Peace Convergence Protesters arrested in Rockhampton, protesting Talisman military exercises
Four peace activists have been arrested blockading the Caroona Street gate of Western Street Barracks, Rockhampton.
Fukushima is generating 400 tons of radioactive water every day
As of May 7, the Japan Times reported that TEPCO had installed 290 huge storage talks at Fukushima to hold more than 78 million gallons (290,000 tons) of radioactive water, with another 25 million gallons still uncollected. Fukushima is generating an estimated 100,000-plus gallons (400 tons) of radioactive water every day
TEPCO estimates that groundwater is entering the complex at a rate of at least 54,000 gallons per day.
Fukushima 2013: “Remaining Radioactive Mass”, “Dangerous Leaking Radioactive Water”, All Four Reactors are “Getting Worse” By William Boardman Global Research, July 11, 2013 The first thing to know about the danger from the radioactive mass remaining on site in the three reactors that melted down at Fukushima is that nobody 
knows how much radioactive material there is, nobody knows how much uranium and plutonium it contains, and nobody knows how to make it safe — so no one knows how great the continuing danger is.
In order to prevent nuclear material from being diverted to use in weapons, the International Atomic Energy Agency of the U.N. requires each country to report regularly on the volume of nuclear materials in its nuclear power plants. At Fukushima, this is currently impossible with the cores of the three reactors that melted down.
Diversion of this material to weapons use is not a problem at the moment, since the level of radioactivity is high enough to kill anyone who comes close to it, which is why it hasn’t been moved. On the other hand, it is necessary to move it in order to measure it, and even if it was movable now, the technology to measure it does not yet exist.
Cooling the Cores Keeps Them from Burning, but Creates Radioactive Water Continue reading
World Health Organisation will not report on cause of birth defects in Iraq
On May 28, 1959, at the 12th World Health Assembly, WHO drew up an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. A clause of this agreement says the WHO effectively grants the right of prior approval over any research it might undertake or report on to the IAEA – a group that many people, including journalists, think is a neutral watchdog, but which is, in fact, an advocate for the nuclear power industry. Its founding papers state: ”The agency shall seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity through the world.” – C.M.
“I strongly believe that the WHO, like most international organisations, is not a neutral body, but is influenced by the geopolitical powers of its members” “So, yes, there is reason why a group of very smart scientists are not exploring the ‘why’ question in their study.
WHO’s Iraq Birth Defect Study Omits Causation By Sudeshna Chowdhury UNITED NATIONS, Jul 17 2013 (IPS) – A long-awaited study on congenital birth defects by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Iraq is expected to be very extensive in nature.
According to WHO, 10,800 households were selected as a sample size for the study, which was scheduled to be released early this year but has not yet been made public.
Many scientists and experts have started questioning the time delay in publishing the study, but there is another aspect that is a cause for concern among some health experts.
The report will not examine the link between the prevalence of birth defects and use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions used during the war and occupation in Iraq, according to WHO. Continue reading
World Health Organisation Report DID predict increased cancers from Fukushima radiation
Fukushima 2013: “Remaining Radioactive Mass”, “Dangerous Leaking Radioactive Water”, All Four Reactors are 
“Getting Worse” By William Boardman Global Research, July 11, 2013 “………Radiation Dose So Far Not Harmful, U.N. says – But It’s Not Over Yet
In February the World Health Organization (WHO) of the U.N. released an almost 200-page assessment of the health risks from the Fukushima disaster, “the first-ever analysis of global health effects due to radiation exposure” from Fukushima. In a press release issued in Geneva, WHO concluded that: “for the general population inside and outside of Japan, the predicted risks are low and no observable increases in cancer rates above baseline rates are anticipated.”
Using preliminary dose estimation data to make its predictions, the WHO report also found “that the estimated risk for specific cancers in certain subsets of the population in Fukushima Prefecture has increased and, as such, it calls for long term continued monitoring and health screening for those people.”
The release quotes Dr Angelika Tritscher, Acting Director for WHO’s Food Safety and Zoonosis Department, saying that: “In addition to strengthening medical support and services, continued environmental monitoring, in particular of food and water supplies, backed by the enforcement of existing regulations, is required to reduce potential radiation exposure in the future.”
