Nuclear news – week to 12 June
Some bits of good news – The planet’s economist: has Kate Raworth found a model for sustainable living?A watchdog acted on fossil fuel ‘greenwashing’
Climate. Is peaceful protest enough to make a difference to the climate crisis. or do we need a “tornado of change”?
AI is the new big worry – Why make a world that nobody wants?
Nuclear. The drums of war are beating ever more severely. The break in Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam increases the danger to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station – all rather doom and gloom this wek.
Christina notes. What is Zelensky’s “peace formula”, and why on Earth are we backing it?
TOP STORIES
Is nuclear fusion energy salvation?
Ralph Nader: Reverse the Accelerating Warfare State Before It’s Too Late!
The War in Ukraine Was Provoked—and Why That Matters to Achieve Peace.
Kiev’s Long Term Plans To Blow Up The Kakhovka Dam. Ukrainian dam is destroyed; nuclear plant lives in a ‘grace period’.
Detailed evidence exposes Japan’s lies, loopholes in nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping plan.2
Rosatom says nuclear cleanup in Arctic done – Far from the case, says Bellona.
AUSTRALIA. AUKUS coming to dinner. Mining giant BHP pushes Albanese Government to remove hurdles to nuclear energy. War propaganda machine silencing voices of truth.
CLIMATE. Europe’s Nuclear Power Puzzle.
CULTURE and ARTS. A-bombed artist to distribute ‘war brooms’ in Hiroshima as he calls for nuclear abolition.
ECONOMICS.
- Cost of building Hinkley nuclear station soars from £18bn to £32.7bn. Increasing costs and delays in building Hinkley nuclear station.
- France fully nationalises debt-laden nuclear power group EDF, after its record loss last year.
- Marketing. China and Russia building most nuclear power plants, – the main goal is to market them to developing countries.
EDUCATION. Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet super ecstatic over USA govt’s budget deal.
EMPLOYMENT. The ABCs of a nuclear education.
ENERGY. Wind and solar overtake fossil fuel generation in the European Union. European Union to try again for renewable energy deal after nuclear row.
ENVIRONMENT. Content of radioactive element in fish at Fukushima‘s Nuclear Power Plant 180 times of safe limit. World Ocean Day appeal to international bodies over Fukushima dump plan. Hong Kong to ban seafood from high-risk regions near Fukushima if Japan dumps nuclear-contaminated water into ocean. Despite scientific evidence and public opposition, Japan to test ocean nuclear wastewater discharge on June 12
ETHICS and RELIGION. U.S. leaders must take responsibility for past nuclear atrocities..
HEALTH. Energy Northwest nuclear plant failed to properly measure workers’ radioactive exposure, report says.
LEGAL. Judge orders the Crown Prosecution Service to come clean about the destruction of key documents on Julian Assange. UK: Julian Assange Dangerously Close to Extradition Following High Court Rejection of Appeal. ASSANGE JUDGE IS 40-YEAR ‘GOOD FRIEND’ OF MINISTER WHO ORCHESTRATED HIS ARREST.
MEDIA. Journalists Are Asking Ukrainian Soldiers To Hide Their Nazi Patches, New York Times Admits.
NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Robotic “dogs” to help clean up Dounreay nuclear site. Small nuclear reactors for the moon. Nuclear-Powered Cargo Ships Are Trying to Stage a Comeback. A.I. or Nuclear Weapons: Can You Tell These Quotes Apart?
OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Mayors call for action against nuclear war.
PERSONAL STORIES. My nuclear family. A reader’s scathing rebuke on this site’s use of Tucker Carlson article [on nuclear-news.net]
POLITICS.
- Citizens Advisory Panel to host meetings on recycling spent nuclear fuel, Vermont.
- Britain’s taxpayers, slugged with uneconomic Hinkley nuclear plant ‘s costs, now to be slugged again with Sizewell.
- In Taiwan, DPP, Hou You-yi clash over nuclear power. US presidential candidate
- Nikki Haley says that arming UKraine is “preventing war”.
- Letter. Nuclear plan raises suspicions.
- Anxiety and disagreement in South Korea about Fukushima radioactive wastewater.
POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY.
- Major Progress Made in Nuclear Talks Between U.S. and Iran in Preparation for a New Agreement. UN nuclear chief, facing Israeli criticism on Iran, says his agency ‘very fair but firm’.
