We care about Japan’s disaster situation and are concerned about nuclear safety:
By Global Times, Jan 03, 2024
As of Tuesday evening, the 7.6-magnitude strong earthquake that occurred in Japan has caused at least 57 deaths, multiple casualties, building collapses, widespread power outages, and fires. The latest development is a collision between a Japan Airlines plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport during landing, resulting in at least five deaths among the six crew members of the latter. The Japan Coast Guard aircraft was originally scheduled to transport relief supplies to the earthquake-stricken area in Ishikawa Prefecture. It was preparing for takeoff on the runway when the incident occurred. It’s not difficult to imagine the various chaos that this major earthquake has brought to Japan.
This is the strongest earthquake in Japan since the “3.11” earthquake in 2011. The Japan Meteorological Agency stated on Tuesday that since January 1 local time, there have been 155 earthquakes in Japan, including two strong earthquakes of over magnitude 6. It is uncertain whether there will be continuous aftershocks or even larger earthquakes. Despite Japan’s rich experience in dealing with disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, human society remains vulnerable in the face of unexpected natural disasters.
Meanwhile, we also notice that in this earthquake, there is some important information that may not have received enough attention. For example, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on the evening of January 1 that the water from the fuel pools at the top floors of the No. 7 and No. 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture spilled over due to strong earthquakes. These waters contain radioactive materials, and the radiation levels are currently being measured. In addition, there was a situation at the Shika Nuclear Power Station in Ishikawa Prefecture where some water had sloshed from a cooling pool for spent fuel rods. Regarding the issues at these two nuclear power stations, the Japanese authorities have promptly concluded that they are “currently safe,” stating that “no damage or leaks were confirmed” and that the fuel cooling at the Shika Nuclear Power Station was “unaffected.”
We certainly hope that this accurately reflects the current situation regarding the nuclear power plants. The information has garnered significant attention from netizens, leading to doubts about whether Japan will experience another catastrophic nuclear accident similar to the Fukushima incident following an earthquake. One reason for this concern is that Japan is one of the countries with the highest concentration of nuclear power plants in the world, coupled with its limited land area. Once a serious nuclear disaster occurs, Japan can hardly cope with it independently. The Fukushima nuclear accident serves as a painful reminder.
More importantly, the Japanese government and TEPCO have a bad track record of mishandling nuclear accidents. To some extent, they have lost credibility. Furthermore, Japan’s stubborn and irresponsible actions regarding the dumping of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima have caused great concerns among the Japanese people
Japan needs to take these legitimate concerns seriously. Although the epicenter of this earthquake was in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, its impact was widespread, ranging from Hokkaido to Kyushu. The coastal areas of northern Japan, where numerous nuclear facilities and power plants are located, have been affected to varying degrees. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, which has witnessed problems, is one of the largest in the world.
It is crucial to assess the condition of these nuclear facilities and the radiation levels in the surrounding sea. Does Japan have a comprehensive monitoring plan in place? Are other nuclear power plants along the coast in a safe state? How does Japan ensure transparency in information disclosure? These issues are directly related to the well-being of the Japanese people and the surrounding countries, and they require a serious response from Japan in the process of dealing with this earthquake………………. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202401/1304687.shtml
Japan earthquake raises concerns over restarting country’s nuclear plants
The earthquake struck days after Japan’s regulators lifted a two-year operational ban on a power plant run by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which operated the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant.
Ashima Sharma, January 5, 2024, https://www.power-technology.com/news/japan-earthquake-raises-concerns-over-restarting-countrys-nuclear-plants/?cf-view
The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan’s western coast on 1 January has raised concerns over the push to bring the country’s nuclear capacity online.
The earthquake struck just days after the country’s regulators lifted a two-year operational ban on Tepco’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.
Tepco’s plant is located around 120km from the earthquake’s epicentre but has been offline since 2012. Tepco was also the operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant and in 2021 was banned from transporting new uranium fuel to its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant.
The move was to prevent Tepco from restarting the facility’s seven nuclear reactors, ten years after two of its reactors incurred a triple meltdown at Fukushima.
Following the quake, Tepco reported water spillage from two nuclear fuel pools of the No. 7 and No. 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.
The company ascertained that about 14 litres of water containing radioactive materials spilled from the pools, although it said the radiation levels were normal.
