AUSTRALIA
Check out this Melbourne protest against Future Fund investing in nuclear weapons Nuclear bombs visit the Future Fund headquarters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlwHIl-WBP0
Election: Nuclear/uranium matters are just not on the radar in this election, with the two major parties in lockstep in their support for the uranium industry, (and, quietly, in support of nuclear power and the full nuclear fuel cycle).
What is more surprising is the lack of interest in Climate Change. I watched the Rudd-Abbott debate on TV. Kevin Rudd made the most fleeting reference to the subject. There was no mention of renewable energy. The media goes along with this apparent ban on discussing matters environmental. (Of course Christine Milne doesn’t get much mainstream media coverage)
Tony Abbott announced the appointment of Aboriginal Warren Mundine, who would head up a Liberal Government’s Indigenous Advisory Council . (picture attached - and note the body language - ownership)) Warren Mundine’s quite a political acrobat. He used to be in John Howard’s National Indigenous Council. Then Mundne was the President of the Australian Labor Party. Now – a quick flip to the Liberals.
More interestingly, Warren Mundine is a Director of the Australian Uranium Association, and a member of BHP’s Indigenous Dialogue Group – a body aimed to convert Aborigines to support uranium mining. Mundne has publicly advocated uranium mining, nuclear power, and the importing of international nuclear wastes. Kevin Rudd welcomed the new Abbott-Mundine deal. No surprises there, as both sides have the interests of the nuclear lobby at heart.
Western Australia. Now this could be a bit of a pointer for the federal election. Premier Colin Barnett announced the slashing of the solar feed-in tariff. There was an outcry, and a Solar Citizens petition was launched that very quickly attracted over 9,000 signatures protesting the reduction. In no time, Barnett announced that he had reversed the decision. Solar energy supporters might have an impact on federal politics?
New South Wales. University of Wollongong’s fibro cottage wins international renewable energy competition (picture attached)
Victoria. Demonstration sin Melbourne against the Future Fund’s investing in nuclear weapons. Stirrings in the Macedon Ranges community – people are not happy with Victoria’s anti-wind farm laws.
INTERNATIONAL
Fukushima remains the big news. The water emergency continues. Prime Minister Abe ‘s focus seems to be the need to fix Fukushima, so that Japan can restart its nuclear reactors, and sell nuclear technology abroad – rather than recognising the seriousness of the situation. The “Nuclear Village” is still there in Japan, with Tepco’s powerful connections, money, and control of the media.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Commemmorations continue, and also scholarly accounts of the 1945 bombings, the way that media and governments have reported them and the reasons behind the bombing.
UK. Russia joins the push to sell nuclear reactors to Britain, as long as the UK guarantees a continued profitable price for them (i.e a public subsidy)
USA. Same old wrangles about nuclear waste – what to do with it. Nevada and USA Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz giving conflicting accounts of waste transport arrangements. Water problems – Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant’s heat pollution of Connecticut River. A Massachusetts town provides all of its municipal energy by renewable sources, plus energy efficiency. Small Modular Nuclear Reactors - a new report finds them to be economically just not viable
Zimbabwe. Big argument on whether or not they supplied uranium to Iran.
Syria. A dubious report about tactical nuclear weapons being used against Syrian government. This report was removed from the web, and there has been no more news on this, no substantiation of this story.
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Christina Macpherson
Antinuclear Australia
www.antinuclear.net
www.nuclear-news.net