- Amid Blinken visit, top Saudi diplomat says kingdom seeks U.S. nuclear aid. Israel undecided on Saudi Arabia’s demand for civil nuclear technology Israeli Minister says US should deny Saudi Arabia nuclear reactor.
- OpenAI’s Sam Altman calls for an international agency like the UN’s nuclear watchdog to oversee AI.
- Washington banned Kiev from signing truce with Moscow – Russian security chief.
- German TV Shows Nazi Symbols on Helmets of Ukraine Soldiers.
- France says nuclear power is ‘non-negotiable’. France’s EDF and the global nuclear lobby sulking because Europe won’t accept their lie that nuclear power is “renewable”.
- Are We Back to Nuclear Brinkmanship for Good?
- Universalization of Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty Is Essential – now more than ever.
RADIATION. As Japan prepares to release Fukushima nuclear waste water – a reminder that countries can ban goods with radiation contamination risks.
SAFETY.
- Kakhovka dam breach raises risk for Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – receding waters narrow options for cooling. Ukrainian dam collapse ‘no immediate risk’ to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Water levels at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘critical’ after dam collapses in Ukraine. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant used water from the destroyed Nova Kakhovka dam. What happens now? Last reactor at Ukraine’s biggest nuclear power plant shut down for safety
- Ukraine: Nuclear threat shows danger of small modular reactors .
- Japan passes law to allow nuclear power stations to operate beyond 60 years.
- Canadian Federal Court Upholds Alcohol and Drug Testing at Nuclear Facilities.
- Non Government Organisations Tell Biden that US Nuclear Plants Aren’t Safe from Attack.
- Minor’ leak at nuclear submarine dock.
SECRETS and LIES. Washington Post reported Ukraine conducted a test strike with HIMARS on the Kahovka dam last year. Trump-era officials under fire as nuclear fund for Bikini islanders is squandered. Leaks reveal FBI helps Ukraine censor Twitter users and obtain their info. Snowden Warns Today’s Surveillance Technology Makes 2013 Look Like ‘Child’s Play’ . Trump held secret nuclear documents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DErGSfKuXcg
SPACE. EXPLORATION, WEAPONS.Stealth actions by SpaceX, as 36 space launches approved by California Coastal Commission without a vote, public hearing, or public notice.[ on nuclear-news.net]
SPINBUSTER. Tucker Carlson steamrolls Ukraine propaganda in new show. Patrick Lawrence: Neo-Nazis in Ukraine? No, Yes, No–Yes.
WASTES. Amid opposition, Japan takes 1st step to release nuclear waste water into ocean. Problems ahead for the nuclear industry in the closing and disposal of dead nuclear reactors. Chalk River: Radioactive Wastes and the Honour of the Crown. (from the archives – Canada’s controversial nuclear waste disposal design for Chalk River) Timeline: The history of radioactive contamination in St. Louis County. Consent-based or bribery?
WAR and CONFLICT. The Ukrainian “counter-offensive”: A new stage in the US-NATO war against Russia. Suicide Day Four, all so that NATO can Expand. Ukraine rebuffs Vatican peace attempt. BLINKEN’S BATTLE HYMN. Four nuclear myths. Israel simulates Iran war after Tehran cleared of nuclear allegations.
WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. Russia says U.S.-built F-16s could ‘accommodate’ nuclear weapons if sent to Ukraine. Russia warns that supplying nuclear weapons to Ukraine would lead to ‘global, irrevocable collapse’. Starve the Poor; Feed the Pentagon. US “Doomsday” Plane, Capable Of Surviving Nuclear War, Just Got A Big Revamp.
TODAY: If only we could swap Prime Ministers with New Zealand !
Jacinda Adern is in Australia this week – what a relief from all the war-mongering, pro nuclear stuff.!
” Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand will continue to take a “strong, principled position” on its nuclear-free zone” – ABC
.”Ms Ardern says New Zealand’s defence policy would remain focused on the Pacific ”
” Jacinda Ardern has reaffirmed her country’s long-standing policy of not allowing nuclear-powered vessels in its waters, saying the rule was well understood in Australia.”
Adern was tactful and respectful in her attitude to China, and to the Solomon Islands.
Really – why do we have to put up with belligerent anti-China rhetoric from Australian Labor Prime Minister Albanese? I don’t suppose that New Zealanders would be willing to take him, – a poor exchange for their brainy PM.
