate” wastes onsite until 2090. (“Intermediate” is  a nicer word for “highly toxic”)
  •   Japan to extend life of nuclear power stations, and also remove rules specifying the operational periods of reactors.
  • France planning to allow its nuclear reactors to operate beyond 60 years, despite its current problems of corrosion and cracks.
  • Belgium, already dodgy in its safety assessments, plans to delay phaseout of its nuclear reactors.
  • Russia?  The mind boggles –  Russia has traditionally been slack on nuclear safety. Is it any better now?
  • Ukraine?  Omigawd!   THey want to build new ones!
  • Oh and Turkey’s going ahead building its Akkuya nuclear power station, all too near to the  7.8 magnitude earthquake’s epicentre.  

All this while global heating threatens all the nuclear power plans situated on coastlines – as sea level rises. While global heating threatens to deprive nuclear reactors of the water supply they need for cooling, threatens to make them shut down as temperatures rise, threaten them with floods, wildfires, and other weather extremes

February 18, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

TODAY Bewdy! It’s gonna happen sooner than we thought. Just like Ukraine does against Russia, Australia will fight America’s war against China.

Isn’t it exciting?

We thought that it would take a while, for little ole Australia (population under 26 million), to become important on the world stage. I mean, most Americans are amazed that we speak English: that’s because they’ve heard of Austria, but not of Australia. Until now.

I mean, Ukraine (pop.44 million) was pretty much ignored, but now it’s big-time. They are “weakening” Russia, and isolating Russia culturally from Europe. Having their own country utterly trashed, environmentally, financially, health-wise, and morally – a small price to pay for being famous.

Australia can achieve the same. Right now, America is plying Australia with propaganda, weaponry and marines, and war games, and best of all, nuclear weapons. Despite international law, these can be based in Australia ‘temporarily”. Australians can’t know when or where the U.S. nukes will be. Fortunately, it is nearly Footee Season, so Australians won’t care anyway.

Australia’s war against China needs to happen soon, (though, preferably, some sort of delicate balance should happen in Ukraine first).

It needs to happen soon, before China becomes even more alarmed, and develops long-range nuclear missiles that could strike too many American bases and cities. Better to have China just focus on hitting Australia. Australia’s current Prime Minister is a bit of a wimp. We need our own charismatic Zelensky – but Peter Dutton might do?

February 15, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

This week in nuclear news

A bit of good news. Good news about global warming: The public’s paying attention.


Coronavirus. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update

Climate. 

Climate change is triggering more earthquakes. Big Oil’s interests are a factor.

Nuclear. Insanity rules?  America going gaga about a balloon. Turkey pressing on with nuclear reactor build – all too handy to the earthquake zone.   Australia looking forward to its war against China. Ukraine thinking it would be nice to bomb Crimea – and that’s OK with the Yanks.  

Christina notes. Hooray – Australia’s cultural cringe is over! We’re gonna be important, like Ukraine! The evil of the nuclear industry – France to transfer public interest savings funds to the nuclear industry?

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CLIMATE. Ann Darling: Nuclear power is no answer to anything our ailing planet needs. France in new row with Germany and Spain.   Leak: France wins recognition for nuclear in EU’s green hydrogen rules.      France wants to call nuclear-derived hydrogen “clean”. When the Great Tide returns. Twice as Much Land in Developing Nations Will be Swamped by Rising Seas than Previously Projected, New Research Shows.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Night carnival in London calls for Julian Assange’s release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJaq08VHJk4    Ukraine purges libraries of Russian-language books – official.

ECONOMICS. Poland might have tax-payer fund its ambitious nuclear plans, and hope that investors might come in later. Marketing: Russia marketing nuclear reactors to Myanmar. Cameco Agrees to New Deal With Ukraine’s Nuclear Energy Utility.


EMPLOYMENT. Young people want to work in genuinely clean industries.

ENERGY. Renewables In China Trend Upward While Nuclear Trends Flat. US announces first transfer of seized Russian assets to Kiev. Solar’s stunning journey from lab curiosity to global juggernaut wiping out fossil fuels.

ENVIRONMENT. Campaigners claim permit change at Hinkley Point would kill billions of fish. Fear for fish: EDF plan for Hinkley project means ‘enormous tragedy’ for ecosystem. Japan Plans to Dump Fukushima Wastewater Into a Pacific With a Toxic Nuclear History.