The Shika nuclear power plant, operated by another company, Hokuriku Electric, and located 65km from the epicentre, also reported spillage from spent nuclear fuel pools and oil leaks.
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, there was a strong public and political sentiment to phase out nuclear plants in the country. However, over the years, severe power crunches coupled with rising energy prices have pushed Japan towards restarting idle reactors.
In 2023, Japan’s Kansai Electric Power restarted its 12th nuclear reactor at the Takahama plant. The 826MW Takahama No. 2 was the country’s second-oldest operating reactor, having entered service in 1975.
TODAY. Japan’s earthquake: The world must not be conned by the irrational optimism of the nuclear lobby
Dr Pangloss would be in his element. In today’s world, Pangloss would surely be paid a fortune, one that would minimise the fat salaries of Nuclear Publicist Raphael Grossi, and his cronies.
The earthquake in Japan is a timely case in point.
It demonstrates the safety of nuclear technology.
Or does it?
We get the comforting headlines in the corporate media. - “nuclear power plants largely undamaged following quake” “No Irregularities Identified At West Coast Nuclear Power Plants, Says Regulator”
Grossi’s been remarkably quiet about all this. Being the devious slimy propagandist that he is, Grossi knows that the full story may not be so comforting. He really needs a Dr Pangloss to tutor him on this one.
At first, the news of a radioactive spill at at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station was unavailable – labelled “Forbidden”. And no wonder, as this, the world’s biggest NPP, has a chequered safety history, and is about to be restarted! It has 7 reactors, and is situated all too close to the earthquake fault line.
But then, the nuclear lobby rallied – and added ” No Damage or Leak” to the headline, and made it public.
So – the timing of the earthquake was unfortunate for its owner – Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), (especially as TEPCO is still afflicted with the legal and other effects of its Fukushima nuclear catastrophe).
But hey – the nuclear lobby to the rescue! Never mind that the earthquake made radioactive water from Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’s fuel pools spill over.
They will push ahead with restarting this globally iconic nuclear plant – regardless of its recent problem, and regardless of its problematic history:
- Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear powerplant out of action for many months due to 74 instances of defective welding.
- Security lapses at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata.
- Safety and security issues at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station.
- A number of cases of unauthorized access have occurred at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
- Japan’s nuclear regulator bans Tepco from restarting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant due to safety flaws.
- 60 holes at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuke plant found unfilled in violation of building code. TEPCO again!!
- Danger of radioactive groundwater leak at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant
- Trouble with nuclear fuel rods in Japan’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
So we wait to see what Grossi, Pangloss, and the rest of of the nuclear cabal come up with, to justify the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.
A Visit to Belmarsh Prison, Where Julian Assange Awaits His Final Appeal Against Extradition to the US
The Wikileaks founder says he fears his own imprisonment, US government surveillance, and restrictions on the group’s funding have effectively scared off potential whistleblowers.
The Nation, CHARLES GLASS, 2 Jan 24
MP BELMARSH—It is 2:30 PM on Wednesday, December 13, when Julian Assange strides into the visitors’ area. He stands out in the column of 23 prisoners for his height—6′ 2″—and flowing white locks with trimmed beard. He squints, looking for a familiar face among the wives, sisters, sons, and fathers of the other inmates. I am waiting, as assigned, at D-3, one of about 40 sets of small coffee tables surrounded by three upholstered chairs—two blue, one red—screwed into the floor of what looks like a basketball court. We spot each other, walk forward, and embrace. It is the first time I have seen him in six years. I blurt, “You’re pale.” Through a mischievous smile I remember from past meetings, he jokes, “They call it prison pale.”
He has not been outdoors—apart from a minute when police dragged him into a paddy wagon—since he took refuge in London’s cramped Ecuadorian Embassy in June 2012. The embassy’s French windows had afforded glimpses of sky. Here at Belmarsh maximum security prison in southeast London, his abode since April 11, 2019, he has not seen the sun. Warders confine him to a cell for 23 out of every 24 hours. His single hour of recreation takes place within four walls, under supervision. His paleness is best described as deathly……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Julian and I sit down, face to face, me on the red chair, he on one of the blues. Above us, glass globes hide cameras that record the interactions between inmates and their guests.
…………………………. Julian had thought prison meant communal meals at long tables, as in the movies. Belmarsh’s warders shove the food into the cells for prisoners to eat alone. It is hard to make friends that way. He has been there longer than any other prisoner apart from an old man who had served seven years to his four and a half. There are occasional suicides, he tells me, including one the night before.
