nuclear-news

Today: Should the responsibility for nuclear pollution stop at a nation’s border?

I was prompted to think about this question, as I read this morning about Denmark deciding to buy two million iodine tablets to protect people in the event of a nuclear accident in a nearby country.

I mean – Denmark doesn’t have any nuclear reactors.

Denmark has neighbouring countries that do have nuclear reactors, Sweden and Germany. And there are nuclear-powerd ships travelling in Danish waters.

Ukraine has nuclear reactors over 900 km from Denmark. And we’re all rather worried about them. A nuclear catastrophe there would pollute a large swathe of Europe, – as we already learned, with the nuclear accident in Chernobyl in 1986.

So – Denmark’s government worries about Ukraine, and maybe should be worried about a number of nuclear-reactor countries, much closer ones.

In the nuclear csatastrophe world – that we are all desperately hoping to avoid – ”national sovereignty ‘ suddenly doesn’t seem to mean much.

April 12, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Nuclear news – week to 12 April

 Some bits of good news .     Why the latest UN climate report is positive news .    New research shows planting trees and shrubs brings woodland birds back to farms, from superb fairy wrens to spotted pardalotes .    Climate change: greener lifestyles linked to greater happiness – in both rich and poor countries.  Annual bird count in UK gardens raises hopes for greenfinch .

Pandemic. It’s not as if the coronavirus has gone away – new sub-variants etc…

Climate. It’s not as if global heating has gone away.

Nuclear. While the Ukraine warseems to consume nearly all the news, there is a swamping of UK nuclear news at present. The mainstream media can be depended on for its usual regurgitation of handouts from the nuclear lobby, masquerading as news. All the same, there’s a surprising flow of information, even from conservative sources, warning that Boris Johnson”s nuclear energy dream looks like turning into a nightmare  –  useless against climate change, increasing the toxic waste problem, of dubious safety. and – shock horror – unaffordable.

The choices: fight to the last Ukrainian, or choose Macron’s dialogue path.    In the midst of war in Ukraine, U.S. and NATO must de-escalate.       Questions Abound About Bucha Massacre.

Pundits Who Advocate Hot War With Russia Are Enemies Of Humanity.  World leaders must look to peaceful solutions, not more weapons. Who speaks for the world? — IPPNW peace and health blogl      Ukraine is ground zero for the expansion of the U.S.-Russia proxy war, (and the war industry is jubilant).   Nuclear missiles, bombs market to surge 73% by 2030, report says, industry worried that international treaties ”might hamper growth”.     ‘Most Dangerous Point in Human History’ Looming, Warns Noam Chomsky.

NATO is punishing China               U.S., NATO push Asia-Pacific bloc against Russia, China, with Ukraine as pretext.
Shortening the kill chain: nuclear-capable U.S. B-52s integrate with NATO Eastern flank states

Protecting the environment to reduce the risk of another pandemic

IPCC ‘s dire warning on climate change is being ignored, amid war and economic turmoil. IPCC new report coming, on limiting global heating. World on ‘fast track to climate disaster’, says UN secretary general – video
 We can still avert climate catastrophe – but there is barely time.

Almost everyone now breathing polluted air, warns WHO

ANTARCTICA. New research links Antarctic ice loss to greenhouse gas emissions,

UKRAINE. Ending Ukraine’s suffering. The decision to negotiate this is up to Ukraine, not the USA.      Ukraine planning to resume control of Chernobyl nuclear site, as Russians withdraw.

Ukraine: Russian troops took Radioactive ‘souvenirs’ from Chernobyl, says agency Russian soldiers in Chernobyl ‘picked up radioactive material with barehands’ and contaminated inside of plant.  Over 70 Russian soldiers suffering from radiation exposure at Chernobyl nuclear site.

Greenpeace maps Ukraine’s nuclear power risks. Zaporizhzhia is a wake-up call demonstrating the vulnerability of nuclear plants to deliberate acts of war.     Why Ukraine’s Nuclear Waste Is A Major Threat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r88prlEbtmg&t=33s

Weapons, weapons and more weapons: Ukrainian FM welcomed at NATO headquarters

JAPAN. Japan to match Germany’s NATO military spending level, develop first external strike ability since WWII .  In Japan, no return to nuclear power any time soon, despite loud voices wanting this,

ITALY. ]NATO military involvement in Ukraine will lead to world war: Italian FM

UK.

• Boris goes all out for UK nuclear. UK government’s energy strategy relying on massive nuclear expansion will fail credibility test. UK government got its energy strategy so wrong. In the UK’s energy plan, the nation has been sold a dud. UK’s new energy strategy will accelerate the development of nuclear power generation . despite Treasury opposition.
• Incompetence of Britain’s leaders, on energy policy. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has hit back at the UK Government’s plans for new nuclear power plants. UK Government should ‘impose’ energy projects on devolved nations says Conservative editor. British government launches a new government body – Great British Nuclear. Britain’s ‘‘underwhelming” energy plan – ‘Great British Nuclear, with no policies on saving energy, nor energy efficiency,
• Expensive nuclear power push ignores chance to cut costs of UK’s electricity system. Nuclear costs will swamp UK Labour’s green energy plans.
• Does EDF really need even more subsidies for Sizewell C nuclear project?
• Elon Musk joins the frenzy for small nuclear reactors in Wales, despite local opposition to nuclear development. Nuclear industry is giving high-risk small modular reactors the hard sell.
• People Against Wylfa B (PAWB) to protest against plan for nuclear reactor on Anglesey island.
• The Windscale nuclear accident 1957, and still not cleaned up. – a warning from history. Cracks found in Torness nuclear power station.
• Expert warning that UK’s nuclear plans mean that there won’t be room for all the new radioactive wastes.   UK government incoherent and inconsistent on energy crisis, and has no solution to the accumulating nuclear wastes. Radioactive Waste Incineration including Intermediate Level Nuclear Wastes 3.9 miles from Preston City Centre?
• Nuclear Free Local Authorities back international challenge to UK nuclear weapons policies in UN Human Rights Council
• Nuclear safety incidents in UK, as inspection numbers fall.
• ” Renewable Energy Foundation (REF)” strongly linked to anti-wind power lobby.

RUSSIA. Would Putin use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine? Kremlin condemns Polish comments on readiness to host nuclear weapons. Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear corporation, exports nuclear fuel to Finland and others – has not been sanctioned by USA and Europe.

MARSHALL ISLANDS. The U.S. Must Take Responsibility for Nuclear Fallout in the Marshall Islands.

USA. 

•  Is the USA , while not directly involved in the war, giving direct instructions to Ukrainian forces?  
  U.S. provides Ukraine thousands of missiles, drones; intelligence for war in Donbass    
•  U. S. House swears loyalty to NATO as bulwark against Russia, China, domestic “proponents of illiberalism”
•   U.S. government high on the narcotic of ”Defense” spending – the war corporations love it !. 
•   US Officials Admit They’re Literally Just Lying To The Public About Russia.     The US Bubble of Pretend- our complacent acceptance of preposterous propaganda about Ukraine.      
•  A $50 billion (bottomless?) pit?  Four public interest groups demand review of production of nuclear weapons ”pits”
• Negligence uncovered at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Station. 
•  What to do with closed Massachusetts nuclear plant’s wastewater?.
• U.S. nuclear electricity generation continues to decline as more reactors retire.
•  Workers evacuated from area of USA’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant nuclear waste repository after ‘abnormal event‘ .