Nuclear Politics – theme for March 2022
Homo Sapiens (and I do mean Homo, not Femina) has always solved his relational problems by fighting, by war and the threat of war.
And it sorta worked, in a sorta way. (The meek, the ”weak” men had some success, setting up co-operative arrangements, like the United Nations). It’s turning out that the ”weak” ”sissy” men might just have a broader, more considered, intelligence that just might be essential for the survival of the species. Heck they might even welcome Femina in – likely to be a lot more sapiens.
In the current crisis – one thing is for sure – if it develops into a third world war – it will be a nuclear war. Probably now, only Russia accepts that it’s just fine to send thousands of men to their deaths, and even Russians might be getting sick of this old idea.
The new way is – press a button, from far away, and incinerate millions. Trouble is that might cause millions on your side also to be incinerated – heck – even the ones pressing the buttons.
A new politics must be found. Otherwise, at best, the species might be lucky enough to survive, and evolve into a bee or ant-like species, with males as just a tiny minority.
Nuclear politics – fear and militarism – theme for March 2022
War in Ukraine
Joy to the weapons -makers of Western and Russian corporations.
Joy to the macho men of the Pentagon and the Russian Armed Forces
Joy to the political leaders who want their communities to forget about health, climate, and what is being done with their tax money
Joy to the nuclear industry, commercial-and military (they’re the same thing!)
The world waits to see what will be the outcome of hostilities in Uk.raine. No, Putin should not have attacked Ukraine. But also – No – the West, led of course by the world’s policeman, USA, did nothing to meet the very real concerns of Russia – understandable fears of being almost encricled by hostile NATO military installations – Ukraine being the most imprtant state on their doorstep.
Also the 8 years of war in Donestk and Luhansk – the genuine concerns of ethnically Russian people, and the presence of a Nazi -membered battalian attacking them – these factors were ignored by Biden and his Western disciples.
No answer to Putin’s list of requests, no concessions made, no compromises.
The result – terrible for Ukraine, pretty terrible for Russia and the rest of the world.
Nuclear and politics – intertwined- theme for March 2022
”Manna from Heaven” – #ScottyFromMarketing rejoices- as the happy news broke of war in Ukraine. Just as Scotty had promised up to $171 Billion of tax-payers’ money – for nuclear submarines of no conceivable use for Australian monitoring or defence, comes this wonderful new preoccupation. Russia into Ukraine – next thing China into Taiwan – what could be better?
Such immediate threats to Australia! We all know that Russia and China are itching to militarily attack Australia,- don’t we? Or do we? Wot the heck!
FEAR and DEFENCE – what beautiful new themes for the coming Australian election!
New ‘cool’ pro nuclear propaganda ignores plutonium danger – theme for February 22
The new pro nuclear shills are young, feminine, cool, and disastrously ignorant about radioactivity and nuclear wastes.
Why do we let them keep on making this toxic radioactive trash?
.
Why are they all buying into the fantasy of ”new nuclear”, and propping up ”old nuclear” – theme for January 2022
The Bitter Truth
is that the ”peaceful” ”economically viable” nuclear industry is clearly failing.
All nuclear nations are devoted to their nuclear weapons industry. So the commercial nuclear industry must be kept alive – as it is essential to the weapons industry, including in space.
The other reasons.
The macho men and ”visionary” billionaires must see their dreams fulfilled – at tax-payer expense, of course.
It is too costly to shut down old big nuclear reactors, – by propping them up – extending their licences – those costs are passed on to our grandchildren.
The slick, smart, amoral, lobbying gang are ever on the job, feeding nuclear spin to media, politicians, and us.
They have no conscience, and no wisdom, and they sure don’t care about our grandchildren.
Radioactive waste in Australia, Kimba as a Nuclear Sacrifice Zone – theme for February 22
ANSTO, MInister Keith Pitt, and other political and corporate nuclear zealots are still working on making the small agricultural area of Kimba the nation’s ”nuclear waste sacrifice zone”. It’s done with the curious appeal to both greed and patriotic self-sacrifice, perfected in Japan, with its notorious ”nuclear villages”.
Australia has the High Level Wastes – now called Intermediate Level , created originally at Lucas Heights, and thr prospect of equally High Level wastes from its much touted nuclear submarines, to be purchased for $171billion from USA.
