US Lawmakers Ask Ecuador President to Turn Over ‘Global Security Threat’ Assange
Why, when the Australian government helps convicted murderers and drug dealers overseas – why is it doing nothing to help Julian Assange?
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https://sputniknews.com/world/201810221069114229-us-house-lawmakers-letter-to-lenin-on-assange/ Last week, Julian Assange’s attorney made preparations to file a lawsuit against the Ecuadorian government in whose London Embassy he has sought refuge over the last six years.
US House of Representatives lawmakers Eliot Engel (Democrat, New York) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican, Florida) of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs have written a letter to Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno urging his government to turn over the co-founder of WikiLeaks. Talking about the “significant progress” made by Moreno’s administration and hinting at the prospects of the resumption of US development aid, the little reported on letter spoke of the need to “first resolve a significant challenge” created by the president’s predecessor, Rafael Correa. Expressing “concern” over Assange’s continued presence in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and his receipt of Ecuadorian citizenship last year, the letter charged Assange with repeatedly “compromis[ing] the national security of the United States.” Assange, the letter claims, harmed US security interests “by publicly releasing classified government documents, along with confidential materials from individuals connected to our country’s 2016 presidential election.” Furthermore, accusing him of using “his standing in the international media to meddle in the affairs of foreign governments,” the letter suggested that it was “clear that Mr. Assange remains a dangerous criminal and a threat to global security, and he should be brought to justice.” Saying they remained “hopeful” about improving US-Ecuador relations, the lawmakers said that it would be “very difficult for the United States to advance our bilateral relationship until Mr. Assange is handed over to the proper authorities.” The lawmakers joined a series of other US officials who have demanded that Assange’s asylum be revoked in recent years. Last week, the whistleblower’s lawyer said he would be filing a case against Ecuador’s government for violating Assange’s “fundamental rights and freedoms” by cutting off his communications to the outside world. During a press conference, Assange attorney Baltasar Garzon also said that there were presently no plans to take Assange to Russia amid rumors that the Ecuadorian Embassy may expel him. Julian Assange has been trapped in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012, fearing arrest by UK authorities for a violation of bail and deportation to the US. The Embassy cut Assange’s internet access in early 2018, but partially restored it last week. In August, President Moreno raised the issue of terminating Assange’s asylum at the embassy, saying that Ecuador would be “happy” to let Assange go, but only if UK authorities would guarantee his safety. |
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Australia large scale solar output breaks through 1GW on Sunday
REneweconomy 22 October 2018 The rapidly emerging large scale solar sector achieved a significant milestone on Sunday, October 21, when their combined output in the National Electricity Market broke through the 1GW barrier for what is believed to be the first time.According to this graph below [on original] sent to us by Mike Hudson, using data he sourced from the Australian Energy Market Operator, the 1GW level was first breached in mid morning, and continued until almost 3pm in the afternoon.
Flinders Ranges – planned area for nuclear waste dump – the most seismic active area in Australia
I was at the meeting where the alleged reported claims from the Department of Industry, Innovation and science, geologist as saying that Hawker is seismically sound for the proposed radioactive dump, and all anyone heard him say to the public was “Hello.” (And yes I know hell is in hello).
However senior seismologist Johnathan Bathgate has reportedly claimed that the Flinders Ranges is the most seismic active area in Australia which maybe throwing doubt at the credibility of the DIIS’s geologist, and if he has any accreditation’s in seismology and why there are media release on the Modified Mercalli scale based at Hawker and yet we hear nothing on the scale of galileo’s, and though S&L-waves come with a guarantee of a seismic record, its known “P-waves” between the angles of 103 and 145 degrees can not be guaranteed on some seismograms. https://www.facebook.com/groups/344452605899556/
Australia’s Opal nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights – safety problems, needs lotsa money, (or better, shut it down)
Nuclear facility needs overhaul: report https://www.sbs.com.au/news/nuclear-facility-needs-overhaul-report–21 Oct 18
An independent report has recommended that the federal government’s nuclear medical facility at southern Sydney be replaced or rebuilt due to safety concerns. The federal government’s nuclear medical facility at Lucas Heights in Sydney should be replaced or rebuilt with contributions from the private sector, an independent report says.