EUROPE. The European Commission Platform on Sustainable Finance concludes that nuclear and gas power are not green.

 “Line between peace and war blurring”: NATO’s new warfighting agenda aims at military superiority for next 20 years/

FRANCE. Emmanuel Macron Gets Nuclear Energy All Wrong. In France, the nuclear waste keeps piling up: new reactors will add to the dilemma. Macron under Putin’s thumb as Russia could CRIPPLE France’s nuclear industry, as it controls uranium supply.

INDIA. India’s Inadvertent Missile Launch Underscores the Risk of Accidental Nuclear Warfare.

CHINA. China Is Accelerating Its Nuclear Buildup Over Rising Fears of U.S. Conflict. Nuclear bunkers are not what they used to be, with earth-penetrating weapons on the rise.

FINLAND. Nuclear waste management: Is Finland’s Onkalo facility safe?

POLAND Poland: Ruling party chief invites nuclear weapons, more U.S. troops

IRAN. Iran blames US for halt to nuclear talks. Iran MPs Set Conditions for Reviving 2015 Nuclear Deal amid Stalled Talks.Iran wants U.S. to show goodwill by lifting some sanctions prior to nuclear deal

SINGAPORE. Singapore’s nuclear power development is far away, relying on unproven reactor designs

GERMANY Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated Germany’s determination to close down all nuclear power stations

NORTH KOREA. The forgotten nuclear threat of North Korea.

PORTUGAL. European Commission takes Portugal to Court to guarantee citizens’ protection from ionising radiation-exposure

SOUTH KOREA. SouthKorea’s president-elect wants U.S. nuclear bombers, submarines to return,

ARGENTINA. Argentina wants China to fully fund $8.3 bln nuclear plant.

UZBEKISTAN. Uzbekistan: Nuclear deal with Russia still on the table despite sanctions. Ukraine War Has Upset Uzbekistan’s Nuclear Plans.

SWITZERLAND. Switzerland plans to bury spent nuclear fuel deep underground in clay.  

AUSTRALIA. FAST TRACK TO ARMAGEDDON — Declassified Australia. AUKUS hypersonic announcement will ‘escalate global tensions’, warns CND

April 11, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Today. Are we CERTAIN that these atrocities in Ukraine were done by Russian soldiers?

30 March, Russian troops leave Bucha. 31st March. Bucha Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk announces that all Russian trroops have gone from Bucha. ”A glorious day” – no mention of bodies littering the streets. New York Times was there, reported only ”dead soldiers and burned vehicles, according to witnesses, Ukrainian officials, satellite images and military analysts.”

2nd April The US and EU-funded Gorshenin Institute online [Ukrainian language] site Left Bank announced that:

‘Special forces have begun a clearing operation in the city of Bucha in the Kyiv region, which has been liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The city is being cleared from saboteurs and accomplices of Russian forces.’

Why did reports of slaughter of civilians appeared only 4 days after the Ukrainians retook the town

The AZOV battalian, known to be made up of Nazis, performed the clearing of ”saboteurs and accompliices”.

Ukraine has such a tortured history of ethnic hatreds – from Tsarist times, Napoleonic invasion, Stalinist repression, Nazi invasion……… no surprise that cruel retaliations continue.

But what is needed is indpendent investigation – not Russophobic knee-jerk propaganda.

April 7, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

Today. Silver lining? War is SO good for shareholders in the nuclear weapons industry

It is SO good . Banks, superannuation funds, savvy financial advisors – why, the’re all putting YOUR money to good use – investing in weapons of all kinds, but especially nuclear!

In the (possibly very ) short run, ya just can’t go wrong. The government payments (using YOUR tax money) are a sure thing for all of them, whether naughty Eastern state-owned corporations, or virtuous Western corporations. What a steady, secure investment !

In the long run, it’s only the kids that mightn’t do so well out of it. But anyway, they don’t matter, do they?

April 4, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Another worrying week in nuclear news

Some bits of good news:Photos show increasing numbers of rare one-horned rhinos in Indian national parkBritain’s butterflies bolstered by conservation efforts.     Indigenous rangers program doubles with $636 million boost .   Back from the brink: Tiny bush carnivore gets a new lease on life.       Ancient rock art site returned to Aboriginal owners — and they’re keen to share it, on their own terms. 

On the nuclear and military scene –   what a mess !  Yes, the Russian invasion is illegal and wrong. And yes, atrocities are being committed, and the Ukrainian people are suffering terribly.  But, I hope that people are becoming aware of the very carefully managed anglophone media coverage, which is emphasising human emotional stories, while not really covering the progress of the war, nor the USA resistance to peace talks..  No other invasion, such as those in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, has been media-manipulated in this way.

Meanwhile – inexplicably, Western governments are pushing for new nuclear reactors at the very time when Ukraine is demonstrating how terribly dangerous they are!

Julian Assange’s family tirelessly advocate for his freedom.

The information war that precedes and complements kinetic war — Anti-bellum .     Ukraine: Transfer of Power Balance from West to East.

. Chernobyl: radiation sickness in soldiers, theft of radioactive materials, wildfires – a frightening case of the multiple dangers of nuclear power. Ukraine Negotiations: No Fly Zone, Nukes, Neutrality, and Disarmament. Chris Hedges On Ukraine, Russia & NATO Urgent need to bring about new arms control agreements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I6ZkPi6NSI

Depicting Putin as ‘Madman’ Eliminates Need for Diplomacy.      What is the current nuclear arms pact between Russia and the US?           The Red Scare, Viewpoint by Alice Slater.          Frenzy for selling bunkers, but they might not be much use, really.     How would a nuclear winter impact food production?

 Coastal communities across the world already feeling the impacts of climate change.    Climate crisis worsened by population and economic growth.  Nuclear on the ”frontline of climate change” – and not in a good way!

War in Ukraine has produced a new energy crisis. Energy efficiency is the fastest way to address this..

ANTARCTICA. Scientists caught off guard by massive ice shelf collapse in ‘coldest, driest’ part of Antarctica Hotter Antarctic summers posing increasing threat to stability of world’s largest ice sheet.

UKRAINE. Media coverage of the nuclear dangers in Ukraine often poorly informed and downplayed due to the influence of the pro nuclear lobby.       Ukraine, Poland discuss NATO “peacekeeping” force in Ukraine — Anti-bellum.    Russian troops pull out out of Chernobyl after suffering ”acute radiation sickness”.     Wide reporting on Russian soldiers affected by radiation, leaving Chernobyl.     Anxieties at Varash nuclear power station, and other ones in Ukraine – ”town smells of fear.”.

 Nuclear catastrophe threatened, as fires sweep through forests towards Chernobyl site.   7 wildfires in Chernobyl Exclusion zone exceed Ukraine’s emergency classification tenfold.        Head of IAEA to visit Chernobyl, as Russians withdraw from the site. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense warns on radioactivity danger from the Chernobyl Excusion Zone.    UN nuclear watchdog chief in Ukraine for safety talks. U.S. ambassador incites Georgians to confront Russia — Anti-bellum.

