nuclear-news

”’Blind Freddy” could see that the Ukraine war proves the perilous danger of nuclear reactors.

I often wish I knew who ”Blind Freddy” is. He sure is someone that we need in power, in these near suicidal days of war and of countries arking up their militarism.

As the danger of nuclear reactors becomes so patently obvious right now, there’s a frenzy of promotion of nuclear reactors by governments in China, USA, Europe, (notably France), and indeed, across the world

The Ukraine situation, with war surrounding Europe’s largest complex of nuclear reactors – at Zaporizhzhia, surely illustrates how very unwise it is, to have nuclear reactors at all. While everyone, especially Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, is scared of a catastrophic accident there, it wouldn’t be the same if it the energy facility were a solar centre, or wind farm. No other method of energy production carries this immense risk of a devastating release of ionising radiation.

The Chernobyl situation is an equally telling one. The disastrous accident happened 36 years ago, yet the site is still terribly dangerous, and made more so by climate change, bringing wildfires close to the crippled reactor. All this, with fighting, shelling, missiles going on. (A somewhat less dangerous situation is in the USA, where the site of the 1971 Santa Susana radiological disaster is threatened by wildfires)

April 27, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Chernobyl anniversary week – nuclear news

What a week!   All about the war crimes –  though it is not certain that all these crimes are committed by just one side in this truly awful Ukraine war.   Meanwhile Julian Assange is blamed, persecuted, and kept in apparently endless imprisonment for exposing war crimes. 

Coronavirus .  Latest on worldwide coronavirus spread, and medical developments. 

Climate.  The climate has become unstable. Scientists warned us for decades. Now even they are rebelling.  Why climate change matters for human health.

The US Cries About War Crimes While Imprisoning A Journalist For Exposing Its War Crimes.

 Who Profits From Narrative Management & Eliminating Dissent?         Big Tech monopolies — Facebook, Google, and Amazon control media in the interests of American militarism. Ukraine: The End Game – A Proxy War and Armageddon – Who are the Flag Waivers supporting? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niyd1bIRnTM&t=20sn America’s aim is not for Ukraine to win, It is to prolong the war and weaken Russia.   Western think tanks push permanent NATO presence on Russian border, Asia-Pacific analog — Anti-bellum     U.S., allies pour arms into Ukraine for war of prolonged attrition .  Nuclear weapons manufacturers see stock prices rise.

How do we assess the dangers of nuclear power plants in wartime? International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day.

The big mistake of sudden renewed optimism about nuclear power.    First-ever talks: Pentagon completing integration of EU into transatlantic military network ,

An increased 2 degree Celsius world will not be liveable for vast swathes of humanity – but that’s the latest semi-optimistic research result.

Why are nature-based solutions on climate being overlooked?

UKRAINE. Ukraine can fight Russia ‘for 10 years’ claims Zelensky.     Ukraine threatens ‘terrorist’ attack on Crimean Bridge – the longest bridge in Europe.       Mariupol – city under siege – the OTHER SIDE OF THIS STORY    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2uK2wNxAbM&t=13s        Playing with fire at Chornobyl.

JAPAN. Scientists: Japan’s Plan To Dump Nuclear Waste Into The Pacific Ocean May Not Be Safe.  Examination of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant for discharge of treated water to be finished; Regulatory Commission to solicit public opinion in May.  Fear of broken contaminated pipes being fixed with wire ropes, which may break and sag due to earthquakes, TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.   Yoshinobu Segawa of Koriyama City, who voluntarily evacuated his wife and children to Saitama City, says the accident “has not been resolved. 

 Magnitude 5.3 earthquake shakes Fukushima and Ibaraki. 

 Hibakusha renews call for nuclear abolition.   No more nuclear power plants, no more war! 〜4.16 “Sayonara Nuke Plant Metropolitan Area Rally” was held.

EUROPE. Editorial: Will Europe be bled by ten-year war? — Anti-bellum. Overwhelming majority of Members of European Parliament oppose inclusion of nuclear power in Europe’s taxonomy as ”green”.

SWITZERLAND. Swiss population keen for nuclear bunkers, -but it’s doubtful that they’d be any use anyway.

RUSSIA. Russia warns of nuclear weapons in Baltic if Sweden and Finland join NATO.     Russia tests nuclear-capable missile that Vladimir Putin says will make enemies ‘think twice’.        Russia makes another offer to besieged Ukrainian forces.    Over a third of the world’s uranium is supplied by Russian-owned sources.

UK. 

