Australia and beyond: To 12 April – nuclear news this week

Forgive me for being so remiss – I’ve neglected to cover Prince Philip’s funeral. He deserves remembering for some good work that he did for the environment.

NUCLEAR.  Heightened anxiety about keeping, repairing the Iran nuclear agreement, and a suspicious accident at Iran’s nuclear enrichment site.   Continued pressure from the nuclear lobby to get Europe to decide that nuclear power is “clean and green”.

CORONAVIRUS .  The news is not good. A”shocking imbalance” in the distribution of coronavirus vaccines between rich and poor countries. Covid cases, deaths surging around the world as variants spread, vaccination lags.

CLIMATE. Radio Ecoshock covers the issue of Future Cities: Hot and Flooded.

A bit of good news – COVID-19 success story for Rwanda is a wake-up call for wealthy West.

AUSTRALIA.

There’s a long and devastating history behind the proposal for a nuclear waste dump in South Australia. Who Says There Is No Kimba Dump Opposition?

Australia’s part in continuing nuclear havoc in Pacific islands – legacy of atomic bomb tests.

With uranium mining closed, Kakadu ‘stagnates” during long wait for proposed federal funding.

INTERNATIONAL.

Investigative journalism – “Fair” exposes in detail how corporate media uses “Tropes” to win intelligent people over to USA militarism. 

Two years since Julian Assange was seized from the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Let’s get rid of nuclear weapons before they ruin us.   Artificial Intelligence and the risk of catalytic nuclear war.

U.S. – China co-operation on cyber security.

Nuclear power – a way to stop other, faster, and cheaper, climate solutions. Despite the influence of Bill Gates, experts find that nuclear power is the wrong climate solution.

Japanese engineering firm EPC joins with NuScale in small modular reactor investment.

Racism, inequities move to the center of the climate debate.

Rapid global increase in energy consumption.

IRAN. Accident at Iran’s Natanz nuclear station. Iran calls Natanz nuclear enrichment site blackout ‘nuclear terrorism’. Iran nuclear talks to continue next week after breakthrough. It’s getting too late for an effective missile deal with Iran. Iran frees South Korean ship as more nuclear talks planned in Vienna.

GREENLAND. Opposition to uranium and rare earths mining – party wins Greenland election

EUROPE. Greenpeace warns European Commission on nuclear energy classification. Dodgy European Taxonomy report was favourable to nuclear power – but it’s far from a done deal. Nuclear nation France exerted pressure on European Commission. Climate taxonomy deal threatened by possible inclusion of nuclear as ”virtuous”.

FRANCE. France fully nationalises debt-laden EDF nuclear company, – EDF can now focus on renewable energy. New defects found in France’s Flamanville nuclear project. Doubts that it will start-up on time, – or indeed ever!.

CANADA. Canada’s tax-payer funded small nuclear reactors unlikely to succeed. Pickering Nuclear plant at risk of ‘Fukushima-type accident.

NORTH KOREA. North Korea’s new tactical nuclear weapons means new dangers, new U.S. strategy needed.

SOUTH KOREA. Climate change probably increasing this problem – nuclear reactors halted because of jellyfish-like sea salps.

JAPAN. Crookedness, fraud, in 10 years of Fukushima nuclear clean-up. Japanese government and Tepco must pay monthly compensation to 3550 Fukushima residents displaced due to continued radioactivity. Japan’s Prime Minister getting ready to release Fukushima waste water into the Pacific ocean? Japan poised to release Fukushima nuclear cooling water into the sea. 4,000 Fukushima waste bags contain unidentified radioactive materials.

Japanese government continues Japan’s ”Nuclear Village” generous grants to keep ageing nuclear reactors going. Niigata governor wants Japan’s Nuclear Regulator to reassess Tepco, following security lapses. Japan halts restart of nuclear plant over poor anti-terror measures. Japan has the ability to become both coal-free and nuclear-free.

USA.

• Pentagon and tax cheats already cost taxpayers far more than Biden’s job plan. Biden’s Announcement That Trump Got Military Spending Just Right Is Dead Wrong . Scientists urge Biden administration to reduce spending on nuclear weapons.
• Ohio’s Electric Power Association happy to see the end of customer-funded nuclear subsidies.
• Records falsified at Turkey Point nuclear power station.
• An American village made dependent on the nuclear industry. Perry schools’ crisis if the nuclear power station shuts down.
• Nuclear waste director: Proposed New Mexico nuclear waste storage facility is illegal, Texas lawmakers want to ban dangerous radioactive waste.
• Explanation of a nonsense tweet from U.S. Strategic Command.

UK. UK losing credibility with its new, ambiguous, nuclear weapons policy. Sleekit’ increase in Trident nuclear warheads on the Clyde.

Britain needs to rethink – whether it really needs new nuclear power, in view of tensions with the supplier, China. Chinese-French nuclear power station planned for Bradwell UK – issues raised that might prevent its construction. Uncertain future for EDF’s Dungeness nuclear power station. It may have to shut down early.

POLAND. In a positive move, Polish utilities remove their investment from nuclear power development.

RUSSIA. Russia planning to test a ‘doomsday’ nuclear-powered torpedo in the Arctic. Putin amassing, testing, huge military arsenal in the Arctic.

CHINA. Bitcoin mining to consume more electricity than whole of Australia by 2024. Like the other nuclear powers, China wants to put a dirty great radioactive waste dump on indigenous land.

ALGERIA. French Prime Minister visiting Algeria. The question of radioactive dust from nuclear tests will be on the agenda.

SOUTHEAST ASIA. Southeast Asia can leapfrog uncompetitive nuclear energy, and go straight to renewables.