Zelensky: Russia will be driven out of Caucasus, Transnistria, Crimea, all post-Soviet space — Anti-bellum

JAPAN. Construction projects surge at Fukushima nuclear plant despite decommissioning progress.

UK. 

•  Why UK Labour’s green policies are fatally undermined by its ‘nuclear first’ stance. New nuclear reactors will pose a bigger, hotter, more long-lasting waste problem. Getting bigger but not safer or cheaper – the myth of Rolls Royce and its very big non-modular reactor. UK government’s nuclear dream likely to fade away, as private investors resist that risky call. UK Business Secretary Kwarteng boasts about new nuclear plants, but admits that local consent will be needed.    Boris Johnson’s fixation on nuclear power is not justified by the facts, as Britain’s electricity demand continues to fall. UK’s energy security strategy delayed, as Cabinet split on nuclear power, and the Regulated Asset Base plan to pay for it. 
•  Hinkley Point C nuclear project faces more delays, increased costs. And more Hinkley delays. UK’s Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer srongly resisting Boris Johnson’s push for costly nuclear power. Boris Johnson beholden to the nuclear industry. That’s going to cost UK bigtime – Chancellor Sunak not happy. 
•  To wean UK off Russian gas – the key is energy efficiency + wind projects – not nuclear power, says new research.
• Spending £4bn on a new nuclear station at Sizewell will not solve the government’s energy problems. Stop Sizewell C campaigners query the government’s planning judgment , especially on costs. Sizewell new nuclear will not solve the government’s energy problems, but will punish the poorest. 
•   BAE shipyard – home to nuclear submarine construction ‘set to flood’ due to impact of climate change. Nuclear Free Local Authorities highlight the threat to Britain’s nuclear reactors, of rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Low-lying Dungeness threatened by climate change – sea level rise. 
•  Plaid Cymru Party in Wales sticking firmly to their anti-nuclear position.

USA. 

•   THE MADNESS OF THE RESURGENT US COLD WAR ON RUSSIA. Biden’s Reckless Words Underscore the Dangers of the U.S.’s Use of Ukraine As a Proxy War.    Caitlin Johnstone: The Target is China. Nearly half of Americans concerned about nuclear war amid Russia-Ukraine invasion. 
•  Progressive Lawmakers in US and Japan Demand No-First-Use Policy on Nukes. 
•  Pentagon: NATO executes military deployments to Russian border with unmatched speed. USA cancels ICBM missile test due to Russia nuclear tensions. 
•  Those yearning for regime change in Russia rarely consider what might come next. 
•  How corporate media has put the American public in a state of Ukraine-Russia psychosis.
• Nuland leads first U.S.-EU High-Level Dialogue on Russia meeting. Belarus, China also targeted. New Maidans planned. — Anti-bellum.
•   Biden administration shuts down Trump-era nuclear cruise missile program. Annual military spending approaching $1 trillion and U.S. still feels insecure.   Washington Should Think Twice Before Launching a New Cold War. Caitlin Johnstone: Re-Visiting Russiagate in Light of Ukraine War.        
• Air Force transforming away from ”unnecessary” aircraft towards more nuclear weapons. Space Force Gets Roughly 40% Increase in Biden Request. 
• Two sailors reportedly injured in accident on docked nuclear submarine. 

• Promoting nuclear risks to reduce greenhouse emissions is the classic jump from the frying pan into the fire! 
•  43rd anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. 
•   NuScale’s small modular nuclear reactor – ”too late, too expensive, too risky and too uncertain” –  Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Nuclear is not the key to energy independence.

EUROPE. European Union lawmakers move to reject inclusion of nuclear energy as ‘green‘. NATO . concludes 30-nation strike force exercise in Norway — Anti-bellum . Growing resistance to EU proposal to label gas and nuclear as ”sustainable” energy .

FRANCE. Greenpeace activists storm French nuclear plant. Macron rubbing hands with glee as UK energy crisis means EDF poised for ‘£30bn payday‘. France pays the steep cost of inflexible and ageing nuclear as electricity prices soar.

NORWAY. Norway: NATO continues largest drills since Cold War off Russia’s coast — Anti-bellum

AFRICA. African nations condemn Ukraine’s recruiting mercenaries for “international legion” — Anti-bellum

GEORGIA. U.S. ambassador incites Georgians to confront Russia — Anti-bellum

ISRAEL. EU advisers urge full NATO membership for Israel — Anti-bellum

SWITZERLAND. . Scrutiny on Switzerland’s nuclear power industry- it gets uranium from Russia. Switzerland’s nuclear-war-readiness – bunkers for all.

CHINA. China call USA the ”Leading Instigator” of the Russia/Ukraine conflict.

NORTH KOREA. North Korea says Seoul ‘crazy’ to talk of preemptive strike on ‘nuclear power’ .

PORTUGAL. Portugal to speed up switch to renewable power in wake of Ukraine war .

AUSTRALIA. Australia’s Parliament has little control over military matters, and Prime Ministers kow tow to USA and the White Anglosphere to go to war.  Weapons corporations infiltrate our schools and charities, promoting war-mongering to our youth.    NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner Australia to deliver armored vehicles to Ukraine — Anti-bellum.

April 4, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Today. Alien observers astonished that earthings now promoting nuclear power as catastrophe threatens Ukraine’s nuclear reactors

Christina Macpherson, 2 Apr 22, The International Atomic Energy Agency and the nuclear lobby (they’re the same thing) are having a bit of a nervous breakdown.

On the one hand, they’re flat out pushing their subservient and apparently rather thick Big Power governments to press on as fast as possible with fleets of all sorts of nuclear reactors – which are ”clean” ”green” ”cheap” and above all ”SAFE”

On the other hand – the chief of IAEA is hot-footing it over to Ukraine, to check on whether there might be a few problems with the wrecked old Chernobyl nuclear reactor, and all the other reactors, in view of a few shootings, shellings, missiles, and in view of Russian soldiers reported as sick with radiation, and in view of wildfires out of control in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.

April 2, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Nuclear news – week to 28 March

Some bits of good news. Some welcome news, in UK  Government support for energy saving.  Some Good News About Corals and Climate Change   The UK’s first hospital-owned solar farm shows how renewables could be a way out of reliance on fossil fuels.. The Good News About Renewable Energy.

I’ve read so much on the Ukraine crisis. For an overview of that situation, Charles Freeman, former USA diplomat, is the best source. His interview is long. ”USA fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian’‘. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vxufUeqnuc I think I’m the only one to transcribe it. (that took me hours!). But I recommend that you persist with it. It is worth 100 other commentaries on Ukraine.

Ukraine war shows nuclear deterrence doesn’t work; we need disarmament — IPPNW peace and health blog. Dalai Lama, Other Nobel Winners Demand Explicit Vow Not to Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine. U.S. Peace Council Statement on Russia’s Military Intervention in Ukraine.

Zelensky ready to negotiate with Russia over NATO and Donbas sovereignty, but Biden won’t budge. More Evidence That The US Is Trying To Prolong This War– Caitlin Johnstone lays it bare.

We have a new energy crisis, and EFFICIENCY is the largest, cheapest, safest, cleanest and fastest way to address it.