HEALTH. Health status of the population living in the zone of influence of radioactive waste repositories . Radioactive releases from the nuclear power sector and implications for child health. ‘Downwind’: How Did America Create Its Own Nuclear Disaster?

HUMAN RIGHTS. Emerging Environmental Justice Issues in Nuclear Power and Radioactive Contamination.

LEGAL. Neo-Nazi previously implicated in plot to attack nuclear plants now arrested for planning grid sabotage around Baltimore. U.S. Court of Appeals rejects New Mexico’s challenge to Nuclear Waste License . Greenpeace will sue the European Commission over its decision to include gas and nuclear as “clean”. Outline of Greenpeace’s legal arguments against including gas and nuclear in the EU Taxonomy.

MEDIA. Media ‘Spy Balloon’ Obsession a Gift to China Hawks.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Highlands Against Nuclear Power (HANP).

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Setting the Record Straight; Stuff You Should Know About Ukraine. Ballooning paranoia: The China threat hits the skies.   The United States and China Still Need to Talk About Nuclear Weapons.   China’s spy balloon can help deflate US nuclear tensions with Beijing.     
The US Department of Energy has made it

 easier to share nuclear information with Mexico and harder to do so for Colombia and Egypt.  EU’s Top Diplomat Says 

Iranian Deal Is Only Way to Stop Tehran’s Nuclear Program.

PROTESTS. No to US nukes in Britain: CND is returning to Lakenheath, 20 May 2023!

SAFETY. French minister confirms plans to extend nuclear lifetimes. Continuing with Akkuyu nuclear plant in seismic Turkey would be reckless. Fears of ‘catastrophic’ nuclear horror as Turkey’s reactor rocked by horror earthquake. Japan: Cabinet adopts policy of using nuclear reactors beyond 60-year limit. Incident. That time Northern California had a near nuclear accident.

SECRETS and LIES. Illegal organ market is a lucrative business in war-torn Ukraine.

SPINBUSTER. High-altitude surveillance — even balloons — is nothing new. So why the fuss?

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Another sign of madness? – thermonuclear propulsion technology to power a rocket to Mars. 

WAR and CONFLICT. We’ve Never Been Closer to Nuclear Catastrophe—Who Gains by Ignoring It? Australia safest country to survive nuclear apocalypse – except for it being a military target.   The US is preparing Australia to fight its war against China. Australia’s Taiwan nightmare.  Aukus fallout: as US-China tensions grow, Australians reveal mixed feelings about nuclear submarine pact.

Endgame is going on in Ukraine crisis. US defense official flags ‘no objections’ to Kiev attacking Crimea.Here’s eight reasons why the US has no interest in pushing for peace in Ukraine. Did Volodymyr Zelensky call for ‘preventive nuclear strikes’ against Russia? Not exactly. US role in Kiev’s artillery warfare identified – media. 

CNN video: NATO rehearses war with Russia in neighboring Estonia Dr. Helen Caldicott Says The World Is Closer To Nuclear Annihilation Than Ever Before. Would YOUR neighborhood be targeted in a nuclear attack? Official map shows the 2,000 locations across the US most at risk. 

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. Russia closes down the world’s largest nuclear-powered strategic submarine (they don’t say where the radioactive wastes go). U.S. Test Launches ICBM Into Pacific as Part of Nuclear ‘Deterrence Mission’ If Arms Control Collapses, US and Russian Strategic Nuclear Arsenals Could Double In Size. 

New Report Unpacks Dangers of Emerging Military Tech, From AI Nukes to Killer Robots. US takes another step toward gearing up nuclear plutonium weapons core factory. Much-hyped tanks for Ukraine are in short supply. Elon Musk’s SpaceX Cuts Support for Ukrainian Military but continues work for U.S. military. North Korea shows off largest-ever number of nuclear missiles at anniversary parade. Three years without one single on-site US nuclear weapons inspection at base for Northern Fleet ballistic missile submarines.

February 13, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. The evil of the nuclear industry – France to transfer public interest savings funds to the nuclear industry?

Just when I think that the nuclear industry can’t sink any further into hypocrisy and depravity – it comes up with a new trick against the poor and against the public good.