……………………………… I ask whether he still has the radio he had struggled to obtain in his first year. He did, but it was not working due to a defective plug. Regulations permit each prisoner to have a radio purchased from prison stores. The authorities, however, said no radios were available for him. When I heard about it, I sent him a radio. It was returned. I then sent him a book on how to make a radio. That too was returned………………………………………………………………
How did he, a news addict, keep in touch? The prison allows him to read printouts of news stories, and friends write to him. With the invasions of Ukraine and Gaza, I say, now is an important time for whistleblowers to send documents to WikiLeaks. He regrets that WikiLeaks is no longer able to expose war crimes and corruption as in the past. His imprisonment and US government surveillance and restrictions on WikiLeaks’ funding wards off potential whistleblowers. He fears that other media outlets are not filling the vacuum.
Belmarsh does not offer him education programs or communal activity, like orchestra practice, sports, or publishing a prison journal, that are standard at many other prisons. The regime is punitive; although Belmarsh’s 700-odd inhabitants are on remand, awaiting trial or appeal. They are Category A prisoners, those who “pose the most threat to the public, the police or national security” and stand accused of terrorism, murder, or sexual violence.
We talk about Christmas, which is just another day in Belmarsh: no turkey, no carols, no presents. The prison is closed to visitors on Christmas Day and the day after, and the prison has informed his wife, Stella Moris, that she and their two young sons, Gabriel and Max, may not see him on Christmas Eve. He can attend Catholic Mass celebrated by the Polish chaplain, who has become a friend.
………….Apart from occasional visiting days, his days are all the same: the confined space, the loneliness, the books, the memories, the hope that his lawyers’ appeal against extradition and life imprisonment in the United States will succeed……….. https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/julian-assange-wikileaks-belmarsh-prison/
Fears after warning of ‘rotting’ nuclear infrastructure on Clyde
By Xander Elliards
THE UK Government must “urgently” make a statement to parliament on whether Scots living near its nuclear bases remain safe after alarm bells were rung over “rotting” infrastructure, the SNP have said.
It comes after Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser, claimed
there was a top-level cover-up of the poor state of the UK’s nuclear
provision. Cummings said that in 2022 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had
approached him for help with the next General Election campaign, and he had
asked for several conditions in return.
One of these, he said, was
addressing the “fundamentally critical” issue of “the scandal of
nuclear weapons infrastructure which is a dangerous disaster and a budget
nightmare of hard-to-believe and highly classified proportions, and which
has forced large secret cannibalisation of other national security
budgets”.
Writing on social media, Cummings added that it was a
“fact that our nuclear weapons infrastructure is dangerously rotting and
is tens of billions secretly in the hole, with huge knock-on effects beyond
its destructive effects on MoD [Ministry of Defence] which has got *even
worse*”. HM Naval Base, Clyde, at Faslane on the west coast of Scotland is
home to the UK’s nuclear submarines. The nearby Royal Naval Armaments
Depot at Coulport is responsible for storing, processing, maintaining and
issuing key elements of the UK’s Trident nuclear missile system.
The National 2nd Jan 2024
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24023426.fears-warning-rotting-nuclear-infrastructure-clyde/
Water Containing Radioactive Materials Spills Over at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Due to Earthquakes
The Yomiuri Shimbun, 21:24 JST, January 1, 2024
Water from the fuel pools at the top floors of the No. 7 and No. 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture spilled over due to strong earthquakes, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. announced Monday. No damage or leaks were confirmed.
According to TEPCO, when the company checked the fuel pools of reactors No. 1 through No. 7 at around 6:45 p.m., it found that water containing radioactive materials spilled from the pools. About 10 liters spilled from the No. 2 reactor and about 4 liters from the No. 7 reactor. TEPCO is measuring the radiation levels.
Japan Earthquake: Water Levels Rose At Shika Nuclear Plant After Monday’s Tsunami, Says Report
Earlier, it was said that there was no significant change in water levels while monitoring the gauge at Shika nuclear plant.
The water levels rose at Japan nuclear plant— Shika after Monday’s tsunami.
The broadcaster NHK quoting the operator of the nuclear power plant in quake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture said water levels rose by about three meters at the site following tsunami triggered by the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in central Japan.
The plant is located in the prefecture’s Noto region, the report mentioned.