Official cover-up by 7 governments of the cancer deaths of nuclear test veterans.

Western countries importing Russian uranium and nuclear supplies – WITH NO SANCTIONS.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to discuss climate mitigation efforts, including technology to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

Climate change at the Poles.    Temperatures hit ‘unthinkable’ highs at both of Earth’s poles on the weekend.   Climate scientists are trying to find out why.   Record-smashing heatwaves are hitting Antarctica and the Arctic simultaneously.  Here’s what’s driving them, and how they’ll impact wildlife.   Wildfires caused by global warming ‘are accelerating global warming’.    In 20 years of studying how ecosystems absorb carbon, here’s why we’re worried about a tipping point of collapse.    Fridays for Future school climate strikes resume across the world

Bitcoin miners want to recast themselves as eco-friendly

ANTARCTICA. Climate scientists alarmed at unprecedented heat at both the Antarctic and the Arctic. Record-smashing heatwaves are hitting Antarctica and the Arctic simultaneously. Here’s what’s driving them, and how they’ll impact wildlife. Antarctic heat – a horrifying reminder of the future with global heating. Gigantic Antarctic ice shelf collapses into the sea.

ARCTIC. Very low Arctic sea ice.

UKRAINE. 

Forest fires erupt around Chernobyl nuclear plant. Chernobyl radiation monitors ‘not working‘. Chernobyl nuclear worker gives the inside story on the dire situation for the staff as Russians took over. 

Ukraine war – the Nazi factor. What is the risk of a nuclear accident in Ukraine?  Deal on Ukrainian nuclear safety to come ‘soon,’ says IAEA chief. Bellona explains Ukraine’s nuclear stations.  International Atomic Energy Agency’s grave concern over safety of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors. IAEA concerned that Russia is shelling Ukrainian checkpoints in the city of Slavutych, near Chernobyl. The work of Ukraine-based European Institute of Chernobyl. So far, Zaporizhzhya’s nuclear reactors are being managed safely under Russian control . Warning on effect of Russian force’s attack on nuclear research facility.

HUNGARY. NATO troops deployed to Hungary despite government’s reservations — Anti-bellum

USA. 

• No chance of a fair trial for Julian Assange in America. Caitlin Johnstone – yes, it’s a proxy war. 
• Re-Visiting Russiagate In Light Of The Ukraine War.
•  Biden keeping up the big spend on nuclear weapons. 
• Dozens Of Men Got Sick During A Secret Training Exercise At A Nuclear Site In 1991. They’re Still Fighting For Answers. 
• Nuclear Information and Resource Servic calls upon the Biden administration to sanction the Russian nuclear industry .
• Nuclear energy development not possible in USA, unless it is tax-payer funded? 
• Multi $billion plutonium cores project – unsafe, unnecessary, and ill-conceived. USA’s production for plutonium ”pits”will fall short of the goal. 
• Nuclear lobby touting small nuclear reactors to Alaska. 
• With threats of nuclear war and climate disaster growing, America’s ‘bunker fantasy’ is woefully inadequate.
• Nearly 60% of USA is in prolonged drought. 
• Editorial: Washington conducts international Inquisition over Ukraine — Anti-bellum
• World’s richest men enthuse over new nuclear power, despite its poor progress .

CANADA. Ottawa’s Nuclear Funding Delays Climate Action, Ignores Indigenous Objections, Opponents Warn. Saskatchewn ponders new small nuclear reactors, but opposition unsure about safety and environmental impacts.

JAPAN. Nagasaki survivor calls for joint resistance to nuclear threat amid Russian invasion.

RUSSIA. Kremlin says Russia could use nuclear weapons, if its existence were threatened. Russia holds back on full assaults on Ukraine, and Zelensky prepared to negotiate on NATO and Donbas/Crimea.

FRANCE. France’s nuclear energy output continues to slump.

UK. 

• As UK government touted ”media freedom”, Julian Assange in high security Belmarsh Prison was an embarassment. 
• Big ‘doomsday plane’ for the Big Nobs, in the event of nuclear war, arrives in Britain. 
• London. Anti-nuclear campaigners have won a victory for free expression. 
• Boris Johnson determined to show ‘leadership’ on nuclear power. Boris Johnson’s enthusiasm for UK nuclear power should raise huge red flags for Scotland.  UK Tories split over nuclear power. Sceptism over Boris Johnson’s plan for ”Britain carpeted in mini-nukes. UK’s Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng considering launching State-owned nuclear company.   Boris Johnson’s splashy style still avoids the costs, lack of financial commitments for nuclear power development.   Boris Johnson in the grip of the nuclear lobby.   Evangelical fervour for new nuclear power in UK’s Tory government.   Boris Johnson ‘gung ho’ for new nuclear power, but Chancellor Rishi Sunak applying the brakes.     Boris Johnson all for nuclear power – but there are tensions with the Treasury about this.  Some Brits not very impressed with their government’s newbound love affair with nuclear power.
• UK’s Green Party calls for big effort on energy efficiency and renewables – nuclear is an ”expensive distraction”. Greens firm on Scotland’s opposition to nuclear power. Greenpeace scathing about Boris Johnson’s plan for nuclear power.
• British public in the dark about what ”Modular” nuclear reactors really means (hint -they’re like Lego pieces) . 
• Energy efficiency and renewables – faster, safer, than nuclear power, to move away from Russian fuel, and combat climate change.   The energy crisis is now, new nuclear will be (at least) twenty years too late – UK’s Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA).  UK does NOT need more nuclear power. Electricity demand has fallen.
• Campaigners against Sizewell C nuclear project concerned that UK govt plans to stop local opposition to it. Boris Johnson government to put limits on local community opposition to nuclear power.   
• Water supply problems for planned £20billion twin reactor on the Suffolk coast . 
• People Against Wylfa-B (PAWB) calls for sanctions on UK importing enriched uranium from Russia.  
• Catholic bishops assert their opposition to nuclear weapons.  Residents react after huge military convoy spotted travelling through Preston. 
• Campaigners lose legal challenge to stop Hinkley Point C mud being dumped in the sea. 
•  Over 1000 tonnes of steel drums full of nuclear waste dumped at Drigg, Cumbria.

IRELAND. NATO grooming yet another new member: Ireland — Anti-bellum

IRAN. Iran’s foreign minister says nuclear deal closer ‘than ever’. Iran blames US for delays in reaching nuclear deal.

INDIA. Opinion: U.S. pressure on India over Ukraine doomed to fail — Anti-bellum

EUROPE. Europeans stocking up on anti-radiation pills. No surety that Europe will favour nuclear power, following Ukraine crisis,

CHINA. Chinese analysts: U.S. hopes to bleed Russia, collapse it like USSR — Anti-bellum

AUSTRIA. Renewable energy: Austria, a leader of anti-nuclear advocacy in Europe.

RUSSIA. Russia about to announce an export ban on uranium.

SERBIA. Serbia won’t be dragged into broader European war: president — Anti-bellum      Brutal, horrible, criminal, inhuman attack on a small country: Serbs commemorate victims of NATO’s war — Anti-bellum

NORTH KOREA. North Korea preparing for its first nuclear test in 5 years.