•  Report that Chinese drones are spying on UK nuclear sites, including submarines. 
•  The life and slow death of nuclear power plants. Bechtel and Westinghouse will be big on talk but short on delivery for UK’s nuclear projects – Nuclear Free Local Authorities . Grannies For The Future glue themselves to table in protest during nuclear power debate.  
•  ‘‘Decommissioming” of UK’s dead nuclear reactors is likely to cost the tax-payer much more than planned for.         Constant cheap renewable power to Britain – the Sahara wind and solar cables. Energy Department’s own survey shows 8 in 10 Britons support onshore wind – and the Nuclear Free Local Authorities says the Government should back it. 
• UK’s Nuclear Free Local Authorities join in Wales’ call to Japan not to dump radioactive wastewater at sea.  

KENYA. Treasury allocates Sh2bn for nuclear and coal units, but nuclear is unlikely to happen for decades.

FRANCE. Emmanuel Macron won French election on a wide margin, running on a pro nuclear policy. French election: Macron and Le Pen’s nuclear plans torn apart: ‘Waste of time AND money’. France’s nuclear energy output falling, as signs of corrosion halt several nuclear reactors.   Investigations continue into possible stress corrosion in several of EDF’s nuclear reactors in France.

GERMANY. Olaf Scholz cites risk of nuclear war in refusal to send tanks to Ukraine

IRAN. Iran nuclear negotiations at stalemate over IRGC terror listing.

SOUTH   AFRICA. South Africa. Fired National Nuclear Regulator board member takes Minister Gwede Mantashe to court.

ISRAEL. Israel ranked as world’s eighth largest nuclear power.

SOUTH KOREA. Greenpeace chief urges Yoon to reevaluate nuclear-focused decarbonization plan.

HUNGARY. Hungary receives nuclear fuel shipment by air from Russia.

SOUTH AFRICA. Floods in South Africa – a ”climate catastrophe of enormous proportions”.

April 26, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Today: Are we in West being manipulated on a grand scale with deceptive propaganda about the war in Ukraine?

Today I’m posting two videos from Regis Tremblay. I’m sure that Western viewers will hate these, and call the ”Russian propaganda”. And I wish that I could believe that, too,

But I do have an awful fear. Swamped as I am by the tsunami of TV, radio, news, barrage of hyper-emotional depiction of the Ukrainian war, – I cannot help my fearful thought that Regis Tremblay’s speakers are telling the truth.

It’s a painful thought – but I think that the anglophone world, and NATO – the European countries are pulling a giant confidence trick on us all, as we all are led into this frenzy of endless weapons-buying to further the destruction of Ukraine. We are standing by, cheering, as Zelensky and the Ukrainian people are used as pawns, sacrificed, in the cause of the USA discrediting and disrupting Russia

April 22, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 1 Comment

Today: My Trumpian dilemma.

Look – I don’t like Donald Trump. He’s an awful misogynistic, bullying, lying person. I could never vote for him. His supporters have been awful, too.

My dilemma is that the Biden administration is firmly in the grip of the military-industrial-media-corporate -complex. They want to keep this war going “to the last Ukrainian” as Charles Freeman put it.

They want to keep selling weapons to Ukraine, Europe, Australia – everybody – and surround Russia, China, – anyone, with bristling U.S. weaponry.

We all know what the Biden administration is up to. The advantage of maverick Trump is that we don’t know what that impetuous uninformed person might do. He might be a safer bet?

It is a real worry that the criticism, scepticism, opposition to USA-NATO’s war in Ukraine seems to be coming mainly from the Trumpian right-wing.

In the media mess, real seekers after truth are few and far between, and rarely heard.

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

Another anxious week in nuclear news

Some bits of good news – What went right this week: hope for the climate, plus more positive news.     Nature has priority’: Rewilding map showcases nature-led restoration .  Once Rocked by Nuclear Disaster, Fukushima Is Now a Renewables Hub.   Solar Panels That Make Electricity at Night are Finally Here – And They’re Cheap and Don’t Need Batteries. 

CORONAVIRUS.  Global COVID-19 cases pass grave milestone as highly contagious BA.2 subvariant surges around the world.

CLIMATE.  Pole to Pole with Paul Beckwith – I highly recommend this Radio Ecoshock  interview with this top climate communicator 

NUCLEAR. What can I say ?   Are we on the brink of nuclear war? Can we have any confidence in our leaders to make sensible decisions?    It is exhausting to rummage through the media spin in the search for accurate information.

