A brief wrap on the week’s nuclear news

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Mercifully brief this week, as I have had the flu

A bit of good news –  Fiji joined over 86 states to adopt a treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons and take the first step back from the knife edge of Armageddon.  Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama eloquently set out the reasons for the treaty, and the need to heal the wounds of the dark legacy of nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific. The best explanation i”ve yet read, on the value of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

AUSTRALIA

Greg Barns: Julian Assange and the Albanese Government – Enough is enough! China accuses the US and UK of hypocrisy on press freedom for calling out Beijing’s crackdowns while putting Australian Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on trial for espionage.

A new era as Australia joins historic UN nuclear ban meeting. MP Susan Templeman represents Australia at landmark nuclear weapons ban treaty in Vienna. “Truly historic” First Meeting of States Parties concludes! -UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Richard Broinowski on Australia’s Nuclear past and future.

Nuclear test survivors’ plea for Australia to sign treaty, as they speak at UN meeting.

A big win for Yeelirrie.

Climate change minister Chris Bowen says nuclear is too slow and expensive.

Australia has a once in a lifetime chance to break stranglehold fossil fuels have on politics .

Kean goes deep green with budget that links climate action with future prosperity.
Moderate Libs flag revolt against Dutton’s climate stance .

Ransom Notes: pay us to keep our old power plants running or else, say fossil fuel majors.

INTERNATIONAL.

Let us move towards a world without nuclear weapons. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Members agree a plan of action in response to renewed threats of nuclear weapons use. A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought .

After lying for months, the media are preparing the public for Ukraine’s military collapse. Glenn Diesen: As propaganda about a Ukrainian ‘victory’ retreats, is a split emerging in the West? Western Officials Admit Ukraine Is Crawling With CIA Personnel.

European Pressurised Water Reactors (EPRs) – a nuclear economic fiasco in Finland, France, UK and China.

The United States-the Pacific bully.

Welcome to the ‘Pandemicene‘..

World facing real risk of ‘multiple famines‘ this year, UN chief warns.

UKRAINE. West’s Ukraine fantasy will spell doom for the Ukrainian nation.A despicable Ukrainian PSYOP in Bucha. No Western ”boots on the ground” in Ukraine? Just commandoes and CIA agents. As world leaders promote nuclear power as SAFE, a dangerous situation develops at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant _- Zaporizhzia in Ukraine ! Panic as Russian missiles pass CRITICALLY close to nuclear power plant, as Putin’s ‘grave health worsens’.

UK.Blasting for nuke waste dump will devastate marine life. Radiation Free Lakeland joins local Haverigg Protest against the GDF (Nuclear Dump). Nuclear Free Local Authorities support Cumbria’s new group opposing Nuclear Waste Dump. The UK is searching the sea for a nuclear dump site with huge risks to marine life. Nuclear Free Local Authorities support Cumbria’s new group opposing Nuclear Waste Dump. Rolls Royce wants fast-track approval of its small nuclear reactors, even though they are barely developed yet.

EUROPE. Dispute among Members of European Parliament over move to classify nuclear energy as ”green”.

FRANCE. Nuclear power turning out to be counter-productive for Europe as a means to cut Russian power supplies – France’s massive decine in nuclear output.

SPAIN. Thousands March in Madrid for Peace and “NATO NO”.

JAPAN. Japan to Give Plutonium from Spent Fuel to France, – (but the high level wastes must be returned to Japan) 120 High School Students Connect Voices for Nuclear Abolition Video Produced by Masaharu Fukuyama Released. Contesting Fukushima.

RUSSIA. Russia’s justifications for invasion are not persuasive — IPPNW peace and health blog. Russia to send Belarus nuclear-capable missiles within months, as G7 leaders gather in Germany,

PHILIPPINES. Reactivating Nuclear Power Plant Near Volcano a Bad Idea, Geologists Say.

USA. What happened at Santa Susana?

ISRAEL. Israel Expands Operations Against Iranian Nuclear, Military Assets.

FIJI. Fiji adopts nuclear weapons ban treaty

IRAN. Talks to restart on Iran nuclear deal

MP Susan Templeman represents Australia at landmark nuclear weapons ban treaty in Vienna

MP Susan Templeman represents Australia at landmark nuclear weapons ban treaty in Vienna ttps://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/7791272/mp-susan-templeman-represents-australia-at-landmark-nuclear-weapons-ban-treaty-in-vienna/Federal Member for Macquarie Susan Templeman has attended the first Meeting of State Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Joining the conference as an observer, the Labor MP’s attendance was welcomed by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). A spokesperson said they see see it as “recognition the newly-elected federal government is willing to engage with this critical meeting as a step towards signature and ratification [of the treaty]”.

Held from June 21 to 23 in Vienna, Austria, Australia’s attendance as an observer will provide insights into how states parties intend to address serious questions about the treaty, including:

• 
  the adequacy of the TPNW’s verification and enforcement regime;
• interaction with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which the Australian Government considers to be the cornerstone of the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime;
• how states parties will work to achieve universal support, especially that of nuclear-weapon states.

“It was great to be in Austria to observe the first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on behalf of Australia,” said Ms Templeman.

“Australia shares the ambition of TPNW states parties of a world free of nuclear weapons.”

Australia is not a party to the TPNW and Ms Templeman’s attendance as an observer does not represent a decision to join the treaty.

ICAN Australia campaigner Jemila Rushton, who is also in Vienna this week for the historic meeting, welcomed the Australian government’s decision to participate.