PHILIPPINES. Greenpeace: Nuclear power is not the solution to Philippines’ energy woes.

CZECH REPUBLIC. World’s biggest bunker where billionaires could survive in luxury for 10 years.

AUSTRALIA. Australian Radioactive Waste Agency – a couple of English nuclear waste officials conning the Australian public? Wilful ignorance . Blaming war and deadly floods on climate change activists .

March 28, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

The week in nuclear news

Some bits of good news:     Giant Floating Solar Panel Flowers Replace Coal in Korea. 

Most significant environmental deal since Paris’: UN agrees on landmark plastic pollution treaty.        Solar Panels Built From Waste Crops Can Make Energy Without Direct Light. The ‘charismatic’ Mexican tequila  fish has been saved from extinction

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I know that it’s all about Ukraine.  BUT – is anybody noticing? – the global climate is weird-  it’s getting hot at the Poles. In the total scheme of things – that process is going to matter more to the world, even than the Ukraine horror.

Meanwhile, inexplicably, governments are pushing futuristic not-yet -existing gee-whiz nuclear reactors to solve this climate problem, which is already upon us!       A space alien, observing us, might have a laugh at that.   And also laugh that, just as the Ukraine war is demonstrating the awful danger to nuclear reactors there, politicians are touting nuclear as the safest energy source.!

Oh, and by the way, – the pandemic is still happening.

Extradition of Julian Assange. REMEMBER – he’s an Australian citizen, not an American! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv5GDnApfqc

A “no-fly zone” does not becalm the skies. Veterans warn against no-fly zone in Ukraine: Examine Western propaganda critically.       Putin’s ‘Peaceful Atom’ Apocalypse Draws Closer by the Minute. How Much Less Newsworthy Are Civilians in Other Conflicts?

Chris Hedges: Waltzing to Armageddon .

HELEN CALDICOTT: Russia’s war could spell worldwide nuclear disaster. International Committee of the Red Cross calls for States to join UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The $multibillion question. Will UKraine have to pay for all those foreign weapons?

“Russian Invasion of Ukraine Spotlights the Dangers of Nuclear Reactors in War,”

Why New Technology Is Making Nuclear Arms Control Harder.

Fears of nuclear war in Europe stoke demand for fancy bunkers.

  What the nuclear industry and its supporters have to say about the economic viability of nuclear power.

ANTARCTICA. Record minimum amount of Antarctic sea ice. Temperatures in eastern Antarctica are 70 degrees warmer than usual.    

 ARCTIC. Exceptional warmth at North Pole    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nJczShXwaU

  UKRAINE. Zelensky Says He’s ‘Cooled’ on Joining NATO, Ready for Talks With Russia on Crimea, Donbas. Shrouded in doubt: safety issues at Russian-occupied nuclear stations in Ukraine. Electric Power Restored to Ukraine’s Chernobyl Plant.   Safety fears, as Chernobyl nuclear staff tired and stressed.    Danger of radioactive disaster at Chernobyl and other nuclear sites, with exhausted staff, and risk of loss of remote control.       Understanding the war in Ukraine.    What next for Ukraine’s nuclear sites and Wylfa and Trawsfynydd?
Zelensky Announces Ban on 11 Political Parties-, although no evidence linking any to Russian government.

EUROPE. European countries make an exception for uranium from Russia – no sanctions on importing that! EU seeks to boost stockpile of iodine pills and nuclear protective gear.

JAPAN. Japan’s new awareness of nuclear dangers – nuclear reactors as targets in war-time.     11 years on, Fukushima morass still poses danger.    Ukraine war triggers debate on Japan’s nuclear option.  Radioactive iodine levels in primary cooling water at the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 increase threefold.      Massive 7.3 earthquake hits Japan near site of Fukushima nuclear disaster.   Renewed worries about restarting nuclear plants, after 7-3 earthquake near Fukushima. 

  Hope, hard reality mix in Fukushima town wrecked by nuclear disaster .  Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, risk of earthquakes revealed... Failure of seismometers, building deterioration, tanks shifting….      Ruling pressures Japan to set proper damages for Fukushima nuclear disaster.     Contaminated soil piles up in vast Fukushima cleanup project.

USA

• Russia’s Ukraine invasion may have been preventable, The US made a huge mistake?  Peace Talks in Ukraine “Will Get Nowhere” If US Keeps Refusing to Join, Message to Biden: Help De-Escalation in Ukraine or Risk Nuclear War. ‘Let them kill as many as possible‘ The Roots of US Militarism in Russia and Around the World. 
• 5 USA States selected for target areas for the enemy, in a nuclear war.
•  Potassium iodide tablets SELL OUT in US .   
• US Republican senators say they will not back Iran nuclear deal.
• Another burst of tax-payer funding for Bill Gate’s gee-whiz Natrium reactor project. 
•  The Ukraine war is bad for USA’s nuclear industry– hard to get the Highly Enriched Uranium needed from Russia for Advanced Nuclear Reactors. 
•  Fate of Radioactive Waste at Plymouth Nuclear Site Continues to Raise Concerns. 
• U.S. loses plane, crew in NATO exercise in Arctic .
•  Dangerous wildfires in Texas.

CANADA. Canada’s green bond program specifically prohibits investments in nuclear energy . Indigenous, scientific, environmental and citizen groups strongly oppose Ottawa’s push for small nuclear reactors. . Fossil and nuclear energy regimes threaten global security, Small modular nuclear reactors – no good for Canada’s indigenous communities, no good for climate action.

UK. 

•   Silence in the media and Labour “left” on Assange’s extradition danger. 
• Push for UK govt to call nuclear power ”green”, so that nuclear industry can get money from the Green Financing Framework. UK’s Nuclear All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) condemned for calling on govt to reclassify nuclear energy as ‘green’. 
•   Rolls Royce wants to hurry up the introduction of small nuclear reactors, but UK govt is focussed on a big one for Wylfa. UK government now considering extending life of Sizewell nuclear power station by 20 years.
• Radiation Free Lakeland protests against plan for a Near Surface Nuclear Waste Dump.

GERMANY. The return of the nuclear threat

CHINA. China continues to resist U.S. demand to join “global web to strangle Russia” — Anti-bellum Global  

PHILIPPINES. US to help Philippines develop nuclear power program; groups push renewable energy instead

INDIA. India will not join any move by NATO against Russia.

RUSSIA. Putin set to hold nuclear evacuation drill; moved family to Siberia.

AUSTRALIA.  South Australian Unions stand with Traditional Owners in rejecting nuclear waste dump.

  Report to U.S. Congress on AUKUS agreement, allows Australia access to Highly Enriched Uranium and Plutonium.    Australia’s ‘Historic’ Submarine Pact Enters 1st Phase; Will Become Only The 2nd Country With US Nuclear Propulsion Tech. What does a ‘once-in-100-year’ weather event actually mean?

March 21, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

The $multibillion question. Will Ukraine have to pay for all those foreign weapons?

This is one of those questions that only an ignorant peasant like me dare ask. All the experts seem to be ignoring it (perhaps to the joy of oligarchs in Ukraine and foreign countries too?)

I undestand that, even before this war, Ukraine had foreign debt resulting in some 12 $billion in annual interest costs.