The report, to be published on Monday, found there is a “make do and mend” culture at the facility and that it fails nuclear safety standards, The Australian reports.
In August 2017 a technician’s hands were contaminated through two pairs of gloves after he dropped a vial at the Lucas Heights medical facility, putting him at a higher risk of cancer.
The incident was the only safety failure in the world in 2017 that was rated by the International Atomic Energy Agency at a Level 3 or above. It was followed by three more incidents within the next 10 months.
“It should be noted that Level 3 events are regarded as serious events in the nuclear industry and any additional events at this level may result in loss of confidence in the organisation,” the report says.
Climate change now firing up raging fight in Australia’s Morrison govt, after Wentworth byelection fiasco
Wentworth byelection backlash reignites tensions inside the Morrison government over climate policy, Canberra Times, By David Crowe & David Wroe, 21 October 2018 A ferocious voter backlash has inflamed the Morrison government’s internal row on climate change as Liberal MPs call for stronger policies to assure voters that Australia can meet the Paris agreement to cut carbon emissions.
The government is reeling from a savage swing in the Wentworth byelection, sparking renewed argument over decisions including a sudden shift in foreign policy on Israel, and deepening fears of a wipeout at the federal election due by May.
As Parliament resumes on Monday, the Liberal Party was on track to lose Wentworth to independent candidate Kerryn Phelps, with an update on Sunday night giving her almost 51 per cent of the vote.
Dr Phelps had a lead of 1626 votes in the update posted by the Australian Electoral Commission at 6.45pm on Sunday. Even the best postal vote scenario for the Liberal Party over coming days would still see the independent win Wentworth.
The result represents an extraordinary 18 per cent swing against the federal government, one of the biggest in Australian history, but the Australian Electoral Commission is yet to count thousands of postal votes that could favour Liberal candidate Dave Sharma.
Government ministers and backbenchers told Fairfax Media they believed one lesson from the Wentworth result was to develop a stronger message on cutting emissions in order to win back voters concerned about climate change.
“I think we will, by the time of the next election, have to have a more credible answer on how we meet our targets,” one minister said.
“I don’t think it’s viable to remain silent on this between now and the next election.”
Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman said the Liberal Party’s own research showed climate change and the removal of Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister were the two biggest concerns for Wentworth voters……
The government believes the latest advice from the Energy Security Board is that generation from wind and solar will grow by 256 per cent over the next three years. ……..
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg brushed aside suggestions the Morrison government needed to overhaul its 
climate policies, saying they were “settled” and were enough to “meet and beat” Australia emissions reduction pledges.
“It’s clearly an important issue for the people of Wentworth, but our policies have been settled for some time,” he told the Sky News.
An exit poll of 985 Wentworth voters commissioned by the left-leaning Australia Institute on Saturday found that climate action and replacing coal with renewable energy was the top issue that decided how they voted.
Among people who had abandoned the Liberal Party since the last election in 2016, the top reason why was the toppling of Mr Turnbull at 40 percent of voters, but climate change came second at 31 percent. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/federal/wentworth-byelection-backlash-reignites-tensions-inside-the-morrison-government-over-climate-policy-20181021-p50b2d.html
Australian govt abandons promotion for dubious climate group
Fairfax Media has learned the government has scrapped the $10 million reef communication campaign outlined in this year’s federal budget.
The campaign would have sought to give the public hope that the reef can be saved and outlined action being taken to protect it, after devastating back-to-back coral bleaching events brought on by climate change.
The government had been skittish about the spending measure, as reported last month when it emerged the Department of the Environment and Energy instructed officials to avoid revealing its true price tag.
In response to questions from Fairfax Media, the department confirmed the campaign “is not going ahead”. ……..