Caitlin Johnstone sheds a critical gaze on media reporting on Ukraine, and asks why Julian Assange is criminalised for revealing military atrocities.        Glenn Greenwald: The Censorship Campaign Against Western Criticism of NATO’s Ukraine Policy Is Extreme.      How Much Are We Prepared To Sacrifice To Help The US Win A Propaganda War Against Putin?

NATO gloats over second, bloodier phase of Ukraine war

NATO’s military buildup on eastern flank to lengthen, broaden war — Anti-bellum

The US-Australia-UK pact seems determined to pursue great power competition at the risk of real conflict.

UKRAINE. Russian soldiers received ‘shocking amount’ of nuclear exposure at Chernobyl site – some may have less than a year to live. Carelessness of Russian soldiers around Chernobyl – shows danger of nuclear sites in wartime. Kyiv Independent news is anything but independent. It’s a mouthpiece for NATO-USA-Azov-nazi propaganda and unverified atrocity stories. Ukrainian blogger gets 15 years gaol for saying that Zelensky govt takes orders from other governments. Zelensky gives his vision of peace deal with Russia.

Zelensky adviser: Ukraine war can last till 2035, best option is for Russia to be broken

 NATO’s shift to Asia-Pacific: Biden trip to Japan designed to rally Asia against Russia, China

USA. 

•  Nonstop Corporate News on Ukraine Is Fueling Support for Unchecked US Militarism. Rep. Ilhan Omar: Accountability for Russia Means Abandoning US ‘Hypocrisy‘. Biden’s genocide comment raised concern . After Undermining International Criminal Court, US Now Wants It to Charge Russians,   Dissent is dying in America – the backlash is vitriolic.  Resilience: NATO offers grants to spy on, stifle dissent.     
• Extremely rare brain cancer appearing in people who attended a New Jersey school, close to former nuclear weapons fuel plant. 
•   NuScale: Not new, not needed — Beyond Nuclear International .     Oregon regulators have doubts about Natrium nuclear schedule for Kemmerer.
•  The average American tax-payer gave $900 to military contractors last year.
• Hanford report reveals problem with nuclear waste solution.    San Onofre’s not the only nuclear worry – there are “nuclear materials events” — lost or stolen radioactive material, radiation overexposures, leaks, and more.   What should America do with its nuclear waste?        Scientist fired after raising questions about safety at nuclear waste plant.
•   U.S. Jews Favor Return to Iran Deal. 

CANADA. A call for World-class Cleanup at Chalk River Laboratories. Canada’s Federal Budget Funding for New Nuclear Reactors a ‘Climate Throwaway’ .

MIDDLE EAST. For the Middle East, the introduction of nuclear reactors poses dangers at every turn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybdwXo14sQI

JAPAN.  Japan severely breaches obligations under international law by persisting in discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into ocean .      Japanese groups voice growing opposition, organize rallies over govt’s nuclear-contaminated water dumping plan decided one year before.    Japan’s planned release of radioactive wastewater draws concern- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2RB7yw9ceE   Protests in various locations demanding withdrawal of ocean discharge of treated water from TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.    Fukushima Thyroid Examination October 2021: 221 Surgically Confirmed as Thyroid Cancer Among 266 Cytology Suspected Cases

UK.

• UK to get ‘‘special weapons”storage sites for USA nuclear weapons, – making a pre-emptive strike easier.
• Nuclear power stations UK: the new and existing sites at threat of flooding from 2030 amid rising sea levels.  
• Dr Richard Dixon: Scottish and UK governments are on a collision course over nuclear energy and oil.
• Touring exhibition celebrates 40 years on Wales county councils Nuclear Free Zones . Sizewell nuclear project: planning process drags on: thousands of objectors, yet tax-payer funding already promised!
• Planning advises rejected Wylfa as unsuitable for nuclear development. No wonder Boris Johnson wants to ”cut red tape”.
• UK’s energy strategy ”cowardly and incoherent” – solar and onshore wind are the practical options.  Nuclear energy a useless distraction for UK – Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. Johnson’s ‘nuclear fantasy’ will not reduce rising fuel bills or rising temperatures- UK’s Nuclear Free Local Authorities.
• No community in the UK has agreed to host a nuclear waste facility.
• Nuclear Free Local Authorities deplore UK govt’s super-costly new nuclear energy strategy, and its rejection of energy conservation measures. Reclaim the Word “Clean” from the Nuclear Industry. Anti- Bradwell B campaigners slam Government’s boost for nuclear – ”never likely to see the light of day!”
• Rolls Royce shares dive as JP Morgan warns that small nuclear reactors will not be profitable.
• No country in the world has worked out what to do with its old dead, radioactive, nuclear submarines. No room at the dump: Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) fears Johnson’s nuclear ambitions will lead to need for second unwanted underground facility.