“We’re delighted that Australia will be officially represented at this important meeting. It’s a first step towards our country becoming a TPNW state party,” she said.

Australia will also attend the fourth Conference on the Humanitarian Impacts of Nuclear Weapons, hosted by Austria.

Nuclear news – Australian and international

A bit of good news –  this  week Vienna, Austria, is hosting the First Meeting of States Parties, UN member states that have agreed to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Over 100 governments will participate. The great majority of the world’s representatives — 122 countries — voted their approval of the TPNW in 2017, and 62 have since ratified it. The treaty has entered into force, and only the tiny minority of nuclear-armed governments and their military allies continue to reject it. In the midst of all the doom and gloom news, we need to remember that thousands of people in many nations are working for a better world.

Otherwise – the week has been a perfect storm of awful news. The coronavirus pandemic has not gone away – far from it!  Global heating is striking – the poles are melting at a fast rate, floods in India and Bangladesh, extreme heat in Europe, wildfires in Germany, Greece, Spain and New Jersey. USA.   USA and UK determined to punish Julian Assange forever –   let that be a warning to any journalist who exposes USA military atrocities !

AUSTRALIA.

Can Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese save Julian Assange? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ_9WoWVm-g&t=12s If Albanese asks for Assange’s freedom, Biden has every reason to agree: Bob Carr. Julian Assange and family suffer as unjust detention continues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs0cKFeRko0&t=12s Federal government lobbying behind the scenes for Assange’s freedom.

Australia yet to sign up to treaty banning nuclear weapons but will attend UN meeting as observer. ICAN Australia welcomes government decision to attend the first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as an observer.

Why nuclear energy won’t work in Australia. D’oh! David Littleproud’s nuclear comments insult our intelligence.

No decision yet on choosing USA or UK nuclear submarines, but a USA Bill to train Australian submariners! – writer.   Australia’s Opposition Leader Dutton Says US Can Provide Two Nuclear Subs by 2030.

Albanese locks in Australia’s higher 2030 emissions reduction target . “Australia is under new management”: Bowen tells clean energy investors.

BP takes 40% stake in vast $30bn Australian renewables project. “The problem is not renewables:” Bowen puts Uhlmann back in his coal box. More than 1GW of battery storage to replace coal in world’s biggest isolated grid.

INTERNATIONAL

Assange Is Doing His Most Important Work Yet. The UK’s Decision to Extradite Assange Shows Why The US/UK’s Freedom Lectures Are a Farce.

The deteriorating nuclear order. The Nuclear Weapons Treaty Ban in the Footsteps of 1982’s Million-Person March.

Nuclear-armed nations spent $82.4bn on weapons in 2021. From all continents: mercenaries from 55 nations serving in Ukrainian army.

Pope Francis again says that the West provoked or failed to prevent Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Rosatom Exemption: How Russia’s State-Run Nuclear Giant Has Escaped Sanctions.

Bank group accused of exploiting loopholes and ‘greenwashing’ in climate pledge.

UKRAINE. The US-led bloc is unwilling to fight Russia directly and treats Ukraine as a proxy, Dutch PM admits. Ukraine vows to reclaim Crimea with US weapons. Ukraine killing civilians in ‘unprecedented’ shelling on Donetsk ignored by Western media and politicians. Profit in a time of war? The madness of more reactors (from Westinghouse) in Ukraine.

EUROPE. Anger that European Parliament may consider ”greenwashing” nuclear and gas. Two European Parliamentary committees oppose inclusion of nuclear power and gas as environmentally sustainable.

HUNGARY. Hungarian Greens: nuclear energy ‘severely pollutes the environment.

FRANCE. France’s nuclear output lowers, as climate change affects cooling water systems of reactors. A storm of unexpected problems swirls around France’s beleaguered nuclear fleet.

ANTARCTICA. Antarctic “doomsday glacier” melting at faster rate than in past 5,500 years.

UK. 

• Predictable monstrosity: UK approves Assange extradition. 
• An imminent radiological threat – UK’s planned Hinkley and Sizewell nuclear reactors – same design as flawed EPR reactor in China. 
• Fear the fallout of UK government’s unwise Regulated Asset Base funding for new nuclear reactors. Stop Sizewell C group questions UK government’s reasons for designating the project under the Regulated Asset Base model – and its secrecy about the plan. UK government’s outrageous secrecy on the costs to consumers of the Regulated Asset Base model for funding new nuclear reactors – Stop Sizewell C Group. UK government’s new financing plan for %20 tax-payer funded Sizewell C nuclear project will increase costs and delays, – is aimed to cut China out. 
• The nuclear industry ramps up its lobbying of Scottish Members of Parliament. 
• Hinkley Point C nuclear supply engineers go on strike. 
• Concern over cracks in EPR nuclear reactors in France- questions on similar reactors in Finland, UK,China.
• Many of UK’s coastal buildings may soon need to be abandoned due to sea level rise, – and what about the nuclear reactors?. 
• Sellafield, Britain’s most dangerous building, in the decades-long process of getting its nuclear waste cleaned up. 
• The Guardian’s direct collusion with media censorship by secret services exposed.

JAPAN. Japan gov’t to skip 1st U.N. nuclear ban meeting next week. 

Court rules Japanese government not responsible for Fukushima nuclear disaster damage.  Plaintiffs slam Supreme Court ruling.    Commentary] Class Action Lawsuit over Nuclear Power Plant Accident: One Dissenting Opinion What are the Key Points of the Supreme Court Decision?   