A major report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this month warned that an average global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees would substantially and irrevocably damage the world’s coral reefs, and a 2 degree rise would virtually destroy them. The world is currently on track for a global temperature rise of 3 to 4 degrees by 2100.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is supported by corporations including those from the polluting fossil fuel industry. It does not lobby for emissions reduction, despite recognising that climate change is the biggest threat facing the reef…….https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/federal/government-ditches-10m-promotion-blitz-amid-great-barrier-reef-furore-20181020-p50av5.html
Wentworth election – a preview of climate change issue for Australia’s coming federal election
 Wentworth becomes test bed for how federal election will treat climate change, Coalition of green groups has been working hard to ensure voters realise they have a chance to give Liberals a wake-up call, Guardian, Anne Davies@annefdavies19 Oct 2018
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Kiribati’s Anote Tong, (slighted by Minister Melissa Price says Australia must act on climate change
Liberal Party moderates blame climate policy for Wentworth by-election debacle
Moderates blame climate policy for Wentworth by-election debacle THE AUSTRALIAN 21 Oct 18 GREG BROWN, Moderate Liberal MPs have urged Scott Morrison to take action on climate change and embrace the “broad church” of its voters after the mammoth swing in the Wentworth by-election.Trent Zimmerman, Jason Falinski and Tim Wilson — who represent blue-ribbon electorates that are affluent and socially progressive — say the government needs to do more to show it is serious about combating climate change and working to meet the Paris targets.
Tim Flannery now sees nuclear power as useless, except for nuclear weapons
Steve Dale Nuclear Fuel Cycle Watch South Australia, 20 Oct 18, I note Tim Flannery’s words in the transcript. Listen to the pod cast below from the 21 minute mark to see how his position regarding nuclear has evolved – he talks about how solar and wind has become so cheap, so quickly, he talks about the Tesla battery, gearless wind turbines, how fantastic that South Australia is now coal free and that the only reason he can see why a country would fund nuclear these days is if they want to develop nuclear weapons...https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021186047913052/?multi_permalinks=2157916570906655&comment_id=2160264634005182¬if_id=1539904501184162¬if_t=feedback_reaction_genericTim Flannery on climate catastrophe and his new book Tim Flannery, head of the Climate Council, weighs in on this week’s IPPC report, the government’s greenhouse emissions report card, and discusses his new book Europe: a natural history https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/tim-flannery/10361616?fbclid=IwAR0fUXgQJAHQ0HcHc30j057P60bpOMikYWKzKZYT3aT7gE5D1qX0BWtaY7M
Climate change denial – this forms the Morrison government’s biggest economic problem?
The Morrison government’s biggest economic problem? Climate change denial, The Conversation, Emeritus Professor of Politics, La Trobe University, October 19, 2018 “…………. the heart of the problem, which is the inability of the Coalition to face the reality of climate change and its stubborn determination to live in a parallel universe of business as usual. It is climate change denial that is preventing the government from developing a coherent economic narrative. …..
As an identity issue, it is largely impervious to evidence, as we saw in government ministers’ hasty dismissal of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report – before they had even read it, one suspects. Identity issues are also resistant to the normal processes of bargaining and compromise with which many political conflicts are resolved. The National Energy Guarantee was the last of the government’s energy policies to founder on the suspicion that a market mechanism might damage coal. Chief Scientist Alan Finkel’s Clean Energy Target met the same fate.
To state the obvious, the stubborn commitment to coal is pulling the government’s economic policy towards the sort of state socialism it is supposed to abhor. No wonder it is having difficulty developing a coherent economic narrative.
because climate policy has become an identity issue for some members of the Coalition, and they fight on it tooth and nail, is has been removed from the normal processes of policy formation.
Genetic effects of nuclear testing in Australia in the 1950s and 60s
UK to probe poisonous genetic legacy of nuclear test ‘guinea pigs’ SMH, By Nick Miller, 19 October 2018 London: The UK government is considering a new study into the health of the children of British veterans used as guinea pigs in its Australian and Pacific nuclear weapons tests, to test fears of a poisonous genetic legacy.
If a link can be found it may form the basis of a claim for compensation from the UK government, despite courts previously turning down such claims from the veterans themselves.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has told officials in the Ministry of Defence to look at the feasibility of a study into the health and well-being of the children of nuclear test veterans, an MOD spokesman said.
Decades ago, around 22,000 British military personnel witnessed nuclear weapons tests in South Australia, on the Montebello Islands off Western Australia, and on Kiribati’s Christmas Island in the Pacific.