A major tsunami warning was temporarily issued for the area following the quake, which struck around 4:10 p.m. on Monday, the report mentioned.
It also stated the waves later reached multiple locations along the Sea of Japan coast.
Staff at Hokuriku Electric Power Company checked a water level gauge near a seawater intake. They found out the level had been three meters higher than usual between 5:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday,” it said.
Earlier, it was said that there was no significant change in water levels while monitoring the gauge at the plant.
It was also said a four-meter high seawall installed to protect the No.1 reactor was tilting by several centimeters when its workers took a second look at the plant premises, the report mentioned.
The report mentioned some systems at the plant are not functioning after pipes of transformers used to supply outside electricity to the reactors sustained damage in the earthquake. The rupture led to oil leaks, it said.
The operator says the plant is using other means to supply power to critical equipment, the report said.
The report said the recovery work started on Tuesday and is proceeding quickly. That work includes retrieving the leaked oil, it said.
Both the No.1 and No.2 reactors at the plant were taken offline long before the earthquake, the report said.
Nuke policy quietly nuked: Australia to fund US nuclear weapon delivery program
Greens Defence Spokesperson Senator David Shoebridge said, “When will the Albanese government start telling the whole truth about AUKUS and how Australians will be paying to help build the next class of US ballistic missile submarines?”
by Rex Patrick and Philip Dorling | Jan 2, 2024, https://michaelwest.com.au/australia-to-fund-nuclear-missiles-aukus/
A newly released Congressional Research Service report confirms that Australian funds will be used to support the United States Navy’s nuclear ballistic missile submarine program. The Government has sunk Labor’s nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation pledges. Rex Patrick and Philip Dorling explain.
The Columbia class submarines will carry 16 thirteen metre long Trident II D5 missiles. Each of those missiles can carry up to eight (they can carry 12 but, by treaty, the number has been limited to eight) multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicles. Each re-entry vehicle can deliver a thermonuclear warhead to an individual target.
Fully loaded, each submarine will be able deliver thermonuclear weapons to 128 cities or hardened military targets.
When on patrol, the submarines are virtually undetectable, and there are no known, near-term credible threats to the survivability of the SSBN force. The ballistic missile submarines are the most survivable leg of the triad.
The US Navy for more than a decade consistently identified the Columbia Class program as its top priority program.
Enter AUKUS
There has been a lot of focus on how the US will meet its own production requirements for the conventionally armed Virginia class nuclear attack submarines with the AUKUS agreements providing for two existing submarines to be transferred to Australia and at least another new vessel acquired off the production line.
No-one in Australia has paid much attention to the Columbia Program. That’s been an oversight.
The Columbia class ballistic missile submarines will be built at General Dynamics’ Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding (HII/NNS), in Newport News, Virginia. That’s exactly the same shipyards the Virginia class attack submarines will be built.
And this will all be happening at the same time. The first Columbia submarine is to be delivered in October 2027, the second in April 2030, the third in August 2032, the fourth in September 2032, and the fifth in August 2033. At the same time those same shipyards will be pumping out Virginia Class submarine for the US Navy, and Australia. As the fifth Columbia is being delivered, Australia will get its first second hand Virginia Class submarine.
Both shipyards are currently collectively punching out 1.4 Virginia class boats per annum. By 2028 it is expected that the yards will be collectively be producing 2 per annum. That will meet US Navy requirements, but AUKUS takes the required production rate to 2.33 per annum. When the Columbia submarines are added to the mix, the US submarine industrial base needs to be producing 1+2.33 submarines per annum.
AUKUS funding to be used
In the meantime, Australia has agreed to contribute US$3B (AUD$4.7B) to “the US industrial base to support increased production and maintenance capacity to ensure there is no capability gap for Australia in acquiring Nuclear Powered Submarines.”
The latest Congressional Research Service report on the Columbia class program makes to clear that the Australian commitment is to generic US submarine industrial base funding; covering construction for both the Virginia and Columbia submarine programs.
“Building up the industrial base’s capacity to a 1+2.33 capacity will require investing several billion dollars for capital plant expansion and improvements and workforce development at both the two submarine-construction shipyards and submarine supplier firms.
Some of this funding has been provided in FY2023 and prior years, some of it is requested for FY2024, some of it would be requested in FY2025 and subsequent years, and some of it would be provided, under the AUKUS proposed Pillar 1 pathway, by Australia.”