France – such a leader in many good things – philosophy, cheese, etc – has also been a leader in nuclear evil – nuclear colonialism. And now the nuke-obsessed French government comes up with an evil trick against its own population – to transfer Livre A social benefit savings to the nuclear industry.

France’s Livret A savings accounts are a unique system that enable any adult or child in the country to have a simple tax-free savings account . The system has been going for 200 years, and is used to provide funds for social benefit measures, especially social housing.

What’s a Livret A in France? Livret A is a simple savings account with instant withdrawal access that’s historically been very popular in France, a kind of on demand tax free savers account. In May 2022, there were 55 million accounts holding a total amount of 358,8 billion euros between them.  French families felt confident in these government backed accounts that are easy to open while making a difference for the country. They are a great idea for kids and grand kids; for the first car or a deposit on a house later.

February 11, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes, France | 4 Comments

TODAY. Hooray – Australia’s cultural cringe is over! We’re gonna be important, like Ukraine!

Bewdy, mate!

For a long time, we thought we wasn’t as good as other countries. I mean – we have to live near to all those yellow and brown people, who speak Asian languages and can’t even talk proper Strine (that’s Australian lingo)

But we have shown we was tough, – we wiped out heaps of blackfellas.

However, lately the blacks have got uppity, and so have the women. Hell, we even had a woman Prime Minister for a while. Things haven’t been real good for real blokes.

By the way, good to see the back of that Jacinda Adern, back in the bedroom and kitchen, where a woman belongs

Anyway, proper Australian blokes can hold their heads up high, now. Australia’s not frittering away its money on soppy stuff – education, health, welfare. Nah – we’re buying $171 billion of nuclear submarines, and lots of secret stuff for Pine Gap. And we’re welcoming American tough guys and their stuff to Northern Australia – and buying everything we can from our favourite shops – Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Thales, NorthropGrumman. (check this all out at The US is preparing Australia to fight its war against China).

Best of all – we’re learning something we’d forgotten during the namby-pamby decades – how to hate the Chinks.

And, thanks to our best mate the USA, we’re gonna run a war against China. USA will sell us all the weapons, and we’ll show that we can do the brave fighting. And Australia will at last really be BigTime.

Our Prime Minister will be adored by the Western world, and strut around the world in the limelight, just like Zelensky.

Though I’m not sure that P.M Anthony Albanese will be up to it. Bring back Scott Morrison, or better still, Peter Dutton.

February 9, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

Nuclear news – week to February 7th

Some bits of good news. What went right this week: reviving Britain’s ‘lost’ rainforests, Europe embraced slow travel, and the UK’s green sector defied the economic gloom, plus more.Coronavirus. When will COVID stop being a global emergency?

Climate. How Ocean Heat Ends The Human Experiment.   An apology to my grandkids for not fighting in the war of our times.

Nuclear.  What can I say?  Nations. led by the gun-obsessed, belligerent, America – prepare for war, and spend $squillions on nuclear weapons. We all know that Ukraine is a tinder-box of nuclear reactors –   and yet the USA is busily organising for Westinghouse to build a fleet of nuclear reactors there –   because we all know, don’t we, that nuclear power is so safe

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ART and CULTURE. Twin threats to the Marshallese.

CLIMATE. Sea level rise will threaten UK coastal towns.   Climate hypocrisy: UAE oil company employees given roles in office hosting Cop28.

ECONOMICS. 

Top UK pension funds refuse to invest in Sizewell C nuclear plan, despite government enticements. Nuclear too expensive and not needed. 

Marketing. Death and Japan’s nuclear shelter salesman.      Ukraine planning for two $5 billion Westinghouse AP 1000 reactors, part of USA marketing a fleet of new nuclear reactors to Ukraine!       South Korea to sell 40 trilion won ($32.55 billion) nuclear power plant to Turkey. China marketing nuclear reactors to Pakistan.

EMPLOYMENT. French nuclear availability reduced by 1.1 GW as strike gets under way– EDF.

ENVIRONMENT. International group of scientists warns nuclear radiation has devastating impacts on ecosystems.

ETHICS and RELIGION. Roundtable: Making nuclear injustice an agenda for change.

HEALTH. Military probing link between nuclear silo work, cancers.

