AUSTRALIA
Prime Minister Gillard and uranium deal with India. Australian media , naturally, came up with joyous stories about our new great uranium-inspired relationship with India, and also about Julia Gillard falling over, due to her high heeled shoes. Apart from one admirable editorial in The Age, Australians would never read/hear about India's nuclear unsafety, and its frantic nuclear arms race.
By the way, on the subject of India's nuclear unsafety, I was surprised that few readers of antinuclear.net took an interest in the story about Canada sending back to India the radioactive kitchenware that arrived in Montreal I wonder if Australia is getting any radioactive imports from India - India is notorious for its poor control of radiation safety - perhaps that would be a modern example of "Pig Iron Bob"?
In the Australian Senate, Greens Senator Ludlam put ANSTO chief Adi Paterson on the spot, as Paterson wriggled and writhed trying coverup, and deny the 2007 radioactive spill incident at Lucas Heights. ANSTO hastily puts out more propaganda about Lucas' Heights "purpose" being nuclear medicine. Other questions to Senate committees raised embarrassing matters like the shambles that is Australia's nuclear non proliferation policy, and India's poor record.
In harmony with the pro nuclear propaganda about India, Paladin CEO John Borshoff dismissed concerns about Fukushima. (No doubt this was part of his desperate effort to save Paladin Uranium, following its disastrous losses.)
South Australia is to hold a Solar Thermal Energy Parliamentary Enquiry - following huge community enthusiasm to replace Port Augusta coal generators with solar power.
Coal power is in trouble, 2 coal generators shutting down in South Australia, one in New South Wales, one in Victoria. The causes - downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices due slumping electricity demand, the carbon tax and Australia’s Renewable Energy Target. Victoria's Premier Bailllieu, (friend of Bog Coal) is very annoyed at this.
Western Australia's utility scale solar energy 10-megawatt Greenough River project up and running. Nevertheless, Premier Barnett has this week attacked the Renewable Energy Target , and approved the Wiluna uranium project, though it has no adequate water plan, nor closure and cleanup plan - as well as being uneconomic.
Now, something to be proud of - Antarctica: AUSTRALIA and France have developed a plan to protect 1.9 million square kilometres of east Antarctica as new marine parks.
INTERNATIONAL
Iraq a University of Michigan study (