Some felt the heat of the explosion on their backs and were ordered to turn around and observe the mushroom cloud. One veteran told the BBC in February the tests “bowled people over” and left them on the ground screaming. He had watched “another sun hanging in the sky”, dressed only in a t-shirt, shorts and thongs.
“We were guinea pigs,” Bob Fleming, 83, said. He said 16 of his 21 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren had birth defects or health problems: his youngest daughter has thyroid problems and severe breathing difficulties.
The family believe it is a result of the radiation Mr Fleming was exposed to during the test.
Another veteran, RAF sergeant Roy Kirkland, slept a half a mile from Ground Zero and was ordered to collect dead seabirds from the Christmas Island test site.
The new feasibility study follows a campaign by the Mirrorand Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, who have been pushing for recognition and compensation for the veterans who were exposed to radiation during the tests in the region between 1952 and 1967 – and their families.
In 2007 a study of New Zealand nuclear test veteransfound they had more than double the expected amount of genetic damage for men of the same age – even higher than that detected in workers close to the Chernobyl nuclear accident or involved in the clean-up.
The study by researchers from Massey University found the genetic damage was most likely attributable to the veterans having been on board NZ navy frigates observing nuclear tests at Christmas Island.
In 2014 a study by European researchers found a “significant excess” of infant mortality and congenital illnesses in nuclear test veterans’ children. The veterans’ wives had five times as many stillbirths, and 57 children of veterans had congenital conditions – ten times the rate in the control group and eight times the national average. There were also significantly higher congenital illnesses – and cancer – among the veterans’ grandchildren. The researchers said their results were “highly statistically significant”. …….. https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/uk-to-probe-poisonous-genetic-legacy-of-nuclear-test-guinea-pigs-20181019-p50alz.html
PM Scott Morrison interested in nuclear electricity prices -NOT in health, safety, environment (“idealogical”)
PM ‘totally open’ to nuclear power if economics stack up https://www.sbs.com.au/news/pm-totally-open-to-nuclear-power-if-economics-stack-up The prime minister says he will consider lifting the prohibition on nuclear power in Australia if research shows it can be done well. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he’s open to the idea of nuclear power if research emerges showing it stacks up economically.
Nuclear power has been banned in Australia since 1998, but Mr Morrison says he would consider lifting the ban if research proved it could be done on a commercial basis and bring power prices down.
I’m totally open to that work,” he told Sky News on Tuesday.
“But what we need to do is make sure it can stack up and we can successfully move in that direction.”
Mr Morrison said the source of Australia’s energy doesn’t bother him and he isn’t interested in an ideological debate.
“What matters is that it’s reliable, it can be contracted, it can be priced at lower than what we’re getting currently, because that’s what brings people’s power prices down.”
Spain’s government blocks Western Australian company’s bid to open uranium mine
Spain to block Berkeley uranium mine project – sources, CNBC , Belén Carreño, 16 Oct 2018 The Spanish government has decided not to deliver the permits necessary to open the European Union’s only open-cast uranium mine near Salamanca, dealing a serious blow to Australian mining company Berkeley Energia’s plans.
Nuclear lobby is targeting women with propaganda
ANSTO CEO Says There are Real, Lasting and Meaningful Careers for Women in Nuclear https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/multimedia/videos/ansto-ceo-says-there-are-real-lasting-and-meaningful-careers-for-women-in-nuclear Adi Paterson, CEO of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO), talks about his vision of the future of nuclear science and technology and what role women could play in it.Mr. Paterson will be a speaker at the upcoming IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology: Addressing Current and Emerging Development Challenges, in Vienna, Austria, from 28 to 30 November 2018. The event will be livestreamed at iaea.org.
You can watch Mr Paterson’s presentation on 30 November 2018.
1 This month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/235274195556
20 May – Webinar – The dangerous world of AUKUS, US, military occupation and suppression of dissent
National Webinar, 20th May, 2026, 6.30pm AEST. Confronting laws restricting/suppressing protest speech and action
Speakers: Former Sen. Rex Patrick, Lawyer Nick Hanna ,Arthur Rorris ,Jorgen Doyle, Sen David Shoebbridge,
Facilitator Kelley Tranter.
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 