nuclear secrecy « nuclear-news

Uncertainty over radiation as Russia’s wildfire danger still exists

Vice President of the European Parliament Rodi Kratsa said in a letter to the chamber last week that there are “serious risks” of radiation reaching Europe and asked her fellow deputies to find out whether Russia has a “prevention plan … to avoid the release of radioactive particles into the atmosphere.”

Fallout from Russia’s Fires – the ashes of Chernobyl, TIME, Simon Shuster , 20 Aug 2010, – “……. On Aug. 18, it [the Russian government] organized a trip to Bryansk for observers and environmentalists. Ivan Blokov, who went on behalf of Greenpeace, says the trip left some of the most crucial questions unanswered and convinced him only that the region’s firefighting infrastructure is “in a state of collapse” and would be unable to contain a major fire in the radioactive forests. Continue reading →

August 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Russia | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radioactive, recycling | Leave a comment

Impact of radiation on workers ignored in India’s Nuclear Liability Bill

In its haste to introduce the N-liability bill, the government ignored the health ministry

(India) Nuclear liability bill silent on impact of radiation on plant workers, Daily News and Analysis, (DNA) , Aug 19, 2010, By Vineeta Pandey | One basic problem with a nuclear installation is radiation, which affects the health of workers at the plant and the people living around it. Yet this factor has been completely ignored in the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill. Continue reading →

August 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, India | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Peaceful protestors arrested in demonstration against new nuclear weapons plant

The activists condemn the plant, which will replace one nearby and will be the first new nuclear weapons plant built in the United States in over 30 years.

Anti-nuclear activists arrested during Honeywell plant protest – Kansas City News Mandy Oaklander, Aug. 17 2010 Protesters from as far away as Florida convened at the Honeywell plant construction site yesterday in south Kansas City. The protest was the culmination of a three-day gathering for the KC Nuclear Weapons Plant Conference Continue reading →

August 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Russia censoring news about wildfires and radiation

Shoigu also demanded that those who reported on the spread of radiation fro fires burning in contaminated areas be made known to authorities.
As a consequence, public information about fires in areas posing a potential radiation hazard were ripped down from government websites,

Russia emergency minister threatens to ‘deal with’ those spreading radiation ‘rumours’ about wildfires in contaminated areas NEW YORK/ST PETERSBURG –Bellona, Charles Digges, Alexander Shurshev contributed from St. Petersburg , 17Aug 2010, Russian emergency officials have come up with a novel tool to smother the spate of heat wave caused wildfires that threaten to tear through radioactively contaminated forests and lands during the country’s hottest summer, releasing radiation: pull information about fires in radioactively contaminated areas and threaten punishment for those spreading “rumours.” Continue reading →

August 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, climate change, global warming, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

No ‘nuclear renaissance’ – in fact it’s a decline

The view that the amount of energy derived from nuclear power worldwide will continue its slow decrease during the coming years is further supported by the 2008 annual report of the Euratom Supply Agency, which coordinates the long-term uranium needs of nuclear power plants within the European Union. According to the agency’s forecast, uranium demand in Europe will fall from 21,747 tonnes in 2010 to roughly 16,000 tonnes by 2024.

The reality of nuclear energy is inconsistent with dreams of a renaissanceNuclear energy is not on the rise – the hard facts point to a continuing, slow phase-out around the world Michael Dittmar guardian.co.uk, 16 August 2010 Repeatedly in recent years there have been calls for a revival of nuclear power. Yet that renaissance never seems to come. Continue reading →

August 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, EUROPE | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

401 wildfires in Russia’s radiation contaminated Chelyabinsk

most worrisome of all, the Chelyabinsk region, home to the Mayak Chemical Combine, Russia’s nuclear reprocessing facility and one of the most radioactively contaminated areas on the planet hosted 401 fires over 3,536 acres.

Russia emergency minister threatens to ‘deal with’ those spreading radiation ‘rumours’ about wildfires in contaminated areas NEW YORK/ST PETERSBURG –Alexander Shurshev contributed from St. Petersburg “Bellona, 17 Aug 2010, ………..By last week Roslesozashchita website was reporting – before it was taken down – that 269 fires were burning over 664 acres in the Bryansk Region.But that was not all. Continue reading →

August 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Russia | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

How come USA will let Vietnam enrich uranium?

The Shotgun: Filibuster: The first nuclear commandment, Western Standard, 15 Aug 2010, In a story that did not get a lot of press this week, the Obama administration has announced that it plans to go ahead with a nuclear technology deal with the Communist nation of Vietnam, despite that country’s refusal to make a pledge to not enrich uranium. Continue reading →

August 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Vietnam | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

USA keeps secret any data on depleted uranium use

one major obstacle is standing in the way of these assessments – the refusal by the US to release data on exactly where the weapons have been used and in what quantities. At present, states that use uranium weapons do not have to disclose quantitative or geographical data about their use – no where, no how much, nothing.

Fallujah birth malformations demand transparency over depleted uranium use By International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons, 16 Aug 2010, Recent research and a tide of media coverage are indicating that something is very wrong in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. The rates of certain cancers and birth malformations seem to be far higher than those of other countries in the region. Continue reading →

August 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iraq, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, cancer, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

USA sends help as fires circle Russian nuclear base

Russia admitted yesterday that fires closing in on its main nuclear centre represent ‘a certain danger’ to the secret town which houses its most sophisticated research laboratories.

U.S. sends help as fires close in on Russian nuclear base. Daily Mail 14th August 2010 The United States is sending firefighting equipment to Russia to help deal with 500 wildfires burning across the country, one of which threatens a nuclear base.The blazes have been sparked by the hottest summer ever recorded in Russia, Continue reading →

August 14, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, safety | antinuclear, climate change, global warming, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

“Countdown to Zero” – film faces the nuclear weapons facts

The only answer, this film and its many talking heads assert, is to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Thus the title of “Countdown to Zero” is less a pessimistic prediction of doomsday than a rallying cry to eliminate the danger. In fact, the film closes on an optimistic note, describing the Global Zero initiative through which world leaders hope to phase out nuclear weapons.

Countdown to Zero’ a frightening nuclear threat, By ROBERT W. BUTLER, McClatchy Newspapers, 14 Aug 2010, “……with the fall of the communist bloc we heaved a collective sigh of relief and looked to a less stressful future.

Well, don’t get too comfortable. Lucy Walker’s documentary is a blood-curdling look at the world’s nuclear arsenal that suggests atomic Armageddon remains every bit as likely as during the height of the Cold War…….. Continue reading →

August 14, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Loopholes in India’s Nuclear Liability Bill would make taxpayer pay up

the operator who in the event of a nuclear incident shall claim the insurance and leave the taxpayers on the hook for most damages, as the amount paid over and above the capped limit shall be paid by our Government. Hence, the nuclear operators actually end paying nothing………..

The dangerous leaks and lacunae in the 2010 Nuclear Liability Bill | Legal opinions, 13 Aug 2010, The new 2010 Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill is a double-edged sword full of loopholes and unanswered questions that are more likely to cut the Indian public than protect it from nuclear disasters, argue advocates Sangmitra Sawant and Vishnu Anand. Continue reading →

August 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, Legal | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, reactors | 1 Comment

Russia’s secrecy over wildfires promotes public anxiety

“The first thing that should be done is that the Russian government should be fully transparent about what’s going on. As long as not only the people but also international experts are not really informed about what’s going on, it is a major problem.

Lack of transparency over fires fuels fears over Russia nuclear danger – swissinfo, Jessica Dacey, 13 Aug, 2010, Russian wildfires have spread to areas contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster, raising concerns that Russia should be doing more to tackle the crisis. Greenpeace Switzerland says a more transparent approach by the Russian government is needed so that the general public is better informed and outside experts can help.

The fires were sparked by the hottest summer in Russia since records began. Continue reading →

August 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Locating the world’s nuclear weapons

Where most of the weapons are: US and Russia…….Using the weapons stores from these two nations alone, we can still obliterate all life on Earth several times over without much effort.

Where are all the nuclear weapons located in the world?, 109.com, 13 Aug 2010, The exact status of the world’s nuclear weapon supply is only known through educated guesswork and occasional information leaks. Continue reading →

August 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Nuclear proliferation in the ’emerging world’

Environmental risks are effectively unlimited with nuclear power…..proliferation is no-no word for the nuclear industry. Civil and military nuclear power are each day described by world leaders like President Obama as different and separate,…Unfortunately this lyrical vision has no relation to the real world….

The reality bundle inside which nuclear proliferation hides, but which the nuclear industry and leading politicians tirelessly deny, distort or confuse, especially applies in the Emerging economies. ….

The Doomsday Threat Of The “Nuclear Renaissance” : The Market Oracle, By Andrew McKillop, 12 Aug 2010, “……..new power reactors are under construction at this moment, in what industry promoters call “The Nuclear Renaissance”. This renaissance however threatens to be as complex, ambiguous and murky as the Medieval renaissance. Continue reading →

August 12, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, peace, peaceful, reactors | Leave a comment

Nuclear radiation threat always there for 3 million Americans

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that nearly 3 million Americans live within 10 miles of an operating nuclear power plant.

Although the Nuclear Regulatory Commission monitors these facilities closely, accidents are always possible. Dangerous levels of radiation could come our way.

Nuclear threats close to home – Honesdale, PA – Wayne Independent. 11 Aug 29010, What took place at PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick shook a few people up on Tuesday. It also served notice that nuclear disasters are possible — or at least the threat of them.Nuclear power plants aren’t on our radar that much these days. We don’t often think about Three Mile Island or the movie “The China Syndrome.” For the most part, we have grown to believe that the production of nuclear power plant energy is almost as safe as flying the friendly skies each day. There are no incidents and everything goes off without a hitch.