Let’s suppose that Ukraine wins this war, or emerges from it as an independent State. A poverty-stricken State, beholden to other counntries.

Will the U.S. and other corporations forgive the debt? Will pigs fly?

March 17, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Nuclear news – it’s been a big week

Some bits of good news – Climate-resilient coral species offer hope for the world’s reefs           How China uses renewable energy to restore the desert  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uv-Yw9MZFE   Solar-Powered Desalination Device is a Game-Changer: Requires Only Cheap Common Materials and Sunlight.

I’m sorry, people, but they’re putting it over us big-time, on the root causes of  the current Ukraine disaster.. This week, I am shocked at the propaganda blanketing all media .  Universally we are brainwashed with the depiction of Putin as an evil madman, and of the need to buy ever more weaponry from the big USA, UK and German corporations. No – Putin is not a nice man, and Yes, the attack on Ukraine is illegal , cruel and wrong.   

BUT – there is never a mention of genuine negotiation, which would accept Russia’s genuine cause to not be surrounded by NATO and its missiles, not have Ukraine as a NATO base.  There is no consideration of the plight of ethnic Russians in the Donbass area, nor of the existence of the Nazi faction in the Ukrainian side  And there’s the mindless repetition of lies about Crimea, where 87% turned out to make a 97% vote to rejoin Russia. President Biden is doing his best, I suppose, but can he hold out against the belligerent calls for an air war against Russia?

  Julian Assange denied permission to appeal      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFk7Gqfmih8   Lies leave the Assange case exposed – this is a political persecution.

Los Alamos Study Group outlines a clear solution to the Ukraine war. So many half-truths from Zelensky, and from the nuclear industry! The politics behind Ukraine’s alarming nuclear warnings. Western media trumpets blanket condemnation of Putin, without any consideration of the circumstances. 

Ukrainians will pay the price in suffering for long drawn-out USA’s proxy war on behalf of wealthy corporations. Hypocritical cries of grief from weapons and other corporate businesses, as Western governments and media ramp up war fever.

Umm….. Are we the baddies?

Women leading the fight against climate change. New IPCC Report Calls for Adapting Today to Ensure Tomorrow’s Climate Security .

 ‘Limited’ Tactical Nuclear Weapons Would Be Catastrophic. Markets are in denial about nuclear risk.

The importance of continuous cooling of nuclear spent fuel.

I was a nuclear missile operator. There have been more near-misses than the world knows.

Ukraine war fills Pentagon’s, NATO allies’ war chests.

UKRAINE. Nuclear facilities targeted in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Video analysis reveals Russian attack on Ukrainian nuclear plant veered near disaster.

 Ukrainian military to blow up experimental nuclear reactor at Kharkov Institute. Russians fire at Kharkov Institute nuclear reactor. [two versions of the story]. Research reactor in Kharkiv has been completely destroyed. IAEA doubts that the attack on Kharkiv Institute was a serious radiation hazard. 

External electricity returned to Chernobyl.     Chernobyl workers still stranded at the power station. Chernobyl nuclear workers ”exhausted and desperate’‘. Fears are growing over nuclear safety atthe Chernobyl nuclear plant as staff remain hostage. Chernobyl’s radiation monitoring system has stopped sending readings to IAEA. What a Power Cutoff Could Mean for Chernobyl’s Nuclear Waste.      The dangers of uncontrolled releases of the vast amounts of radioactivity contained in the Ukrainian reactors and their unprotected fuel stores should not be underestimated. 

EUROPE.. NATO fighters integrate with U.S. nuclear-capable B-52s in Black Sea region . European Union won’t be including nuclear power in its plan to get off Russian gas. European countries report a rush in sales of iodine tablets, in fear of nuclear war. Nuclear option is not the best for transition away from Russian fuels. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) very anxious about Chernobyl nuclear situation. Former Yugoslav FM: U.S., NATO expansion root cause of Ukraine war.    EU military aid to Ukraine to exceed $1 billion.

RUSSIA. Russia prepared to stop war, if Ukraine agrees to conditions, including independence of Donbass areas. Russia’s disinformation machine, (and Trump’s, in USA).    Rosatom’s woes before and beyond the war: implications of Russia’s embattled nuclear industry.

SERBIA. Serbian parliament president: When Hitler entered Ukraine, the U.S. did not declare war. Serbia will not join NATO, will never forget bombing victims – president .

USA The US And Ukraine Have Every Reason To Lie About The War . Ukraine is a sacrificial pawn on the imperial chessboard. USA cheers Ukrainian fighters on, makes sure to keep Americans out of it.

JAPAN. Greenpeace statement on anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident. Japan’s power companies move to reduce plutonium stockpiles held overseas. Court rejects bid to suspend nuclear reactors in Takahama. Eleven years on and impact of Fukushima still felt in Japan.  Japan to finish radioactive soil transfer to interim storage site . Fukushima Workers Tell The Harrowing Story Of How They Tamed One Of The World’s Worst Nuclear Disasters.   Fukushima nuclear tragedy hovers over Japan and region 11 years after tsunami and accident.

GERMANY. German government concludes that it is unwise to extend the life of its remaining nuclear power stations.

UK.      UK love-in between Tories and Labour, on wasting billions of pounds on new nuclear reactors. Nuclear threat: Faslane, home to Trident, symbol of humanity’s power and folly.   UK’s Ministry of Defence called out for lobbying MPs on nuclear weapons. Investors keen on renewable energy, while UK govt is trapping consumers into paying upfront for nuclear power plants to be built in a decade or more, Hopes for Bradwell nuclear power station now fading away like the ebbing tide.

  Cumbrian campaigners’ strong opposition to nuclear waste dump in the Lake District. ‘‘Save the Severn Estuary’‘ fights to stop EDF dumping Hinkley Point’s nuclear mud into this Marine Protected Area. 

FRANCE. Macron government considering nationalising France’s debt-laden nuclear company EDF.  

AUSTRALIA. Morrison’s selected sites for nuclear submarine base were not the Defence Dept choices – and opposed by the local towns. Directors net $3.7 million in selling off their Paladin Energy uranium shares, then uranium stocks plummet. Scott Morrison has been urged to act over fears Australian uranium could be used to fuel Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

March 14, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

This week in nuclear news

A bit of nearly good news. On International Women’s Day we can reflect that, in some parts of the world, justice and equality for women continue to improve. Also, the role of women in addressing climate change is becoming apparent – WOMEN LEADING THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE.  In the nuclear-free movement, too, women continue to show their leadership – going on from Dr Rosalie Bertell, Alice Stewart, to Setsuko Thurlow , (pictured above),  Dr Helen Caldicott , Beatrice Fihn, Linda Pentz Gunter  and so many more. Their work has slowed, if not yet stopped, the development of the nuclear horror.

Ralph Nader: Everyone Loses in the Conflict Over Ukraine 

Now Is the Time for a Global Movement Demanding Nuclear De-escalation. Freedom & Democracy Via Censorship. NATO Intervention In Ukraine Could Spark Nuclear War. Here’s How It Could Happen. The US and NATO’s Sacrifice Of Ukraine.

As Russia’s Ukraine war intensifies, some warn nuclear escalation is possible. Russia’s nuclear alert means Nato must tread carefully. Countries Flood Ukraine With Military Support After Zelensky’s Appeal.