MEDIA. Why the western media is afraid of Julian Assange. The dark truths WikiLeaks revealed w/Stefania Maurizi | The Chris Hedges Report – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nbTlZRin78         Facebook Protects Nazis to Protect Ukraine Proxy War. Celebrities Protect The Interests Of The Empire– Caitlin Johnstone.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR . Nuclear must not be part of Cromartry Firth freeport vision.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

African states meet in South Africa to discuss UN Nuclear Ban Treaty. Morocco committed to elimination of nuclear weapons – Envoy speaks at African seminar on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, in Pretoria.

The Last Existing U.S.-Russia Nuclear Treaty Could Soon Fail.  NATO recruits South Korea for war against Russia. 

Tulsi Gabbard on the Truth of President Zelensky – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A2Gmiya-Uk             Ukraine is sinking. Is the West about to bail out? West Blocked Ukraine Peace Deal, Says Former Israeli PM. 

US Surrounds China With War Machinery While Freaking Out About Balloons. China expresses dissatisfaction and protest over US shooting down civilian airship; US sets bad precedent.     US makes diplomatic move targeting China. China objects to more nuclear sub talks among UK, U.S, Australia. 

 France tries to label nuclear as “renewable” in push to the EU for nuclear-produced hydrogen. 

Iran and the West clash over IAEA report on Fordow nuclear plant. UK, France, Germany, USA urge Iran to meet all reporting obligations on its nuclear facilities. 

USA to set up 4 new military bases in the Philippines. 

RADIATION. Indian Point Expert Forum: Dr. Helen Caldicott –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M27YdJ3pbD4&t=165s         Australia radioactive capsule: Missing material more common than you think. Missing radioactive capsule found in Western Australia. Bill Gates’ profitable involvement in the nuclear industry, even in radiation detection equipment.

SAFETY. Blasts near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Takahama nuclear reactor in Fukui halted after alert goes off, Incompetence in the nuclear submarine industry. Belgium looks to extend lives of oldest nuclear reactors. France approves study on extending nuclear reactors’ life.

SECRETS and LIES. Taking up Hilda’s Torch: Robert Green’s account of his contribution to the 1988/9 Hinkley C Inquiry – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7lSnFdWxUY Iran says France should inform the world how Israel obtained nuclear arms.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. There’s no planet B. NASA and DARPA are working on a nuclear-powered rocket that could go to Mars.

SPINBUSTER. NewsReal: Chinese Balloon: It’s All About The Optics – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM-4DieQHlE&t=100s

  TECHNOLOGY  . GE Hitachi group announce contract for grid-scale small nuclear reactor, requiring large taxpayer subsidy .   Scepticism on the enthusiastic claims about nuclear fusion.

WASTES. France: what to do as its nuclear waste site risks saturation point?

WAR and CONFLICT. Avoiding a Long War- the RAND corporation report. Chris Hedges: Ukraine: The War That Went Wrong. The Unwarranted Ukraine Proxy War: A Year Later. The logic behind the terror: Why does Ukraine keep attacking civilian areas in Donetsk? Victory or Valhalla: NATO troops in “huge war games” 80 miles from Russia.  Pentagon will allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at will.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. This Time It’s Different. A Costly and Prolonged Cold War Now Seems a Certainty. 324 Tanks, Now NATO Readies Warplanes and Entire Domestic Economies for Ukraine. Ukraine’s Tank Problem – a “game changer” – REALLY?. Target Crimea: U.S. to send Ukraine missiles with twice previous range . Budget cuts have left UK’s military’s stores bare: General says Britain would run out of ammo in a day if it fought Russia -Britain buying ammo from South Asia to support Ukraine. Aukus- Australia: Biden urged to fast-track research into submarines using non-weapons grade uranium

February 6, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

On the brink: nuclear news – week to 31 January

Some bits of good news. What went right this week: ‘positive tipping points’. England got a new rewilding site.        Cancer Plummets, Guinea Worm Eradicated, Bye-Bye Ebola—3 Huge Wins for Humanity.

The polycrisis is upon us……. pandemic, global heating, nuclear fear, plastic and chemical pollution, biodiversity loss,  overpopulation, water shortage ….. all these are interrelated. As Alex Smith shows us, in Radio Ecoshock – this all might develop into a permacrisis. My own thought  is that it’s no wonder that many young people have  problems of anxiety and depression – in our culture focussed on individualism, money, and endless growth.