 Evacuated Fukushima villagers return home, but not without worries.    Radioactivity in fish and shellfish samples from the west coast of Canada after Fukushima (2011-18).    

Apprehension in Japan, about the idea of getting nuclear-powered submarines.

KAZAKHSTAN. Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as New Instrument in Nuclear Disarmament Process. Kazakhstan FM calls for elimination of all nuclear weapons by 2045.

USA. 

• What I Know About Human Life as a Nuclear Downwinder. 
• When the secretaries of Defense and State said publicly the U.S. wants Ukraine to win and weaken Russia, Biden said tone it down. 
• US squanders $80,000 every minute on nuclear weapons. ‘Revolting’: Senate Panel Adds Another $45 Billion to Biden’s Military Budget. 
• In the Middle East Biden walks in Trump’s footsteps and will repeat his failure. New Mexico, work for peace and well-being, not nuclear weapons. 
• Could the Orca Autonomous Submarine Forever Change Nuclear War? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7F67dQkgbo&t=192s 
• Biden Proposes Changes to Help Rescue California Nuclear Plant. Georgia Vogtle cooperatives move to freeze nuclear costs at $8.1B. 

CANADA.The world’s nuclear powers need to come to the table to try and change the course of history.  

Australian government lobbying behind the scenes for Assange’s freedom

  “in the end the Americans can’t say no [to his release], given that President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning for exposing the very war crime that Assange went on to publicise worldwide”.

“It was in Priti Patel’s power to do the right thing,” she said in a statement. “Instead, she will forever be remembered as an accomplice of the United States in its agenda to turn investigative journalism into a criminal enterprise.”

further appeals in British courts could rely on media reports last year that the CIA had planned to assassinate the Wikileaks founder. “There’s absolute validity to these matters .

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/federal-government-lobbying-behind-the-scenes-for-assange-s-freedom-20220618-p5auq3.html By James Massola and Latika Bourke, June 19, 2022 —

The federal government is lobbying US counterparts behind the scenes to secure the freedom of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, after the United Kingdom’s decision to approve his extradition to the United States.

The Trump administration brought charges against Assange under the Espionage Act relating to the leaking and publication of the WikiLeaks cables a decade ago.

The UK Home Office announced late on Friday (AEST) that “after consideration by both the Magistrates Court and High Court, the extradition of Julian Assange to the US was ordered”.

“In this case, the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange.

“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”

Assange’s legal team has 14 days to appeal the decision to the High Court and will do so while he remains in Belmarsh prison.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while still opposition leader in December, said “enough is enough” and that it was time for Assange to be returned to Australia.

Asked about Assange’s extradition on Saturday, he told The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age that he stood by the comments he made in December.

At the time, Albanese said “he [Assange] has paid a big price for the publication of that information already. And I do not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr Assange”.

Albanese met US President Joe Biden at the Quad meeting in Tokyo in late May, days after the federal election, but there has been no indication that he raised the Assange matter with him during their meeting.

A source in the federal government, who asked not to be named so they could discuss the matter, has confirmed to The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age that Assange’s case has been raised with senior US officials.

Former foreign minister Bob Carr said the discussions over Assange’s release would be “governed by sensitive, nuanced alliance diplomacy appropriate between partners”.

“I trust the judgment of Prime Minister Albanese on this, given his recent statement cautioning against megaphone diplomacy and his comments last December,” he said.

But Carr predicted that “in the end the Americans can’t say no [to his release], given that President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning for exposing the very war crime that Assange went on to publicise worldwide”.

“The Yank has had her sentence commuted; the Aussie faces an extradition and a cruel sentencing.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday that “Assange’s case has dragged on for too long and that it should be brought to a close. We will continue to express this view to the governments of the United Kingdom and United States”.

Albanese is due to attend the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of the month, which US President Joe Biden will also attend, though it is not clear if he will raise the matter there.

Assange’s wife, Stella Moris, hit out at UK Home Secretary Priti Patel for approving the extradition.

“It was in Priti Patel’s power to do the right thing,” she said in a statement. “Instead, she will forever be remembered as an accomplice of the United States in its agenda to turn investigative journalism into a criminal enterprise.”

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd tweeted that he disagreed with the decision to approve the extradition, even though he did not support Assange’s actions and “his reckless disregard for classified security information”.

“But if Assange is guilty, then so too are the dozens of newspaper editors who happily published his material.”

Labor MP Julian Hill said there could never be a legal solution to the case as it was inherently political and that “we should speak up for our fellow Australian and request that these charges be dropped and he not be extradited”.

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John said the extradition to the United States would set a dangerous precedent for press freedom and called on the prime minister to pick up the phone to his British and American counterparts.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, the chair of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group, has called Britain’s decision an outrageous betrayal of the rule of law, media freedom and human rights.

“This matter is so deeply wrong on so many levels … time’s up for the new federal government hinting at caring and then doing nothing,” he said.

“The new Australian government is now to be condemned for abandoning an Australian hero journalist facing the very real prospect of spending the rest of his life rotting in a US prison.”

Amnesty International is urging the UK to refrain from extradition and the US to drop all charges.
The secretary-general of the human rights organisation, Agnes Callamard, says allowing the Australian to be sent to the US for trial would put him at great risk.

“Assange faces a high risk of prolonged solitary confinement, which would violate the prohibition on torture or other ill treatment,” Callamard said.

“Diplomatic assurances provided by the US that Assange will not be kept in solitary confinement cannot be taken on face value given previous history.”

Adviser to the Australian campaign to free Mr Assange, Greg Barns SC, says Britain’s decision is unsurprising given past approaches.

“The UK does not regard the extradition as being political when it clearly is,” he told ABC News on Saturday.

He says further appeals in British courts could rely on media reports last year that the CIA had planned to assassinate the Wikileaks founder.

“There’s absolute validity to these matters … the real issue is do we let this matter go back into the court system for another couple of years or do we say there are important principles here.”

There had been a change in rhetoric on the matter from the new government and statements from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ms Wong had heartened the campaign, Mr Barns said.

“We’re certainly urging and hoping that now is the time for Australia to get involved with its key allies in London and Washington and bring this matter to an end.”

Can Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese save Julian Assange?

New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,  has said he couldn’t see any purpose in keeping Assange in gaol, stating “enough is enough”. In the first week of the Albanese Government, the ABC reported: ‘Mr Albanese is also a signatory to the Bring Julian Assange Home Campaign petition.’

Questioned by The Guardian – Albanese replied that it was his position that “not all foreign affairs is best done with the loudhailer”.

So – we are now getting used to an Australian Prime Minister who values thinking and diplomacy rather than bull-dozing and bullying tactics . So there’s hope.

On the other hand, there’s the determination of the U.S.military-industrial-complex, which rules U.S. politics – to punish Julian Assange for exposing U.S. military’s war crimes. And the subservience of the U.K. to USA, now vested in just oned person, Home Secretary Priti Patel, who shows no sign of having the integrity to stand up for justice.

It is ironic that everyone is now (rightly) jumping up and down about Russian military atrocities, and praising reporters who reveal these – but it seems it’s OK to persecute Assange for revealing U.S. military atrocities?

This week’s nuclear news – Australian and international

Some bits of good news    Two key  committees of the European Parliament strike down EU plans to label nuclear and gas as green investment .   – G7 countries to stop funding fossil fuel development overseas. Canada Introduced Sweeping Gun Law Reforms.

AUSTRALIA.

Julian Assange is still in jail, but the new Australian government has the power to act to help him. Assange: Albanese must act where the Coalition failed.

Nuclear Waste Dispute in Court Wednesday 15 June. 

Australia’s Energy Minister rejects nuclear power push. Nuclear energy does not stack up economically– Labor Senator Tony Sheldon . The National Party is getting whackier and whackier in pushing for nuclear power. Opposition leader Peter Dutton hints at controversial shift towards nuclear power. The Liberal National Coalition’s flirtation with nuclear energy will not be well received by the electorate, especially in Gilmore on the NSW South Coast. Chasing unicorns’: NSW Liberal minister rejects federal opposition push for nuclear power. Disgraced Victorian Liberal MP Tim Smith – quitting politics – backs Dutton’s call for nuclear power. Kerry Schott: why new coal or nuclear plants are a dumb idea.

Defence faces budget blowout with Aukus nuclear submarines to cost more than scrapped French project. Peter Dutton’s claim he planned to buy US nuclear subs is ‘political point-scoring’, defence experts say. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull labels Peter Dutton a ‘belligerent blusterer‘ over nuclear submarines claim. 

A huge Atlantic current is slowing down. If it collapses, La Niña could become the norm for Australia.

Australian warming outpacing global average by 35pc: IEA . Australia to update UN climate submission.

Sky News Australia is a global hub for climate misinformation, report saysForgotten fuel: Australia’s failure on energy efficiency is a global embarrassment

INTERNATIONAL.

The unpalatable truth in Ukraine.

  Geo-political readings on the Russia / Ukraine conflict 8.6.22 —. Global nuclear arsenal could grow for the first time in decades, think-tank SIPRI warns.

Non-carbon emissions could ‘bump’ global temperatures above 1.5C within seven years, research warns.

Human-made heatwaves are getting hotter

Climate action is going in the right direction, but what now? What is a realistic aim? ‘‘Climatenomics” – new book -climate crisis is the REAL economic worry.      Carbon dioxide levels are now 50% higher than during the pre-industrial era. World can make massive energy savings, reduce emissions through energy conservation measures. International Energy Agency stresses that energy efficiency must be at the forefront of energy and climate policies. 

Mother Nature: Economic growth is sending her bankrupt.

UKRAINE. Ukraine’s high casualty rate could bring war to tipping point, Ukraine bars IAEA nuclear regulator from visiting Russian-occupied power plant ! Ukraine slams planned IAEA mission to Russian-occupied nuclear plant. 

New film shows the anguish and destruction of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kxUOKqSxNs&t=29s Ukrainian nationalists’ massacre of 100,000 Poles approaching 80th anniversary.     Pentagon divulges number of US-funded biolabs in Ukraine. 

FINLAND. NATO Membership May Spell the End of Finland and Sweden as Social Democracies.

FRANCE. Fresh blow for EDF with probe into practices at Tricastin nuclear plant. EDF delays the scheduled maintenance shutdowns of 7 French nuclear reactors.

JAPAN. EDITORIAL: Vienna meeting on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons -best chance for Japan to lead the way. Japanese youths at Vienna Nuclear Ban Treaty meeting, call for abolition of nuclear weapons. Japan court: Nuclear plant’s tsunami safeguards inadequate.

  Aging Fukui nuclear unit to restart in Aug., 2 months early.  

  6.3 billion yen in damages to local governments due to the Fukushima nuclear accident has not been paid. 7 prefectures in the Tokyo metropolitan area The scope of compensation was decided at TEPCO’s initiative.   Areas reopening after Fukushima nuclear disaster need sustained gov’t support.

USA. ELON MUSK IS NOT A RENEGADE OUTSIDER – HE’S A MASSIVE PENTAGON CONTRACTOR.   American senator calls for creation of Pacific NATO.

CANADA. Canada’s nuclear waste liabilities total billions of dollars: is a landfill site near the Ottawa River the best way to extinguish them?

UK. Julian Assange’s wife Stella Moris reveals how they raise children together while he is in jail waiting an extradition decision. Another episode in the unlawful spying and harassment of Julian Assange and his legal team, by the UK and USA governments. 

 Nuclear test veterans demand recognition at first meeting with Prime Minister.

Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) join the call for UK to join the nuclear ban Treaty Summit. Nuclear Free Local Authorities oppose Nuclear Waste Authorities’ seismic testing in the Irish Sea. Seismic blasting in Irish Sea for nuclear waste dump will be devastating to marine life. 

CHINA. China Says It Does Not Want To See Another North Korean Nuclear Test .

GERMANY. Germany rules out nuclear power as an option during the energy crisis.

IRAN. Iran removes nuclear watchdog’s cameras after criticism.

INDIA. Ukraine war – good chance for France to sell nuclear reactors to India, replacing deal with Russia.

POLAND. Experts doubt Polish government’s plans to have nuclear by 2033.

Nuclear news – Australia and beyond

Some bits of good news –  European Cities Are Turning Rooftops Into Community and Sustainability Hubs: ‘A revolution in urban planning’  Dr. Jane Goodall on climate change, planting trees, and nurturing hope.  Golden bandicoots haven’t inhabited outback NSW for more than a century, until now.

AUSTRALIA

The National Radioactive Waste Management Act is racist and the Act must be amended or repealed and replaced. Indigenous owners call on the Labor government to scrap the nuclear waste dump plan. South Australia nuclear waste storage facility legal battle continues.

Despite the evidence that nuclear power is failing, and small nuclear reactors don’t exist, Australia’s right-wing politicians cling to their dream. New opposition leader Peter Dutton says that nuclear energy is not Liberal Party policy. New National Party leader pushes for small nuclear reactors. Barnaby Joyce removed as leader of the National Party, goes out spruiking for the nuclear industry. 

Australia’s nuclear submarines and nuclear proliferation obligations – how many angels can dance on a periscope? Book. Fact or Fission? The truth about Australia’s nuclear ambitions. 

No demotion for Plibersek: Deputy PM – Tanya Plibersek – at last – an Environment Minister who does care about the environment. After the Coalition’s failure, there is no higher duty than being Australia’s environment minister . Environment report ‘hidden’ by Coalition should be released immediately: Greens

‘Canaries in the coal mine’: Frogs face an uncertain future, and that’s bad news for us as well

INTERNATIONAL. 

The need for a negotiated settlement to end the Ukraine war – Western allies discuss this.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85JcUZe7kk0

Weapons designed to mass murder civilians, terrorize the world, and enable impunity for war crimes can no longer be relied on to “prevent war.”

Washington: NATO chief meets with Biden, Blinken, Austin, Sullivan to prolong Ukraine war .

Erdogan: Turkey will be in the forefront of the space war.

Turkish drones in Ukraine as model: Japan, U.S. to produce drones for use against China, Russia .

Small nuclear reactors may produce more, and more toxic, wastes than large ones do – new research. Nuclear waste from small modular reactors.

Current policies will bring ‘catastrophic’ climate breakdown, warn former UN leaders. 30 years on from Rio Earth Summit not that much has been achieved.

Time to Start Reducing Consumption! — harben post — Barbara Crane Navarro

There’s a scream building up in young people.

UKRAINE.   U.S. Army: Ukraine is laboratory for new warfighting doctrine.

EUROPE. Members of European Parliament and experts condemn plan to label nuclear as ”green”.

BELGIUM. Belgian government pressed to pay for lifetime extension of nuclear reactors Doel 4 and Tihange 3.

JAPAN. Japan Court Bars Hokkaido Nuclear Reactors From Operating . Another earthquake could topple Fukushima nuclear reactor. Current and former residents of Tamura City, plaintiffs in case against TEPCO may appeal about low compensation.

SOUTH KOREA. Policymakers endorse massive injection of state money for SMR development

RUSSIA. Russian-Norwegian nuclear safety commission ceases work over war in Ukraine. New documentary shows Soviet disinformation over the true horror of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown.Siberia’s tundra could soon disappear, scientists warn.

UK. UK government urged to end its obsession with nuclear power.    Following U.S., Britain to supply Ukraine with multiple rocket launchers .

USA.

NATO, Pentagon chiefs push armaments spending shakedown. DHS ‘concerned’ over Nazis returning to US after fighting in Ukraine. Why isn’t the media?                       

The Next Crapshot Reactor Explosion Will Dwarf the Next Psychotic School Shooting.  

As Elon Musk’s SpaceX Grows, So Do Complaints From Environmentalists, Indigenous Groups and Brownsville Residents.    Small nuclear reactors produce ’35x more waste’ than big plants. Thin-walled nuclear waste containers – not really very secure.

SWEDEN. NATO candidate Sweden to provide Ukraine with anti-ship, anti-tank missiles.

ISRAEL. Iran: No one can remain silent on Zionist regime’s clandestine nuclear program.

SPAIN. Spain and Portugal stand out from the European Union, in slashing energy bills because of their high renewable energy use.

Nuclear news as May ends – the problems keep getting worse

Some bits of good news –  INDIGENOUS INSIGHTS ON HEALING LAND AND SKY.       Cuban Farmers Fight Land Degradation with Sustainable Management.

It’s a worrying thought that everyone might just get ”Ukraine fatigue” and let this cruel war grind on.  In the meantime, the global nuclear industry is suffering all sorts of upsets, while Elon Musk and the rest of the space war enthusiasts are carrying on, as if there were no problems at all.   Hard to single out the most significant nuclear failure, but I think that it would have to be France, where the financial and safety problems just keep getting worse.  

AUSTRALIA. 

Julian Assange’s family says Australia’s election result brings renewed hope for WikiLeaks founder’s release. Labor urged to act to prevent Julian Assange extradition.

Nuclear.    Sydney University radiation case shows the need for stronger environmental laws, with wider scope. Stop Deep Yellow: No uranium mining on Upurli Upurli Nguratja country. Australia’s new Prime Minister backs the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. Australia’s weapons-buying binge from USA continues . 

Climate.  Albanese commits Australia to stronger 2030 target, starts climate reset .     The political and media establishment ignored climate – but voters didn’t.   The 2022 climate election: unpacking how climate concerned Australians voted        Months of more rain likely as BOM report links global warming to flood disasters.   

‘I’m so angry, I’m wild’: the never-ending wait to clean up asbestos town Wittenoom

INTERNATIONAL.

What to do about humanity entering “a spiral of self-destruction” – a UN Summit now on in Indonesia.   The U.N. “Sustainable Development Goals”- just ”greenwashing” – claim experts.   Why nuclear power can’t solve climate crisis – in fact makes it worse- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7rG7-P7E5M&t=306s

When Henry Kissinger gives advice on ending the Ukraine conflict, the West should listen.     Ukraine, Taiwan: Biden trip designed to recruit S. Korea, Japan into global anti-Russia/China bloc. They’re Just Outright Telling Us That Peace In Ukraine Is Not An Option.

 Book Review: ”Atoms and Ashes’‘ – A Timely History of Nuclear Catastrophes.

Asianization of NATO: China, Russia react to Biden visit   War for Taiwan, nuclear war for Japan: Biden pushes two-front campaign against China, Russia.       Like the rest of Europe’s few remaining non-members, Ireland being prepped for NATO .         Expanding NATO – it’s a $quillion bonanza for the U.S. weapons industries!!     Why environmentalists are pushing back against nuclear energy .

Nuclear is already well past its sell-by date.    After the meltdown.

Billionaires from USA and Denmark have inordinate influence on public opinion about molten salt nuclear reactors’.     Caitlin Johnson, rogue journalist, on corporate control of the media.

“Don’t work for climate wreckers:” UN chief warns young people off fossil fuels.

Curbing other climate pollutants, not just CO2, gives Earth a chance.

Experts call on governments to start including animal welfare in sustainable development governance.

UKRAINE. For the first time in history, nuclear sites have been caught up in the middle of warfare. Ukrainian negotiator rules out deal with Russia.

USA. 

• Col. Richard Black — U.S. Leading World to Nuclear War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcp0TYx_eUI Biden’s nuclear comments send shock waves through Northeast Asia . Twenty-Two House Republicans Demand Accountability on Biden’s $40b War Spending. Are Americans Prepared To Fight A Nuclear War Over Taiwan?
• South Carolina Woefully Underprepared for Nuclear Disaster .
• Palisades atomic reactor’s shutdown for good, leaving high risk radioactive wastes. Michigan’s dead old nuke is Diablo’s early warning. California makes misguided plea for feds to keep state’s last nuclear power plant alive.
• USA Energy Department nuclear waste backlog goes as far back as WWII.
• Where the toxic nuclear industry and global heating collide – the disastrous wildfires in America.
• U.S – UK quarrel over purchases of nuclear submarine equipment.
• ”Commercial” nuclear power in space? – it’s all about weapons and war.
• Elon Musk’s satellites for the war in Ukraine.

CANADA. Canada can achieve 100% zero-emission electricity by 2035 – with renewable energy, storage. energy efficiency , and interprovincial transmission

UK. 

• Pressure Mounts on British Home Secretary Patel Over Assange Decision.
• A fossil fuel front group –  The Global Warming Policy Foundation.
• Pretense in UK that Wylfa and other new nuclear stations are affordable – investors are staying away in droves. Chinese involvement is entrenched in Britain’s nuclear power plans.   Boris Johnson promised ”1 nuclear reactor a year for 8 years” – one by 2040 if he’s lucky! 
• Nuclear safety warning threatens to derail Boris Johnson’s energy revolution. Security issues at UK’s civil nuclear facilities have reached highest level in 14 years. 
• Another university infiltrated by the nuclear industry – University of Derby and Rolls Royce.

JAPAN. Japan ratchets up rhetoric against Russia, China re air patrols, Ukraine . Japan’s new ‘green economy’ bond may fund nuclear projects.   

Fukushima.  A 5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Area Near the Fukushima Disaster Site. Fukushima reactor sitting on shaky base raises quake concerns. 

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, work to remove contaminated pipes suspended again due to detection of high radiation dose at level of “death by exposure for several hours. Debris in sediment, bottom of Fukushima Unit 1 Neutron radiation detected at high levels. Hiroshima man’s anime sheds light on Fukushima nuclear project. 

Cancer Patients Seek Damages from Fukushima Nuclear Plant. Plaintiff diagnosed with thyroid cancer after the Fukushima nuclear accident: “I have suffered without telling anyone. Lawsuit by evacuees from nuclear power plant accident: Supreme Court to rule on June 17 for the first time on the government’s responsibility. 

Japan’s plan to release toxic water into sea irresponsible.

MARSHALL ISLANDS. Nuclear tragedy in the Marshall Islands.

SOUTH KOREA. South Korea to keep import ban on Japan seafood due to Fukushima concern.

FRANCE. A warning from France, about nuclear delusions of grandeurl France’s Nuclear Industry Slides Into Crisis. Global heating is affecting France’s nuclear reactors, as water temperatures rise in the rivers. EDF Nuclear Failures Undermine Europe’s Push to Exit Russian Gas.

RUSSIA. Putin Ready For “Serious Negotiations” With Zelensky, But Says Western Arms ‘Destabilizing’ Situation/ Energy sanctions on Russia – Russia’s nuclear supply chain should be sanctioned, too.

EUROPE. Nuclear dependence. Europe remains economically dependent on Russia as long as it has nuclear energy. Where will Europe store its radioactive waste?

CROATIA. Mounting opposition from Bosnia, to Croatia’s nuclear waste dump plan.

AFRICA. Climate Summit failed to support African communities on the front lines of the climate crisis.

ISRAEL. No Iran nuclear deal ‘worse’ than even a bad one: Israel sources.

IRELAND. Ireland’s Environment Minister Eamon Ryan rules out nuclear power as option in transition from fossil fuel dependence

PHILIPPINES. Philippines’ Marcos in nuclear plant revival talks with S.Korea.

INDIA. France is offering 6 new nuclear reactors to India, even though India’s nukes are not within the IAEA safety regulatory framework. Russia’s Outsized Role in India’s Nuclear Power Program.

FINLAND. Fennovoima withdraws from its new nuclear reactor application.

PACIFIC ISLANDS. Vulnerable island ecology threatened as developed countries dump waste, conduct nuclear test in Pacific.

Anthony Albanese has the power to save Julian Assange. But will he?

We’re all enormously relieved that the corrupt #ScottyFRomMarketing has gone.

And we like Albanese, I think.

But – will he have the guts to help our Australian hero, Julian Assange?

Albanese had the perfect opportunity in Tokyo on Tuesday, meeting the U.S. president. He could have raised the matter with Biden.. But he didn’t.

When will he? Will he speak up for Assange at all?

Now is the time for Australia to intervene, and to demand the repatriation of Julian and an end to his persecution. It’s about time our mealy-mouthed and pathetic media and politicians broke their silence and cringing subservience to the USA.

Nuclear news – week to 23 May

A bit of good news.  Australia – the leper of world climate politics, – is a leper no more. Beyond all expectations, we turfed out the corrupt and anti-environment Morrison Liberal Coalition government. The driving forces in this election were the Greens, and the very climate conscious ”teal” independents.  It seems that intelligent Liberals who care about the environment defected to the ”teals”, while intelligent Labor people who care strongly about the environment defected to the Greens. Either way –   Australia at long last will have a government that might work for the cause of a clean planet, and for addressing global heating, and climate justice.

Pandemic–  WHO chief: The COVID pandemic is ‘most certainly not over’

Climate – New IPCC Report: Addressing Climate Change Is Now About Damage Control 

AUSTRALIA

Will Anthony Albanese and Labor have the guts to free Julian Assange?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8zYQp3rrG8&t=13s

Nuclear More scathing comments from readers, about Scott Morrison’s foolish nuclear submarine deal. Clive Palmer and his United Australia Party guarantee a nuclear reactor for South Australia if they hold the balance of power..

 Climate.      Albanese, Wong to take South-East Asia and climate policies to Quad meeting.    Labor’s election win – Green investors tip renewable revival          Climate voters herald an irrevocable change to politics 

Australians have voted for bolder climate action and integrity in politics. The teals and Greens will turn up the heat on Labor’s climate policy. Here’s what to expect.        Australia’s rightwing government weaponised climate change – now it has faced its reckoning.         Painful defeat of Australia’s right-wing Morrison government, as new Labor government vows action on climate change. National Party to dictate Liberal Coalition policy on climate – Nats set to dictate Coalition policies 

Albanese pledges to get Australia out of climate ‘naughty corner’. A new climate politics: The 47th parliament must be a contest of ideas for a hotter, low-carbon Australia, In a year of endless floods, why isn’t disaster governance front and centre in the election campaign?

 Bushfires, reef bleaching, animal extinctions — Australia’s environment is under threat. But are our politicians paying attention?It’s election time! For one party the environment is not a priority. For the other, it’s not something to talk about. — Sustainability Bites

Former Kiribati president slams Australia’s ‘politicisation’ of climate action and power of fossil fuel lobby

INTERNATIONAL

Extraditing Julian Assange would be a gift to secretive, oppressive regimes.

War in Ukraine is getting complicated, and America isn’t ready 

Ukraine War Has No End in Sight.    Ukraine Contact Group: war used to expand global NATO.

NATO doubles members since 1999, completes sweep of Nordic nations . IT IS FOOLISH FOR FINLAND AND SWEDEN TO JOIN NATO.      Up to 100 U.S. nuclear weapons surround Russia’s border.       Disinformation’ Label Serves to Marginalize Crucial Ukraine Facts.

Switzerland: NATO swallowing Europe’s few remaining former neutrals .

Nuclear Bomb Blast Map Shows What Would Happen if One Detonated Near You.

New book – does nuclear power have a future?. Tritium isn’t harmless.

The Arctic Council (AC) and NATO aims conflict with no climate change mitigation.

 COP26: No countries have delivered on promise to improve climate plans. 1.2 billion people threatened by escalating heat due to climate change. Climate change: The global climate crisis is also a health crisis

UKRAINE. Chernobyl nuclear fears as forest near Exclusion Zone in FLAMES – emergency triggered      Ukraine controlled by US and UK – Russia. Injured troops to be evacuated from Azovstal – Moscow. Nuclear lobby happily predicts a bright and beautiful future for new nuclear reactors in Ukraine.

EUROPE. Borrell: EU defense chiefs to approve another half billion Euros to arm Ukraine — Anti-bellum. Russia’s grip on Europe’s nuclear power industry – this is being ignored. EU lawmakers move to block green investment label for gas and nuclear.

Unusually high temperatures to hit western Europe this week.Nuclear Fusion Is Already Facing a Fuel Crisis.

EU hits fast forward on renewables, including “massive deployment” of solar .

GERMANY. Germany to reject EU green investment label for nuclear power. Germany will vote against EU plans to label nuclear power as a green investment,.

FRANCE. France’s Nuclear Safety authority struggles with the problems related to corrosion in 12 reactors.     France’s nuclear corrosion problem will need a ”large scale” plan, and ”several years” to fix. 3 unplanned shutdowns of French nuclear reactors due to corrosion concerns, in the Framatome-designed piping.       EDF shares fall after new profit warning due to nuclear outages.    Nuclear: seven questions about the industrial disaster that threatens EDF.    France’s woes with nuclear power plants mean more energy uncertainty for Europe.

SWEDEN. Sweden’s Green Party demands nuclear weapons ban.

INDIA. Extreme heat hitting India.

PAKISTAN. Climate change makes record-breaking heatwaves in northwest India and Pakistan 100 times more likely.

RUSSIA. Five reasons that Russia’s nuclear exports will continue, despite sanctions and the Ukraine invasion. But for how long?

USA.

• $40 Billion More for the Ukraine War. invading Russia . 
•  Nuclear agency plans five new plutonium buildings at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Seismic Concerns at Los Angeles Nuclear Laboratory and Expanded Plutonium Pit Production.
•   U.S. extends application deadline for nuclear power rescue program. Environmentalists oppose possibility of extending the life of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Entergy shuts down Palisades nuclear station ahead of time. Say No to Nuclear Power.
•  Back to square one for $28B nuclear management contract. 
• The U.S. energy secretary says it is critical to find a solution for storing the nation’s spent nuclear fuel. US Government Secret Files:
•   Human Experiments With Plutonium Side Effects.
• Don’t hold your breath waiting for NuScam‘s small nuclear reactors to be profitable.
• Americans Divided on Nuclear Energy.
•  Global heating brings megadrought and water shortages to over half of the USA.

CANADA. Opposition mounts against 25-year licence extension request from New Brunswick nuclear plant with no long-term waste disposal plan.

JAPAN. Magnitude 6.0 quake shakes Japan’s east and northeast. Japan OKs plan to release Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater. Nuclear expert reaffirms harm of dumping nuclear-contaminated water into ocean, calls on Japan to stop pressuring opposition voices.  Japan’s nuclear water disposal plan irresponsible.

SOUTH KOREA. New South Korean President plans to reverse the nuclear phaseout policy.       S. Korea denies report of alleged approval of Japan’s Fukushima water release plan.     Korea to keep close tabs on Japan’s Fukushima water discharge plan.

UK.

• Greens oppose Nato membership for Scotland and ‘evil’ nuclear weapons.
• Sellafield Update 2022. Strong community protest against planned Sizewell C nuclear plant for Suffolk. Beaches near Sellafield contaminated with radioactive particles.
• UK Ministers taking the public for fools, as they tout grandiose and delusional nuclear power schemes. Hinkley Point C – costs soar, delays again. UK govt’s big bet on nuclear is backfiring. Costs of Hinkley Point C nuclear station predicted to balloon out. £3 billion more, 1 year longer: EDF Energy announces latest price hike and further delay at Hinkley Point C.
• Organisation seeks assurance British nuclear will not rely on Russian uranium.
• Cost of shutting down UK’s old nuclear reactors is doubling and then some.
• UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee sets out the grim facts on costs of decommissioning nuclear reactors.
• UK Public Accounts Committee warns on need to double-check on safety of aging nuclear reactors.
• Webinar 25 May. Nuclear Free Local Authorities join with local governments to support UN Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
• Leaked emails expose UK Home Secretary Priti Patel’s connection to MI6-style ‘research and influence operations AND to extraditing Julian Assange. UK Home Secretary PRITI PATEL WAS PART OF CIA-LINKED LOBBY GROUP WITH HUSBAND OF ASSANGE JUDGE.

SOUTH AFRICA. Peter Becker, sacked from South Africa’s National Nuclear Regulator Board, won’t go down without a fight.  From Russia with very expensive love – Karyn Maughan on South Africa’s bombed nuclear deal .

NEW ZEALAND. “We must wean ourselves off fossil fuels:” New Zealand launches “landmark” climate plan .

TURKEY. Turkish nuclear plant threatened by Russian sanctions.

MYANMAR. Invading Russia U.S., allies may be planning Ukraine proxy war model for Myanmar — Anti-bellum