Noam Chomsky: US Military Escalation Against Russia Would Have No Victors.  How the U.S. Started a Cold War with Russia and Left Ukraine to Fight It. Calling Russia’s Attack ‘Unprovoked’ Lets USA Off the Hook. Mapping the unthinkable: inside the new nuclear war games. A fatal disconnect? the different narratives of Russia and the West on the Ukraine crisis. Ukraine war – a great opportunity – each new NATO country was a new customer for the weapons industry.

Kevin Rudd on the ‘decisive decade’ between USA and China. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeZBMvyJ9bU

The US and NATO have never been sanctioned for starting wars. Why? — RT World News.

UKRAINE. The situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station. ‘Grave concern’ as Ukraine Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant under Russian orders. The Risks of Russian Attacks near Ukraine Nuclear Power Plants. Fire Is Out at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Seized by Russian Forces, Officials Watch for Leaks. Ukraine: Fire breaks out at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. The very perilous situation of Ukraine’s nuclear power stations. Greenpeace analysis of nuclear power plant vulnerability during military conflict – Key Findings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEqpc1b03rs .   New analysis on severe nuclear hazards at Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine– only solution is immediate end to war.    Russian military claims Chernobyl nuclear plant under joint protection with Ukrainian forces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noFe_iNnAbk.   Setting the record straight on the background to events in Ukraine.     Western govt, media, and public, ignorant about the complex history of Ukraine.

JAPAN. 

Japan’s Supreme Court rules on damages for people whose lives were disrupted by Fukushima nuclear catastrophe.  The Fukushima disaster ruined their lives.   The Fukushima taboo  

 Chain cutting device breaks off this time, and no progress in removing contaminated piping at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant .   TEPCO begins removal of pipes contaminated at the time of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

 Radioactive waste stuck at 830 sites with nowhere to go.   Greenpeace says Fukushima dismantling, dumping not credible.   Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning: “It is Impossible to Foresee the End Date” says the Nuclear Regulation Commission.  Statement by Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency: 11 Years of Oblivion: An Alarming Abandonment of a Culture of Safety,

FINLAND. Experts: Finnish nuclear project “directly supports Russian nuclear weapon production”.

IRAN. Russia still part of Iran nuclear talks, US hopes for progress, White House says.

UK. British government searching for investors, needs to raise billions of pounds for Sizewell nuclear project.  Coal and Nuclear Interests Linked — RADIATION FREE LAKELAND  LAKELAND

AUSTRALIA.  Australian Security Policy Institute – funded by weapons corporations, and federal govt – drumming up the frenzy for war with China. Australia’s Defence Department silent about its slippery dealings using tax-payers’ money, involving Russian contractors .    While Scott Morrison froths against Putin, Australia rushes to become a top weapons seller to the world.

March 7, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

The week in nuclear news

Some bits of good news (hard to find this week!):

India’s Mass Tree Planting Success: Forest Cover Grows by Half-Million Acres in Two Years
Humpback whales no longer listed as endangered after major recovery.

What can I say ?–  No breakthrough at Ukraine talks as Russian assault continues. Ralph Nader: Everyone Loses in the Conflict Over Ukraine We’re in a new era. Not only is the war situation now so different, with the nuclear threat looming as never before.   But also, the media war has become so very complex and confusing. Social media plays its role –   but increasingly  – much information is crooked, devised to mislead the recipient. Bad enough from Western sources, but Russia has turned this deception into a pervasive mass art.

A rogue journalist ponders on Ukraine situation. Glenn Greenwald: war propaganda about Ukraine becoming more militaristic, authoritarian, and reckless. Blanket anti-Russian propaganda leaves no tolerance for nuanced reporting – media censorship is expanding.

As Russia Seizes Chernobyl Site, Ukraine’s 15 Nuclear Reactors Pose Unprecedented Risk in War Zone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20gVRaQdVmY

Climate impacts should be a regular part of war coverage

UN report on global increase in wildfires due to climate change change.

ANTARCTICA. Antarctica’s pristine snow besmirched with horrid black pollution, scientists say

UKRAINE. Ukraine has 0% of winning, so sending weapons is a pointless exercise, except for the money. U.N. nuclear watchdog to hold emergency meeting on Ukraine. Russian control of Chernobyl may have been aimed against alleged Ukrainian plan to produce nuclear weapons. 

Ukraine’s reactors – largest nuclear complex in Europe – IN DANGER Russian forces now control Chernobyl, inviting speculation and uncertainty. The Most Immediate Nuclear Danger in Ukraine Isn’t Chernobyl. 

Increased radiation levels around Chernobyl probably due to military’s disturbance of soil around exclusion zone.    Radiation levels increased at Chernobyl, after Russian troops seized the area.     

Why nuclear risk from war in Ukraine isn’t missiles but accidental hits on reactors. Putin says that Ukraine is a nuclear threat. Abandoned mines and old Yunkom nuclear test site in Donbas region of Ukraine pose ”singular threat” of radiation contamination.

RUSSIA. Russia President Vladimir Putin puts his nuclear forces on alert.

EUROPE. EU to purchase weapons for Ukraine — live updates, DW.

JAPAN. PM Kishida rules out Japan’s possession of nuclear weapons. Radioactive farm to be leased to wind farm without decontamination. Online Tour by Reconstruction Agency to Consider Decommissioning of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. 46% of school lunches use ingredients from Fukushima Prefecture, the highest rate since 2010. Miyagi prefectural assembly: “Don’t hand out flyers to schools about treated nuclear water.

UK. The U.K. Wanted to Extradite Assange to the U.S. From the Start. .Britain’s nuclear submarine base at risk from climate change. UK government study shows that nuclear test veterans were more likely to have cancer and die. On shaky ground? Latest EDF planning application casts doubt on suitability of Sizewell site.

USA. Activist groups to rally against plutonium disposal project at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Doubts about extending the lives of USA’s nuclear reactors as federal regulators halt 80 year extension time for 3 reactors. Vogtle delayed again — $30 billion reactors may never be completed.

FRANCE. Warning on faults in EPR nuclear reactors – Commission de Recherche et d’Information Indépendantes sur la Radioactivité. 12 nuclear power reactors in France shut down, 6 because of corrosion problems. 

Limitless power arriving too late: Why fusion won’t help us decarbonise.French nuclear regulator halts assembly of huge ITER nuclear fusion reactor. France’s nuclear company EDF fined a measly 300 million euros for its decades of deception and misuse of its position. France’s nuclear ”energy independence” is a fake, as it has to import all its uranium fuel. 

BELARUS. Belarus to end its non-nuclear-weapon status.

FINLAND. Finland’s Russian-backed Fennovoima nuclear power station project now coming to a halt.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. Drone and missile attacks on UAE’s Barakah nuclear plant.

SOUTH AFRICA. South Africa removes critic of nuclear power from regulatory board.

IRAN. Iran rejects deadline – wants IAEA to drop politically motivated claims in nuclear talks.

AUSTRALIA. How Australian uranium ended up in war-torn Ukraine. Meet Australian Public Affairs, the lobbying firm that pushed the Kimba nuclear waste dump for the Federal Government. 