Nuclear. This newsletter is miles too long. But it’s a critical time- teetering on the brink of nuclear war. Tanks going into Ukraine – a futile symbol for Zelensky’s dream of conquering Russia, – while underneath it all, rumblings of a cease-fire deal between USA-NATO and Russia, before it all gets a lot worse.

Christina notes:  World War 3 danger – it’s getting so like pre World War 1 – can it get any worse? Nuclear toys for the boys. What fun!      Nuclear fusion – here’s where history, culture, and nuclear annihilation technology collide.

   

CLIMATE. The first breach of 1.5°C will be a temporary but devastating failure. Absurd that we listen to those causing the climate crisis’ in Davos, says Greta Thunberg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU6vQXif5Xo  The ‘all-of-the-above’ story used to sneak nuclear power in as a climate-action technology along with renewables . Suffolk: Sizewell C nuclear ‘should not get licence’ due to coastal erosion.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Julian Assange and the US government’s war on whistleblowers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOC-c0QdfEo . The Belmarsh Tribunals Demand Justice for Julian Assange. UK police powers increased, to shut down climate protests. UK govt to tighten anti-protest restrictions, despite criticism from human rights groups .

CULTURE. The dirty secret of US nuclear energy.

ECONOMICS. As the war rages on and military spending booms, the US arms industry is a big winner in Ukraine. 

Marketing: South Korea keen to market nuclear technology to United Arab Emirates, and missile technology, too. Poland’s energy company agrees to buy France’s NOT YET DESIGNED so-called “small” Nuward nuclear reactor! 

The British government’s Regulated Asset Base – the test case for reviving its nuclear power dream. “Great British Nuclear “- it’s high time that they came clean on what this will cost. 

As SMR developer X-energy moves to go public, merger partner Ares cautions investors about risks of small nuclear reactors.   David Schlissel: Small modular reactor project likely to end badly for Utah utilities.

EMPLOYMENT. The French nuclear sector up against the wall in terms of recruitment.

ENERGY. Germany aims for faster expansion of wind energy, not nuclear.  Prolonged outages of France’s nuclear reactors.  Renewable energy is the only credible path forward -António Guterres.  Four separate reports show that the UK could save over €120 bn by 2050 by switching to a renewable energy strategy.

ENVIRONMENT. Campaigners fear changes at Hinkley Point C ‘could kill millions of fish every day’. Japan’s Plan To Discharge Water From Fukushima Nuclear Plant Faces Pacific Opposition

HEALTH. Julian Assange’s Biggest Fight in Notorious Prison Isn’t Over Extradition.     The WHO is urging countries to start stockpiling medicines for ‘nuclear emergencies’ after the EU’s latest warning on Ukraine war. WHO updates critical medicines list for radiological and nuclear emergencies.         Investigation underway after nine nuclear missileers develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Nuclear strike chief seeks cancer review of launch officers.

 LEGAL. Fukushima: court upholds acquittals of three Tepco executives over disaster.       UK High Court to hear challenge against plans for Sizewell C nuclear station.            The Ohio nuclear scandal: Davis-Besse and Perry power plants in northern Ohio couldn’t cover costs, let alone make a profit.            Appeals Court Tosses Suit from Environmentalists, Midland Oil Company Contesting Nuclear Waste Storage Permit.

MEDIA. New documentary film ‘Downwind’ explores why testing, using nuclear weapons makes deadly mistakes .

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Nuclear Fusion Won’t Save the Climate But It Might Blow Up the World. The Nuclear Fallacy: Why Small Modular Reactors Can’t Compete With Renewable Energy.    U.S. approves design for NuScale small modular nuclear reactor, but significant problems remain.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Demonstrators gather in Hamburg against threat of nuclear confrontation in Ukraine.

PERSONAL STORIES. ‘The day the desert wind cried‘: French nuclear tests cast long shadow in Libyan Sahara.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY.  Documents show no sign Albanese government lobbied the US to bring Julian Assange home. The Problem With Primacy – America’s Dangerous Quest to Dominate the Pacific. “Chinese Aggression” Sure Looks An Awful Lot Like US Aggression. Can Talks with China about Nuclear Weapons Be Constructive? 

