As the Afghanistan crisis continues, many writers consider the underlying causes of the USA’s prolonged wars, and reveal the staggering profits made by the weapons-making corporations. From the corporate point of view, the 20 year war has been a great success.
Coronavirus:more than 212.1 million cases of COVID-19 The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.4 million. The Delta variant puts a strain on health systems. Several countries struggle, with lockdowns needed – e.g.in Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand. Case numbers rise in France. Debates go on about child vaccination, mandatory vaccination, and booster doses of vaccine.
Climate. Global heating and its effects, extreme weather events keep on. The IPCC Report finds we will cross the 1.5C warming danger line in the 2030’s, pretty well no matter what we do.
NUCLEAR, Very quietly indeed – you could easily miss this, – come two positive events for the nuclear-free movement; exclusion of nuclear from the Green Zone at COP26, and USA’s nuclear regulator rejecting the push to weaken radiation safety standards.
Some bits of good news: What went right this week: how we saved Earth before, plus more positive news, Australia’s ‘healing journey’.
AUSTRALIA.
Australia’s participation in America’s wars. Was it worth it? Little chance for genuine community consultation on Napandee nuclear waste dump decision.
Kimberley Land Council: New heritage bill is skewed to the mining industry.. Young people rebel on climate. Australian government moves to limit charities’ ability to campaign during election period
INTERNATIONAL
USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission affirms that a little ionising radiation may be bad for health.
Nuclear lobby miserable, but Friends of the Earth relieved, that nuclear industry is excluded from the Green Zone at COP26 Climate Summit.
The tie between climate change and nuclear weapons.
Action on climate change is stalled by unwise spending on small nuclear reactors.
Frozen conflicts and forever wars. WikiLeaks and the Crimes of the West in Afghanistan.
Renewables are beating nuclear,
Bill Gates and the corporates behind the fake solutions to climate change. Arnie Gundersen writes to Bill Gates – about public funding for Gates’ false Natrium nuclear solution to climate change.
Why Cosmic Radiation Could Foil Plans for Farming on Mars.
IRAN. Biden’s Iran envoy calls nuclear deal’s fate ‘one big question mark”. Russia, Germany, hope efforts to save Iran nuclear deal will be continued — Putin. Iran Foreign Ministry defends latest nuclear measures.
JAPAN. Safety review of reactor at Tsuruga nuclear plant halted over data tampering. Radioactive snakes may monitor Fukushima fallout. 5.2-magnitude quake strikes off Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture, no tsunami warning issued .
CANADA. Canada’s nuclear reactors may not be fit for service. The final costly burden of Ontaria’s nuclear decommissioning will fall to the great-grandchildren of babies born in 2021.
UK.
- Strong local opposition to a proposed nuclear waste dump. Secretive process of Allerdale Working Group studying potential dump sites for UK’s vast stockpile of nuclear waste. Where’s the water coming from?
- In dry East Anglia EDF has no solution for Sizewell nuclear power’s insatiable thirst? 200 million fish + millions of other sea creatures will be killed by cooling systems of Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C nuclear power stations.
- Public comment period regarding Bradwell nuclear project is drawing to its end. As renewable energy powers ahead, the UK government’s prospects for funding nuclear power projects look very risky. Chinese nuclear power firm CGN could be pushed out of UK’s Bradwell nuclear power project – and then what?
- UK’s Marine Management Organisation gives the OK for dumping Hinkley radioactive trash in the Bristol Channel.
- Dungeness area in England set to go underwater as global heating continues.
- If children are to live with the climate crisis, we must green the curriculum.
- Greenham Common’s renowned Women’s Peace Camp, the world’s longest-running anti-nuclear demonstration.
USA.
- Big winners from the Afghan war -the weapons-making corporations. The military-industrial complex had a successful Afghanistan war – better still than Vietnam. The next will be better, and by remote warfare. US nuclear policy reflects a hypocritical Cold War mindset.
- President Biden Can Reduce Nuclear Dangers Without Congress . Pentagon Poised To Unveil, Demonstrate Classified Space Weapon. The nuclearization of space. Covid Defense Act – new Bill to prioritise U.S. health, vaccine spending over weapons spending !
- America’s nuclear waste non-policy – a treacherous betrayal of future citizens. Secrecy, delays, budget problems as USA tries to clean up Hanford, the most radioactively polluted site in the nation. NRC responds to New Mexico’s legal bid to stop Holtec’s planned nuclear waste dump.
- Top Westinghouse Nuclear Executive Charged with Conspiracy, Fraud. Another former Westinghouse top executive faces criminal charges over failed South Carolina multi $billion nuclear power project.
- Shareholders of Georgia Power Co now at greater risk for Vogtle nuclear station’s escalating costs?.
- Exelon Prepares to Shutter Illinois Nuclear Plants. Time to stop the bailout of America’s insanely expensive nuclear industry.
- Small nuclear reactors – questionable on safety, on toxic wastes, and on costs. Hurdles and nagging doubts remain, facing Bill Gates’ pet project – multi $billion Natrium nuclear.
- Whistleblowers Like Daniel Hale are Vital Checks on Government.
- Boys fight over nuclear space toys. Jeff Bezos sues NASA over its contract with Elon Musk.
CHINA. The health and environmental costs of China’s nuclear bomb tests,
FRANCE. France’s oldest nuclear reactors allowed to operate for another decade. France returns high level nuclear waste to Germany (What happens to it then?)
SOUTH AFRICA. South Africa’s Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) opposes plan for new nuclear power.
SOUTH KOREA. Nuclear Weapons in South Korea? Not So Fringe Anymore.
PHILIPPINES. An expert explains that the Philippines’ nuclear power plant would be OK, but solar power would be faster and better.
PACIFIC ISLANDS. No apology from France, as new report reveals the harm done to Pacific islands by atomic bomb tests.
POLAND. Opposition to nuclear power plants in Poland.
IRAQ. Iraq needs energy, but nuclear power is not the answer.
RUSSIA. Russian nuclear power plants insured for $27 billion.
Leave a Reply