EUROPE. Able Archer: The NATO exercise that almost went nuclear. Nuclear and gas in EU taxonomy slammed as ‘greenwashing’. NATO’s incorporation of Finland, Sweden could pose nuclear threat to Europe — Anti-bellum. Europe aiming to stop importing gas, oil, coal from Russia, – but uranium for the nuclear industry – well, that’s OK.

RUSSIA. Fears sunken Russian warship Moskva was carrying nuclear weapons. Russia’s ‘broken arrow’: Fears that NUCLEAR MISSILES sank with Putin’s flagship Moskva.

NORTH KOREA. North Korea tests new weapon bolstering nuclear capability

FINLAND. Finland to buy as many as 2,000 drones, boost military ahead of joining NATO. Not all trade with Russia is stopped – Finland’s still getting nuclear power project built by Russia.

FRANCE. France working out how to save debt-laden nuclear company EDF. French presidential election – Macron and LePen have differing pro-nuclear policies – but in both cases, very costly.

CHINA. China’s view –  After disrupting Europe, NATO aims to destabilize Asia, whole world: Chinese Foreign Ministry Chinese, Vietnamese FMs vow not to allow Ukraine-type tragedy in region

DENMARK. Denmark prepares nuclear emergency plan.

SOUTH AFRICA.. South African Anti-nuclear activist taking Energy Minister to court for firing him.

SPAIN. Spain outraged as massive US nuclear-powered submarine arrives in Gibraltar.

AUSTRALIA.  Pine Gap’s role in China–US arms race makes Australia a target.     Nuclear risks, the war in Ukraine, and Australia’s significant contribution to these dangers. 

April 18, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Today: the nuclear lobby’s most charming new lie – ”energy independence”

I’ve often pointed out the prevailing lies about nuclear power. The big one is, of course:

No 1 ”Nuclear power has nothing to do with nuclear weapons”‘

Then – in order of current popularity:

• nuclear power is essential to stop climate change
• is clean, green
• cheap
• renewablw
• safe
• necessary for medicine
• its toxic waste problem is solved
• provides 1000s of clean gooid jobs
• necessary for space research

There are probably more lies, but right now, I am fascinated with this fashionable new lie – that nuclear power is necessary for energy independence, national sovereignty – blah blah.

What an obvious outright lie! Perhaps the world will actually notice this one!

Sunshine, wind, tides – these forms of energy are truly national – going straight to the local technology. Nuclear is certainly not – starting from the need to import uranium, – going eventually to the likely need to dump te toxic waste onsome other poor sucker nation.

April 18, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Global heating – the cure for the nuclear industry disease?

It’s very odd that the nuclear industry is pitching itself as the cure for climate change, when in fact, it’s the other way around.

I hardly know where to start!

But let’s begin with sea level rise. Current research forecasts dire consequences for Britain’s nuclear reactors, within a few years, as global heating brings up sea levels. That’s sea surges, very big waves, estuary flooding….

Then , paradoxically, there’s water shortages, as nuclear facilkities need heaps of cooling water – and that goes not just for reactors, but for dealing with uranium tailings, stopping tgem blowing away. Uranium mining takes heaps of water

There’s the dangers of wildfires, seen already in Russia – to reactors, and nuclear waste dumps.

There’s heat waves – requiring nuclear reactors to shut down – France is especially vulnerable, with mabny shutdowns already for this reason.

Extreme weather of all kinds poses threats – of damage, of loss of electricity to nuclear safety technology.

An awful lot of nuclear facilities are vulnerable to climate change – the sooner they are shut down, the better!

April 15, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

Ain’t it great? New U.S. nuclear warheads to be stored in UK – keeping the war fervour going, making pre-emptive strike possible.

It’s so exciting! This Ukraine war could go on for months, years. And without a single Western casualty! (The Ukrainians don’t count). Those British bunkers were being wasted. Now they’re going to house American nuclear warheads,

That’ll help show the Russians that we mean business!

No more sissy diplomacy, or arms control agreements. The Biden administration’s 2023 defence budget request adds Britain to the list of European countries to store ”special weapons” (they mean B61 nuclear bombs) British chests can swell with pride, (never mind that the nuclear weapons stores could be targets, too)

And, most exciting of all, the U.S, review leaves open the option of using nuclear arms to respond to non-nuclear threats as well.

April 14, 2022 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

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