Australia has a twofold problem with nuclear wastes deception.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and a few greedy politicians and businessmen are promoting the nuclear industry, in pushing the view that in Australia there is no problem. ANSTO’s nuclear reactor keeps producing high level toxic wastes, while they pretend it’s a medical necessity. ( only a very small percentage of isotopes produced are used in Australia’s hospitals, and of these, only a tiny few are used to treat illness).
Their other pretense is that they actually know how to deal with nuclear waste – it’s all solved – it’s all safe. But, in reality 
they don’t know, nobody really knows, for how long ‘high’ and ‘intermediate’ level waste will be safe in Holtec’s ‘temporary’ canisters. ‘Temporary’ means for a hundred years, perhaps more – sitting in a rural area, a (formerly) agricultural community – stuck with this poisonous stuff, which gets transported across the continent, potentially exposing many communities to radioactive danger.
And by the way – they all realise now that the dump site is a flood-prone area, and totally unsuitable. But the Australian media and government don’t mention that.
The nuclear fantasy – time that we ended it -theme for January 2022.
It WAS a great dream – when the atomic scientists thought that they could assuage their guilt by inventing ”atoms for peace”
But that was a great lie. The USA raced on with nuclear reactors producing fuel for nuclear weapons. The British and Russians followed suit – then France, India, Israel, China – just about every nation wants them – Middle Eastern rulers now salivating at the thought.
Everybody piously talks about ”peaceful nuclear”. Now there’s the new champion lie – ”nuclear to save the world from climate change”.
And that feat is to be accomplished by so-called Small Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) – thousands of super-expensive little unicorns that don’t exist. The lying salesmen (who have no conscience) will keep pretending that they’re ”little”, while economies of scale demand that the reactors are put together to make Big nuclear plants.
And still the purpose is – all for the weapons industry. Technology, expertise, funding – to support that real industry – Nuclear weapons – under the sea, on land, in space! The ordinary peasant is not so keen, so investment in SMRs isn’t really happening. The thing is pushed by grandiose gurus like Bill Gates – . and even Gates knows that tax-payer funding is the intended funding system.
I recommend a couple of posts on this website:
Establishment support, secrecy and corruption, in the promotion of dangerous nuclear power. Natrium reactors, like those at Santa Susana.
And don’t think, just because these articles are about America, that the Establishments in UK, Russia France, China etc are any better. The same sort of toxic macho-men are in control of governments there, too.
Time to take the toys from the boys
Australia can be a leader – and avoid the nuclear fantasy
Australia already is a leader, in the dazzling success of renewable energy, – and that’s despite the concerted efforts of the Liberal National Coalition government to stall renewable energy.
The Murdoch media and the nutty Nationals continue to push for nuclear power, because they hang on to that old Pangea dream, of Australia becoming the radioactive nuclear garbage dump of the world, making $squillions for a few ruthless men, (and maybe for Gina too).
So- there’s the absurdity of the $170 billion nuclear submarines (useless for Australia’s defence) – and the current push for fleets of Small Nuclear Reactors, massively expensive and – to ”solve climate change”.
All of this is part of the global insane frenzy for nuclear power-nuclear weapons.
Australia does not have to be in that. Australia does not have to remain a cultural colony of the USA.
Sadly, that is where we are as of now. There’s no better symbol of this than the plight of Australian Julian Assange. His sin was to expose American military atrocities.
If the Australian government were to, for once, stand up to the USA bully, we might have a chance to stand up to the pressure to join the American nuclear military machine, and the nuclear fuel chain fantasy.
The only true purpose of small nuclear reactors- to promote the nuclear weapons industry, and hide its costs – theme for December 21.
Small Nuclear Reactors – the Big New Way – to get the public to fund the nuclear weapons industry
November 28, 2020
so-called “small nuclear reactors”
Downing Street told the Financial Times, which it faithfully reported, that it was “considering” £2 billion of taxpayers’ money to support “small nuclear reactors”
They are not small
The first thing to know about these beasts is that they are not small. 440MW? The plant at Wylfa (Anglesey, north Wales) was 460MW (it’s closed now). 440MW is bigger than all the Magnox type reactors except Wylfa and comparable to an Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor.
Only if military needs are driving this decision is it explicable.