Parliament in the dark on nuclear funding
To be perfectly clear, Australian AUKUS funding will support construction of a key delivery component of the US nuclear strike force, keeping that program on track while overall submarine production accelerates.
This fact has not been shared with the Australian public or Parliament.
Greens Defence Spokesperson Senator David Shoebridge said, “When will the Albanese government start telling the whole truth about AUKUS and how Australians will be paying to help build the next class of US ballistic missile submarines?”
Of course, the Government hasn’t exactly been upfront about a number of things in the AUKUS program, with Michael West Media being left to reveal (in contrast to statements made by Defence Minister Richard Marles) that Australia will be taking nuclear waste from the US and UK under the program.
TODAY. Nuclear safety no problem these days?
I can almost hear the joyful responses that are about to come from the world’s top nuclear industry publicist Rafael Grossi.
The murmurings of nuclear safety success are already out there in the media.
As a tsunami is predicted from a 7.6 magnitude earthquake:
“Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui prefecture.“
Yes, as Western Japan coastal towns evacuate in anticipation of a tsunami, it looks as though the nuclear lobby is gearing up for another joyful success, if there is no nuclear disaster this time.
Why on Earth would anyone plan for nuclear reactors along the coast of a highly earthquake-prone country
Well, I think that it was one of those manipulative master-strokes of the USA nuclear-military-industrial complex – way back in the 1950s - helping Japan to get the “benefits” of the nuclear industry – to make up for the “drawbacks” of the nuclear industry – like the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Grossi’s busy telling us that nuclear reactors are safe, not a terrorism or war danger.
And that it’s OK to pour liquid nuclear waste into the oceans,
And that, with a heating, sea-level rise world, look, reactors can cope with tsunamis?
Tsunami Waves Hit Japan After Massive Earthquake: Nuclear Power Plants On Alert; Evacuations Ordered
A massive, 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on January 1, leading to warnings of huge tsunami waves hitting the island nation. Wajima city in Ishikawa prefecture reported waves as high as 1 metre lashing the coast. Japanese media reports said the waves could go as high as 5 metres, or 16.5 feet. The developments brought back memories of the 2011 quake and tsunami which left 18,500 dead or missing in Japan. Watch the full video for more.
Nuclear concerns as a magnitude-7.6 earthquake hits north central Japan, prompting tsunami warnings
ABC News 1 Dec 24
A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Monday, killing at least one person, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes, and prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground.
Key points:
- It was the strongest quake in the region in more than four decades, according to the US Geological Survey
- The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 triggered waves of about 1 metre along Japan’s west coast
- Russia and North Korea also issued tsunami warnings for some areas
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 triggered waves of about 1 metre along Japan’s west coast and neighbouring South Korea, with authorities saying larger waves could follow……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Nuclear concerns
The quake comes at a sensitive time for Japan’s nuclear industry, which has faced fierce opposition from some locals since a 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima. Nearly 20,000 people were killed and whole towns devastated in the disaster.
Japan last week lifted an operational ban imposed on the world’s biggest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which has been offline since the 2011 tsunami.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities have been confirmed at nuclear power plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.
Hokuriku’s Shika plant in Ishikawa, the closest nuclear power station to the epicentre, had already halted its two reactors before the quake for regular inspections and saw no impact from the quake, the agency said……………………… more https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-01/tsunami-warnings-issued-in-japan-after-earthquake/103277706
Nuclear News 1st January 2024
Good news? Yes, it’s hard to find. But it’s out there. So many millions of people working towards a clean and peaceful planet, working with compassion for the victims of war, of injustice, and of extreme weather. Impossible to name the many agencies – from the numerous United Nations ones, (UNICEF, UNHCR, UNESCO ……..), and ICAN, Red Cross , Red Crescent, MSF, Greenpeace, FOE …. … many more… Millions give their time voluntarily.
It’s a pity that the nature of news is to tell us the bad things, to glorify the global phalanx that promotes war and the nuclear industry, and to focus on the sociopaths who dominate politics and corporations. But the good movements and the good workers are there, carrying our hopes for 2024
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My resolution for 2024 – to make this newsletter shorter – (from next time), more to the point – and leave out Israel, Gaza, Ukraine as much as possible.
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TOP STORIES
Nuclear expert Mycle Schneider on the COP 28 pledge to triple nuclear energy production:‘Trumpism enters energy policy’.