March 1, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

This week in nuclear news

The news about events in Ukraine is just coming in. Vladimir Putin would have us believe that it is at last the end of the 8 years of war in the two self-proclaimed rebel republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.  But it could be the beginning of something worse.

Russia-Ukraine live updates: United States and UK expected to announce sanctions against Kremlin

Some bits of good news:   Replacing environmental despair with hope and action   ECUADOR’S SUPREME COURT: NATURE WINS OVER MINING  .

The Ukraine Crisis Could Trigger a Nuclear Catastrophe – Tilman Ruff   Media forecasting on Russian invasion is just like religious cult leaders predicting the apocalypse.

Western Democracies Have Mutated Into Propagandists for War and Conflict. Headlines that cause wars.

Antarctica and Greenland’s polar ice shelves are melting from below

Public Opposition to Nuclear Power.

 Terrifying “nuke map” reveals danger zone if nuclear bomb dropped on YOUR city.

The supposed new rise in nuclear power and the uranium business is doubtful!

Reality check: The green inflation myth

Highest Number of Reactor Closures in a Decade.

ANTARCTICA.  Antarctica will likely set a record for lowest sea ice extent this year

  UKRAINE. Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian forces to ‘maintain peace’ in eastern Ukraine‘s two breakaway regions. Nuke Power at the Brink of Bankruptcy, War, Apocalypse. Standoff ending, Ukraine and Russia both claim victory? Today’s Crisis Over UkraineUkrainian Pacifists Say US, NATO and Russia Share Responsibility to Avoid War.  ACURA ViewPoint. Ambassador suggested that Ukraine might drop its bid for NATO membership – but he was quickly corrected. UK trained Ukraine military, including a thousand-strong neo-Nazi unit.     Aspects of the Ukraine crisis and some suggested solutions for de-escalation.

JAPAN. 

• I just wanted to live a normal life – Akiko Morimatsu.
•   IAEA ‘will not approve or oppose’ release of treated water from Fukushima plant, ‘responsibility of each country’.  UN to review Japan’s plan to release Fukushima water into Pacific  
•  Where to in 2045? Contaminated Soil from the Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Current Status of Interim Storage Facilities in Fukushima.  11 years after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, residents angered by the retreat from decontamination of the entire area.
•   Legal action on Fukushima nuclear disaster’s impact on health. 
•  . Latest look inside Fukushima ruins show mounds of melted nuclear fuel . Robots used to remove Fukushima’s highly radioactive used nuclear fuel, but they’re still problematic
• . Shadow of Hiroshima” at Fukushima nuclear power plant: Animation depicts history of nuclear power.

UK.

• Plutonium problems won’t go away. Brief summary of Engineering and Technology’s fine article on UK’s plutonium problem.
• Should the Taishan nuclear plant shutdown worry UK regulators?
• Update on the status of Britain’s Rolls Royce Small Nuclear Reactor project. Mini-reactor for Highlands -too “high cost and high risk” says Scottish MP Maree Todd.
• Bradwell nuclear project -dead in the water? – partly due to work of BANNG (Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group).
• Time is running out to save the Severn Estuary. Severn Estuary – internationally significant fish nursery – threatened by Hinkley radioactive mud. Legal challenge to license for EDF to dump radioactive mud in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. Super Furry Animals call out alleged nuclear mud dumping at Hinkley Power Station. The case for Saving the Severn Estuary from the dumping of radioactive wastes.
• New report: Nuclear waste’s shifting sands on the lakeland fringe.
• Lord Truscott questioned the idea that a thermonuclear war with Russia would be an ”unwelcome outcome”.
• Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament marks 40th anniversary of Nuclear Free Wales Declaration.  
•    Julian Assange appeals to the Supreme Court.

CANADA. Michigan Senators Oppose Canadian Nuclear Waste Site Near Great Lakes. MPs and groups oppose hearings to license Canada’s first permanent radioactive waste dump. Proposed license for the NSDF includes no enforceable requirements for “waste characterization” — Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area. In-Depth: Dangers of Burying Nuclear Waste.

USA. 

• Damage limitation and US nuclear strategy . Are You Ready for the Big New War? You Damn Well Better Be.
• Nuclear power doesn’t belong in the Green New Deal. ‘Serious problems’ with NuScale’s proposed small nuclear reactors .
• USA’s Department of Energy (DOE) will give $6 Billion in a program to to stop uneconomic nuclear reactors from closing down.
• Beleagured Vogtle nuclear project delayed yet again. 
•  Opposition to Holtec dumping nuclear waste into Cape Cod Bay. 
• Maryland Couple Conspired to Sell Nuclear Secrets. 
• New USA Federal Report Warns of Accelerating Impacts From Sea Level Rise.  

IRAN. Why the Iran nuclear talks have stalled.

ISRAEL. The Iran Nuclear Deal Isn’t a Threat, and Israel Must Find a New Approach.

RUSSIA. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov informs UN chief about Russia’s talks with NATO on security guarantees.

EUROPE. Any missile launch may be perceived as nuclear strike amid tensions. EU greenwashing nuclear power: Short sighted &  counterproductive.  Europe’s nuclear power plants will need investments of EUR 500 Billion, so they need to be labelled ‘green” !   The EU’s ‘green taxonomy’ classification system – no longer fit for purpose, if nuclear and gas are included.

FRANCE . French government to subsidise EDF nuclear power company by another €2.1bn, to prop up its failing share price. French utility EDF will check auxiliary cooling circuits, or RRAs, at its 56 domestic reactors, after faults found. No end in sight as the French nuclear industry reduces its output.

BULGARIA. Nuclear project with Russian reactors shakes Bulgarian politics.

NORTH KOREA. Radiation fears after earthquakes at North Korea nuclear test site.

INDIA. Tamil Nadu people’s lives are more important than Kudankulam nuclear reactors: PMK.  Concern in Tamil Nadu over spent nuclear fuel storage at Kudankulam site .

BELGIUM. ENGIE Doubles Down On Renewables And Reaffirms Closure Of Belgian Nuclear Industry.

GERMANY. How dare Germany oppose USA over nuclear power !

AUSTRALIA.  Early closure of coal plant, battery and renewable developments – all spell the end for nuclear power hopes in Australia . 

February 22, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

UKRAINE Special – the madness continues

It is almost unbelievable that the entire Western media and just about all governments are mindlessly jumping on the war bandwagon again. All that Russia wants is for the West to keep to the 2014 Minsk agreement , and not to be surrounded by hostile NATO and its weaponry.

But no – Biden’s USA is intransigent, and all the lackey nations just fall into line, (including my own, Australia). ”National Security” – my foot! Russia is not threatening any of them.

Haven’t they learned?

There was Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya – all unmitigated disasters, all unnecessary – and now the sheep are going in for fleecing again!

And fleecing it is. Ukraine and everybody else is buying not only the story, but more importantly the weaponry from multinational weapons corporations led of course by the USA. (Probably Russia and China’s equivalent macho men love weaponry, too)

When do we all wake up? The USA government is in the grip of the military-industrial-complex. Remember – the Pentagon brass, the weapons executives and big shareholders are NRB (Not Real Bright), and don’t quite grasp that even they themselves are not immune from the effects of war.

February 19, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment