Wrap up of the week’s news – February 1
Australia: The Australian media excelled itself in its distortion of news on Aboriginal protest in Canberra. There may be an investigation into the violence there – violence not from the Aborigines, but from the police. Focus on this incident obscured a deeper problem – the draft Constitutional changes which include entrenching the discrimination and land-grabbing that goes on in the interests of the uranium/nuclear industry. The Commission’s full report is available at: http://www.brc.gov
Anxious talks between BHP Billiton and South Australian government, as BHP wavers about the future of the new big Olympic Dam uranium mine, in view of the nuclear industries global stagnation.
Australia’s richest person (en route to becoming the world’s richest woman) Gina Rinehart starts a new uranium mining company. Western Australian Labor, under a new leader, weakens its anti uranium policy.
700 prominent Australians call for ban on nuclear weapons, under the auspices of ICAN. Only a very few of these dignitaries want Australia to keep on selling the fuel for nuclear weapons – uranium.
A quiet push to have Australian ports deepened, in preparation for USA nuclear submarines. And another quiet push to have Australia buy its own nuclear submarines from USA. And an even quieter meeting between Russia’s Foreign Minister and Australian officials on nuclear technology vo-operation between Australia and Russia.
Australian Nuclear Free Alliance represented at Yokohama international conference
The lands of the Kookotha people, the group that are from the land next to mine, are currently occupied by the world’s biggest mining company, BHP Billiton.
The mine is called Olympic Dam and it use 33 million litres of ground water per day, for free. The water is drawn by pipe from my land. Since the beginning of time, Aboriginal people have taken care of our land Australia.
But the uranium mine poisons the water, land and life through releasing radiation….
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49872 VIDEO Peter Watts: Uranium should stay in the ground, Green Left, , January 31, 2012 Arabunna man Peter Watts is the co-chair of ANFA, the Australian
Nuclear Free Alliance. Formed in 1997, ANFA (formerly the Alliance Against Uranium) brings together Aboriginal people and relevant NGO’s concerned about existing or proposed nuclear developments inAustralia, particularly on Aboriginal homelands.
In early 2012, Watts represented ANFA at the Global Conference for a Nuclear Power Free World, held in Yokohama, Japan, in the wake of the Fukushima disasters. Continue reading
Economic forecasts cast doubt on Olympic Dam uranium mine expansion
BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam – To Go, Or No Go? Commodities and Futures, By Esther Tanquintic-Misa | January 31, 2012 The slowing global economy could potentially affect the construction and start-up operations of BHP Billiton Ltd.’s $20 billion expansion into the Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine.
On Monday night, executives of the Australian mining giant met with South Australian government and opposition leaders to thresh out concerns as the board of BHP Billiton Ltd. discusses on grating the ultimate approval that will push the multi-million Olympic Dam mine expansion and development.
SA Premier Jay Weatherill earlier said he had hoped BHP Billiton Ltd.’s approval would be released by middle of this year. However, Mr Weatherill was also quick to acknowledge the present and real danger affecting the world’s economy will likely push the board of the Australian miner to pause and stall its decision …….. the state parliament passed in 2011 the legislation to enable the expansion of the world’s largest open-cut mine,
Australia Day fracas: police violence rather than Aboriginal “riot”?
“[One officer] can be seen in footage that has now emerged attacking at least two different protesters, none of whom were aggressive towards him. He also uses foul language, including using the c-word at a cameraman and telling media to f— off. That is not the actions of a professional police officer. “Indeed Aboriginal people are arrested for that sort of conduct every
single day.”
Call to investigate police after tent embassy protest, SMH, Saffron Howden January 31, 2012 Indigenous groups are calling for an independent investigation into the “violent” conduct of police officers during last week’s tent embassy protest. The NSW Aboriginal Land Council asked the Human Rights Commission to investigate as new video footage emerged today depicting federal police officers yelling, swearing and using physical force after Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott were rushed from The Lobby restaurant in Canberra last week. Continue reading
Platts economic report – no joy for the global nuclear industry
Prospects for Nuclear Power in 2012, Platts a leading global provider of energy, metals and petrochemicals information., London, 30 January 2012 Even before the Fukushima disaster, the long-awaited nuclear renaissance in the West seemed to be running out of steam. There were two main factors behind this failure; the new Generation III+ reactors produced to take account of the lessons of Chernobyl that would spearhead the revival were not living up to their promises, and, more importantly, banks were proving unwilling to provide finance
Energy Economist – Report.
The key markets for the renaissance were the US and the UK. As pioneers of nuclear power, potentially large markets and countries that seemed to have abandoned plans for new nuclear plants, a successful revival in these countries would have been a powerful endorsement for these new technologies. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 