Shuttering the Nuclear Weapons Sites: There’s Gold in Those Warheads but the Scrap Metal is Radioactive.
Why AI is a disaster for the climate.
The failed Nuscale project lets Utah down — again.
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From the archives. The spread of radiation- internal contamination through fresh produce in Japan
Climate. Amazon drought: ‘We’ve never seen anything like this’. The faith leaders fighting for the climate: ‘we have a moral obligation’. Sea level rise: ‘We can’t afford to wait’: a Cornish town faces climate threat head on.
Noel’s notes. The rise of the Übermensch – the tech gods. Are we ignoring GAZA – the new Auschwitz, as the world ignored Nazi camps from 1933-39? . Nuclear Industry’s New Year Resolution – “Let’s get sloppier about safety”.
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AUSTRALIA.
- Price Waterhouse Cooper’s (PWC’s) $8m nuclear submarine payday revealed. More serious governance failures in Defence contracting.
- Nuclear dreams rudely awoken by blast of CSIRO reality. Let’s Talk About Why Nuclear Won’t Work in Australia. Ted O’Brien’s fact-free nuclear cheerleading is cover for the same old climate vandalism. Renewables cheaper than nuclear, coal now and into the future: CSIRO. Cost update blasts nuclear out of energy mix. Opposition need to explain whether they’ll will stick with their ‘nuclear fantasy’.
- Atlas Network strategies: how fossil fuel is using “think” tanks to delay action.
- A Merry AUKUS Surprise, Western Australia! Busting the government spin about “radioactive waste management” at Garden Island, Western Australia.
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CIVIL LIBERTIES. With the Persecution of Julian Assange Biden Is Overseeing the Silent Death of the First Amendment
CLIMATE. COP28’s Unrealistic Tripling of Nuclear Power.
ECONOMICS.
- European nuclear Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) may be unworkable – analysts.
- UK guarantees for minimum price for nuclear-produced electricity – an expensive disaster.
- CSIRO says wind and solar much cheaper than nuclear, even with added integration costs.
- Regulators approve deal for ratepayers to pay for Georgia Power’s new nuclear reactors.
- Meet the Companies Profiting From Israel’s War on Gaza.
- China’s Low-Cost Nuclear Offer Faces Scrutiny in Kazakhstan.
ENERGY. Talen Energy Is Building Data Centers That Run on Nuclear Power. Now, It Needs to Find Buyers.
ENVIRONMENT.
- Oceans. US Promotion of Banned Fukushima Seafood Contradicts Biden’s Cancer Initiatives.
- How green is the UK Government’s nuclear energy strategy?
- Inside the Pentagon’s Painfully Slow Effort to Clean Up Decades of PFAS Contamination.
- Effect of U.S. nuclear weapons tests on the otters of Alaska.
- Water: State papers: Plans for nuclear power plant on shores of Lough Neagh shelved over drinking water concerns.
ETHICS and RELIGION. Catholic activists arrested for anti-nuclear protest outside UN. ‘We will coup whoever we want!’: the unbearable hubris of Musk and the billionaire tech bros.
HEALTH. Buried secrets, plutonium poisoned bodies. Radiation heroes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP0NU65SKAo&t=1s Documents show toxins in Air Force nuclear missile capsules.
HISTORY. The Long History Of Zionist Proposals To Ethnically Cleanse The Gaza Strip.
LEGAL. Day X Marks the Calendar: Julian Assange’s ‘Final’ Appeal. Assange Appeal Hearing Set for February. Constitutional Violations: Julian Assange, Privacy and the CIA. Judge Rules Assange Visitors May Sue CIA For Allegedly Violating Privacy.
Former chair of Ohio utility regulator surrenders in $60 million bribery scheme linked to energy bill.
Tokyo High Court holds Japan government not liable for Fukushima nuclear disaster. Tokyo court holds only the utility responsible to compensate Fukushima evacuees, and reduces damages.
MEDIA. What? Ukraine Is Not Winning the War? The Narrative Turns. Now What? Meta’s Broken Promises -Systemic Censorship of Palestine Content on Instagram and Facebook. New Book: Energy Revolutions -Profiteering versus Democracy .
POLITICS. The Biden Administration Is Quietly Shifting Its Strategy in Ukraine. Biden has the power to rein in the nuclear presidency. He should use it. U.S. Nuclear Sector Set for Major Transformation.