”Clearly, the military need to maintain both reactor construction and operation skills and access to fissile materials will remain. I can well see the temptation for Defence Ministers to try to transfer this cost to civilian budgets,”
Any nation’s defence budget in this day and age cannot afford a new generation of nuclear weapons. So it needs to pass the costs onto the energy sector.
How the UK’s secret defence policy is driving energy policy – with the public kept in the dark. https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/energy-lead/how-the-uks-secret-defence-policy-is-driving-energy-policy-with-the-public-kept-in-the-dark/ BY DAVID THORPE / 13 OCTOBER 2020
Small nuclear reactors lead the great mindless nuclear-war-mongering juggernaut – Australia keen to jump on? theme for December 21
The ”juggernaut” is an imaginary evil chariot, a giant, powerful, violent unstoppable force, crushing all in its path, (wrongly connected to a Hindu belief).
Of all the threats to our home planet, the only one to sustain life, only the nuclear threat could be stopped by human action. But human action is now dominated by the nuclear and weapons industry juggernaut– that ”military-industrial -complex” that controls big macho-men governments.
The mask of ”peaceful” nuclear power is off. If nuclear was ever useful for energy and climate – it is no longer.
So – what do the nuclear lobby wizards come up with?
Small nuclear reactors and the pretense that they could have any effect on climate. No, Virginia, their one and only use is to keep the nuclear industry alive. Thus the nuclear weapons industry can more easily pass their costs on to tax-payers, convince nuclear executives and workers that they’re doing something beneficial, and the rest of us – that governments are ”looking after us;”.
But governments are looking after the military-industrial complex, as it leads on to nuclear war, – on land, under the sea, and in space. And the small nuclear reactors are leading the war-mongering nuclear juggernaut
Nuclear power for MINDLESS, ENDLESS, ENERGY use – Data ”Farms” and Bitcoin – theme for November 21
When you think about the stupidity of eternal wastage of energy , it’s hard to beat the system of the supposed ”CLOUD”. Every pointless little email, little emoji, tweet, and all the other bits of digital junk produced goes not up into the disappearing ether, but down into a dirty great computer server, just one of the accumulating number of dirty great computer servers. Far from being ”farms”, these collections of steel enclosed machines actually produce nothing, but they do CONSUME massive amounts of electricity.
No wonder that the nuclear industry loves them!
The nuclear industry also loves crypto-currency, Bitcoin being the current top favourite of energy-guzzling systems.
A pernicious trio – data farms, cryptocurrency, and nuclear power – leading the world into eternal energy consumption and environmental degradation.
Conserving energy, reducing demand – no need for nuclear – theme for November 21
No, nuclear lobbyists – the world needs clean energy, smart energy , NOT endless nuclear energy ! The Cop26 climate conference is just underway. Too soon to know what directions the nations will be taking. Clean, renewable energy sources are needed.
But the most effective, cheapest and quickest measure is energy conservation
The nuclear industry is completely enmeshed in the energy -guzzling operations of space travel and militarism. Conservation of energy is a dirty phrase, not to be considered in their world view. You won’t find it in their propaganda films, like Pandora’s Promise’
The nuclear lobby spouts ”endless energy” as a noble goal to aspire to, – with a sort of religious fervour.
But that’s not what we need. We need a change of culture – a recognition that we live on the only known habitable planet, that has limited resources, and desperately needs to be cared for – not trashed any more..
Endless growth, endless consumerism is a the nuclear industry’s preferred, and suicidal, way for the human species to go.
Energy conservation the top answer for climate action: forget nuclear – theme for November 2021
It might not be many weeks before Australians again face exceptional heat.
But most will resort to (or wish they had) air-conditioning, probably powered by fossil fuels. To cut down greenhouse gases, solar-powered air conditioners are a better answer.
But, overall, energy efficiency is the fastest, most effective, and ultimately cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Of course, renewable energy technologies are needed, too.
Energy conservation has little appeal for the corporate consumer world – less things, less devices, less electricity to sell.
The pro nuclear zealouts continue to preach their religion of endless growth, endless energy use. They would have us trash this planet with radioactive wastes, and then send a few suicidal astronauts , propelled by plutonium, supposedly to colonise Mars.
Energy efficiency involves many intelligent efforts, from large-scale design of buildings, transport and machines, to more appropriate use of human energy, such as cycling and walking, and even use of more hand-operated small clockwork devices.
This all does require brainwork, smart design, rather than mindless obedience to consumerism, and to centralised sources of electricity.
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 