USA tries to prevent a Russian offensive in Ukraine by offering a sort of war endgame deal to Russia. Diplomatic Cables Show Russia Saw NATO Expansion as a Red Line. WikiLeaks cables reveal NATO intended to cross all Russian red lines. 

Pacific islands urge Japan to delay release of nuclear plant waste water. France promises to speed up handover of colonial archives and clean up nuclear test sites in Algeria.

SAFETY. 

SECRETS and LIES. In Just Under Three Weeks, Ukrainian-Fired Prohibited “Petal” Mines Maim At Least 44 Civilians, Kill 2, in Donetsk Region.    Man arrested on suspicion of terror offences after uranium found at Heathrow.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. Geopolitics’ New Frontier in Space. NATO activating space war center in France. New NASA Nuclear Rocket Plan Aims to Get to Mars in Just 45 Days. Nuclear-powered rockets to Mars – there are serious safety risks. NASA partners with the military to test nuclear fission-powered spacecraft engine by 2027.

SPINBUSTER. A bit of panic in the UK small nuclear reactor lobby?

TECHNOLOGY. Canadian MP Charlie Angus Questions the Claims of SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7nR4P39ALo.   

WASTES.  Don’t dump on us. China urges Japan to safely dispose of nuclear-contaminated water.          France’s nuclear waste agency applies to create a long-term underground storage in Eastern France. France issues a 10,000-page dossier to convince people of the safety of the Cigeo nuclear waste site.              US sweetens pot to study siting for spent nuclear fuel. Diluted plutonium disposed of at Carlsbad nuclear waste site as program draws controversy. Many years for removal and disposal of radioactive waste from historic subterranean vaults at Berkeley nuclear power station.

WAR and CONFLICT.  

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. SCOTT RITTER: The Nightmare of NATO Equipment Being Sent to Ukraine. CNN: Ukraine Has Become a ‘Weapons Lab’ for Western Arms . Ukraine Narrative Fraying, But Weapons Will Continue To Flow. AP: NATO powers, Ukraine in “fast-track” talks for long-range missiles, warplanes . Ukraine war boon/boondoggle for U.S. arms makers, Pentagon’s warfighting capabilities.  

 Biden to send 31 Abrams tanks, Germany 14 Leopards for war in Ukraine — . Germany Says US Must Lead Way On Tanks For Ukraine, As Republican Party Also Piles On Pressure . Ukraine: Germany spearheads delivery of 90 tanks from NATO allies, partners .    Finnish arms to Turkey in NATO quid pro quo, tanks to Ukraine next.    Ukraine intensifies pressure on Georgia to enter war: ruling party leader .  German foreign minister: “We are fighting a war against Russia” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCJUf5d6UfE.

Nuclear submarines deal for Australia, an exercise in futility and should be sunk.  Push in US Congress to exempt Australia from International Traffic in Arms Regulations, so that it can import nuclear submarines. 

Nuclear Notebook: United States nuclear weapons, 2023.  Pentagon can’t account for $220 billion in govt property, fails fifth audit. It comes down to weapons.

Plutonium Pit Bomb Plans Excoriated by General Accounting Office.

 Cost Estimate for Plutonium Pit Project at Savannah River Site Hits $16.5 Billion, $5 Billion above Current Estimate . 

US Installs New Nukes in Europe: As Destructive as 83 Hiroshima Bombs. 

The US has a new nuclear proliferation problem: South Korea. The Disastrous Downsides of South Korea Building Nuclear Weapons. 

January 30, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 3 Comments

TODAY. Nuclear fusion – here’s where history, culture, and nuclear annihilation technology collide

“Had we not pursued the hydrogen bomb,” Edward Teller once said, “there is a very real threat that we would now all be speaking Russian. I have no regrets.”

Edward Teller’s fervour for nuclear weapons was equalled by his zealous hatred of Russia.

So – here we have a man who was both a brilliant thinker in physics, and psychologically harmed by his early experience of the brutal Soviet regime in Hungary.

The Soviet, and later, the Nazi cruelties in Hungary left this young Jewish boy with a lifelong distrust and fear of Russia, and of dictatorships. This all culminated in his belief in mass destruction as the way to go – to threaten, or use against Russia

Hence the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and nuclear fusion. And the USA government is still following Teller’s beliefs today.

The other day, I wrote about the way in which the national alliances are gearing up, just as they did in 1914, to make war inevitable – should there be just one inflammatory incident.