Sunak to scale back nuclear target in latest UK net zero climbdown Time to shelve Hinkley Point C? UK’s Nuclear Minister has so far failed to meet East Suffolk communities who have concerns about Sizewell C nuclear project . NFLA Policy Briefing 283: Nuclear Free Local Authorities submission to the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee inquiry into the ‘The Potential Role of Proposed Small Modular Reactors’
France’s Council of State opinion on a Bill relating to governance of nuclear safety in relaunching the nuclear sector . Spain Confirms 2035 Nuclear Phase Out Deadline.
POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Geopolitics has already doomed the second nuclear renaissance. Sweden, France strengthen cooperation on nuclear. Why Egypt’s new nuclear plant is a long-term win for Russia. US eyes reports Iran has accelerated uranium enrichment.
SAFETY.
- DRUGS IN THE NUCLEAR SPHERE: UNVEILING A TROUBLING NEXUS.
- Documents Reveal Hidden Problems at Russia’s Nuclear Powerhouse.
- GMB union says urgent action needed to tackle safety concerns at Sellafield. EDF to extend nuclear outages in 2024, 2025 on corrosion issue.
- Incidents: A nuclear-powered ship in Murmansk started to burn: only few locals got to know about the serious incident. Mystery fire breaks out on Russia’s only nuclear-powered icebreaker vessel as it was docked at Arctic port.
- Japan allows world’s biggest nuclear plant to restart. Japan Lifts Operational Ban on Fukushima Nuclear Plant Owners.
- South Carolina nuclear plant’s cracked pipes get downgraded warning from officials. Low-Flying Helicopters Will Monitor Any Nuclear Threat In Las Vegas This Weekend.
- Cyber-hackers target UK nuclear waste company Radioactive Waste Management. Nuclear attack on Northern Ireland viewed as ‘possibility’ after 9/11.
SECRETS and LIES. ‘Cover-up’ hearing Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for late January 2024.
TECHNOLOGY. SMR – Spending Money Recklessly – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL7kwLMANK0 Microsoft is training an AI to help get nuclear reactors approved.
URANIUM. Iran undoes slowdown in enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade -IAEA
WASTES. Cold War nuclear waste is prioritized at Carlsbad-area repository. How much is there? Site for Canada’s underground nuclear waste repository to be selected next year.
WAR and CONFLICT. US Trying to Water Down New Cease-Fire Resolution at UN Security Council. Surrender or die – Netanyahu.
WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES.
- Israel receives 230 planes, 20 ships loaded with US arms amid Gaza war. US….Arsenal of Genocide in Gaza .
- Year of the drone — how the hi-tech weapon has transformed warfare.
- Spiralling nuclear costs make UK’s Ministry Of Defence’s equipment plan unsustainable.
- Russia has completed delivery of nuclear weapons to Belarus, Lukashenko says. Russia To Retire World’s Only Nuclear-Powered, Largest Battle-Cruiser Pyotr Veliky.
- Kim Jong Un announces his nuclear resolutions for 2024.
DRUGS IN THE NUCLEAR SPHERE: UNVEILING A TROUBLING NEXUS
Alastair philip wiper captures the unexpected connection between nuclear missiles and drugs
DesignBoom 31 Dec 23
“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………As Alastair Philip Wiper explains in Drugs and Missiles, there is a compelling argument for the main danger posed by nuclear weapons: the unintended risk of self-destruction. History is full of declassified cases, from planes accidentally crashing with nuclear payloads to governments mistaking computer simulations of war for actual events. The accidental release of weapons through human error, such as pulling the wrong handle, and the explosion of missile silos underscore this vulnerability. ‘Once, a bear climbing the fence of an Air Force base was mistaken for Russian special forces beginning an invasion,’ shares the photographer. ‘And then there are the drugs.’
In Eric Schlosser’s book Command and Control, it’s revealed that of the individuals authorized to handle nuclear weapons in 1980, 1.5% lost their clearance due to drug abuse, totaling at least 1,728 individuals who were caught using drugs in proximity to nuclear weapons. Fast forward to 2016, a disconcerting reality unfolded as over a dozen Air Force members responsible for safeguarding nuclear missiles were convicted of both using and distributing substances such as LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, and marijuana. This juxtaposition underscores the persistent and concerning intersection between drug use and the guardianship of powerful weaponry……………………………….. more https://www.designboom.com/art/alastair-philip-wiper-unexpected-connection-nuclear-missiles-drugs-12-25-2023/
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