And the WHO report “notes that the psychosocial impact of Fukushima] may have a consequence on health and well-being. These should not be ignored as part of the overall response.”…..http://www.globalresearch.ca/fukushima-2013-remaining-radioactive-mass-dangerous-leaking-radioactive-water-all-four-reactors-are-getting-worse/5342466
Gloomy reality facing USA nuclear industry
The U.S. Nuclear Power Industry’s Dim Future Bloomberg Business Week By Matthew Philips July 18, 2013 “……optimism has given way to despair. Four reactors have closed so far in 2013—a record for the industry. Because of the shale energy boom, natural gas prices crashed, followed by coal. Electricity demand fell during the recession and has yet to regain its 2007 peak. Bolstered by billions of dollars in green energy subsidies in the 2009 stimulus package, renewables, especially wind, have come on faster than many anticipated. Cap and trade never happened. And Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011 reminded the world just how dangerous nuclear power can be.
The industry hasn’t done itself any favors. A radioactive steam leak and a botched repair job have led to the permanent closure of three reactors in the last several months, two in California operated by Southern California Edison (EIX), and another in Florida run by Duke Energy (DUK). Faced with growing political opposition, billions of dollars of estimated repair costs, and cheaper alternatives, utility executives in both cases decided to pull the plug rather than fix the plants.
More troubling for the industry is the decision thatDominion Generation (D) made in May to close its Kewaunee reactor in Wisconsin. Squeezed by cheap coal and natural gas and unable to find a buyer after looking for more than a year, Dominion shut down the facility rather than keep operating it at a loss. Continue reading
Aboriginals and Environmentalists combine to save Arnhem Land from unchecked resource development
Aboriginal-green link to fight gas projects BY:AMOS AIKMAN , THE AUSTRALIAN, July 19, 2013 ENVIRONMENTAL groups are seeking to capitalise on the beauty of Arnhem Land and the plight of its indigenous people to build support for campaigns against resource development and a northern food bowl.Five indigenous people from the remote community of Maningrida will hold a protest in Sydney’s Martin Place today, objecting to petroleum-licence exploration applications covering about 1500km of coastline.
Their $8000 travel bill was paid by The Wilderness Society, the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Environment Centre NT, which are co-sponsoring the event.
Anti-coal-seam and shale gas group Lock the Gate Alliance and a coalition of anti-nuclear protesters are also involved.
A traditional owner from the nearby Blythe River area, Eddie Mason, said he was worried about the safety of his country and about songlines and sacred sites beneath the sea. Indigenous landowners cannot veto exploration or mining in open water. “That’s our main food source, our supermarket,” Mr Mason said.
He accused Palter Petroleum, which has applied for the Arnhem Land exploration licences, of failing to consult properly with indigenous people, who he said should have veto rights over territorial waters.
Gavan McFadzean, The Wilderness Society’s northern Australia campaign manager, said his organisation was keen to use iconic sites in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land and Cape York Peninsula to develop a national campaign around the dangers of resource extraction and northern food bowl development.
He said the prospect of a future Abbott-led Coalition government was a particular threat.
Lock The Gate Alliance spokesman Drew Hutton said his organisation was also increasing its work in the Top End.
Mr Hutton predicted that Aboriginal land would be the next battlefront after farmland in the war to control unconventional gas developments.http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/aboriginal-green-link-to-fight-gas-projects/story-fn9hm1pm-1226681650900
Uncertainty in Victoria’s wind enegy if Review of Renewable Energy Target
Renewable Energy Target uncertainty may delay wind farm http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-18/renewable-energy-target-uncertainty-may-delay-wind/4827380 Jul 18, 2013 Pacific Hydro says construction of the 41-turbine Crowlands wind farm, near Ararat, could be delayed because of uncertainty about the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET).
The RET is reviewed every two years but the wind industry wants that changed to a four-yearly review. Initial works on the Crowlands site are due to begin before the planning permit expires next month.
However, the general manager for Pacific Hydro in Australia, Lane Crockett, says the final go-ahead may be delayed until there is more certainty about the RET. “It’s not helping that there’s a review of the Renewable Energy Target planned for next year,” he said.
“So that might be something that we have to wait for to be concluded until we can make the final go-ahead for the project or it may be able to get away sooner. “It’s just hard to tell because it’s slightly uncertain.”
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 