Today, I realise yet again, how the nuclear industry is intrinsically bound with weapons and war. That realisation is because of some new de-hyping of nuclear fusion, by Joshua Frank- Nuclear Fusion Won’t Save the Climate But It Might Blow Up the World.

Over recent weeks, the media has been exultant about nuclear fusion. It will “solve climate change” “provide boundless cheap, clean energy”. At the same time, we’re bombarded with media items about the wonders-to-be of small nuclear reactors, and also about the absolute necessity of nuclear power to save us from global heating.

Even the corporate media has had to mention a few drawbacks of nuclear power – cost, delays, public opposition, safety risks (especially in war zones). Even the corporate media has had to pull back a bit from their glorification of nuclear fusion .

But until Joshua Frank came along, no-one had made clear the whole purpose of nuclear fusion is so that America can develop a weapon that will threaten, intimidate, and possibly annihilate the Russians, or the Chinese.

Joshua Frank asks this question about nuclear fusion – “what’s really going on here?“

And he finds that -some clues lie in history – the development of the thermonuclear bomb in 1952 by Edward Teller – in fact, a fission explosion that initiated a fusion reaction..

That’s what the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and its fusion is really all about – creating, at tax-payer expense – Instruments of Death.

January 28, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. World War 3 danger – it’s getting so like pre World War 1 – can it get any worse?

Historians argue about the causes of World War 1. But the immediate kick-off for WW1 was the assassination of the heir to Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Bad enough , but why did it have to plunge the world into a devastating war, with 20 million deaths and 20 million injured?

The thing is – the armies of the Allied Powers and the Central Powers – 7 belligerent nations – numbered millions of soldiers, ready for war. As well, there was the buildup of new weapons, and naval strength

What on earth to do with it all? The simplest clearest solution – have a war!

We are back in the same situation as before World War 1. We have the same set-up – a large number of nations forming alliances, pledged to fight along with each other – all it requires is one incident to set the great conflagration off. Without the massive buildup of belligerent weaponised military, that one incident, that assassination on 28 June 1914, that wholesale conflagration could not have happened. With that huge military power at the ready – any incident would set it off.

All the learned “analysts” can discuss the underlying causes of WW1, but the immediate cause , – dealing with the military buildup and alliances, made WW1 pretty much inevitable. And now it’s happening again. As the tanks roll into Ukraine, the world might be lucky enough to dodge this bullet.

But don’t worry – there’ll be a Taiwan bullet waiting for us next.

January 25, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

This week’s nuclear news

Some bits of good news. Eight things that went right this week, including big energy and health wins. Once Biologically Dead, the River Mersey in England is “Best Environmental Story in Europe”.

Pandemic. The world needs a COP-like process for pandemic preparedness

Climate.  A few pieces of good news on climate change (and a reality check)

Nuclear.  Am I the only one who thinks that it’s a bit bizarre to see the World Nuclear News bragging about new nuclear reactors going ahead in Ukraine –     just as the IAEA staff are tearing their hair out about the dangers of nuclear reactors in Ukraine?

Christina notes: Nuclear toys for the boys. What fun! To ramp up militarism, (and the USA weapons corporations) the US Congress might decide to dump Regulations on Traffic in Nuclear Weapons.

CLIMATE. The first breach of 1.5°C will be a temporary but devastating failure. Absurd that we listen to those causing the climate crisis’ in Davos, says Greta Thunberg. The ‘all-of-the-above’ story used to sneak nuclear power in as a climate-action technology along with renewables . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU6vQXif5Xo Suffolk: Sizewell C nuclear ‘should not get licence’ due to coastal erosion.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. UK police powers increased, to shut down climate protests. UK govt to tighten anti-protest restrictions, despite criticism from human rights groups .

ECONOMICS. As the war rages on and military spending booms, the US arms industry is a big winner in Ukraine.    Marketing: South Korea keen to market nuclear technology to United Arab Emirates, and missile technology, too. Poland’s energy company agrees to buy France’s NOT YET DESIGNED so-called “small” Nuward nuclear reactor!  

The British government’s Regulated Asset Base – the test case for reviving its nuclear power dream. “Great British Nuclear “- it’s high time that they came clean on what this will cost.       David Schlissel: Small modular reactor project likely to end badly for Utah utilities.

EMPLOYMENT. The French nuclear sector up against the wall in terms of recruitment.

ENERGY. Germany aims for faster expansion of wind energy, not nuclear. Prolonged outages of France’s nuclear reactors. Renewable energy is the only credible path forward -António Guterres. Four separate reports show that the UK could save over €120 bn by 2050 by switching to a renewable energy strategy.

HEALTH. Investigation underway after nine nuclear missileers develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

LEGAL. Fukushima: court upholds acquittals of three Tepco executives over disaster. UK High Court to hear challenge against plans for Sizewell C nuclear station

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. The Nuclear Fallacy: Why Small Modular Reactors Can’t Compete With Renewable Energy. U.S. approves design for NuScale small modular nuclear reactor, but significant problems remain.

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Demonstrators gather in Hamburg against threat of nuclear confrontation in Ukraine.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. The Problem With Primacy – America’s Dangerous Quest to Dominate the Pacific.     Diplomatic Cables Show Russia Saw NATO Expansion as a Red Line. Pacific islands urge Japan to delay release of nuclear plant waste water.

SAFETY.

SECRETS and LIES. Man arrested on suspicion of terror offences after uranium found at Heathrow.

SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. NATO activating space war center in France. New NASA Nuclear Rocket Plan Aims to Get to Mars in Just 45 Days

SPINBUSTER. A bit of panic in the UK small nuclear reactor lobby?

TECHNOLOGY. Canadian MP Charlie Angus Questions the Claims of SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7nR4P39ALo

WASTES. 

      WAR and CONFLICT. US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT.       Ukraine: Is the Hammer About to Fall?.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. CNN: Ukraine Has Become a ‘Weapons Lab’ for Western Arms . Ukraine Narrative Fraying, But Weapons Will Continue To Flow. Ukraine war boon/boondoggle for U.S. arms makers, Pentagon’s warfighting capabilities.        Germany Says US Must Lead Way On Tanks For Ukraine, As Republican Party Also Piles On Pressure         Nuclear Notebook: United States nuclear weapons, 2023.

Nuclear submarines deal an exercise in futility and should be sunk.   Push in US Congress to exempt Australia from International Traffic in Arms Regulations, so that it can import nuclear submarines.

 Plutonium Pit Bomb Plans Excoriated by General Accounting Office.  Pentagon can’t account for $220 billion in govt property, fails fifth audit. US Installs New Nukes in Europe: As Destructive as 83 Hiroshima Bombs.    

The US has a new nuclear proliferation problem: South Korea. The Disastrous Downsides of South Korea Building Nuclear Weapons. It comes down to weapons.

January 24, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. To ramp up militarism, (and the USA weapons corporations) the US Congress might decide to dump Regulations on Traffic in Nuclear Weapons

What a great idea – not!

So that Australia (big in size but small in population, and even smaller in political brains) can pay $squillions to USA companies – for nuclear submarines that are useless for Australia, – well the US Congress could just change the rules.

Oh heck – Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Syria , Ukraine, ………who knows who else – would be happy to know that these rules have been dumped.

After all, who cares about the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty?

First you buy your nuclear-powered submarines from the USA. Then you put weapons on them. Then later – as your nuclear activities develop (to support your submarines) – then just add nuclear weapons to your subs.

Easy peasy – and it’s sort of democratic. Why shouldn’t everybody have a right to nuclear weapons?

January 21, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

TODAY. Nuclear toys for the boys. What fun!

I’ve just been trawling through this weighty article – Nuclear Notebook: United States nuclear weapons, 2023. Yes, it’s quite an ordeal, trying to follow the machinations of the American nuclear-weapons-toys-boys, as explained in excruciating detail by Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda..

It all boils down to the fact that these tiny male brains think that it’s great fun to have these toys, play with them, tease and intimidate other boys with them, but of course, never use them.

Of course, it’s not just the Americans – it’s the Russians, Chinese, French, and oh boy, aren’t the Israelis itching to scare Iran? Mohammed Bin Salman? Wow – those Middle East boys are so ready to play this infantile, but suicidal, game.

Is it too late for women to take over this world, before the ecocide happens?

On January 24, 2023 at 10 a.m. EST, the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will make the 2023 Doomsday Clock announcement.

January 16, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

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