“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 17, 2024

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (09/17/2024)

This article, an extension to the possible escalation of the Russia/Ukraine war news, adding NATO and the United States to the mix, that I have been posting daily for about a week now tells us how bleak the idea of preventing nuclear war has become.

My answer to the opening question in the article asking, “Can there be a World War III without the use of nuclear weapons?” My answer as well as Albert Einstein’s (many years ago) was, of course, “No!”. Einstein insinuated his own “no” in a more colorful way, saying “After World War III the next war will be fought with sticks and stones.”

Only 5 nations, including the United Kingdom and France, had nuclear weapons during the Cold War, and only the United States, Russia, and perhaps China were considered to be legitimate threats of nuclear war. Today there are 9, and you can add the newcomers of North Korea, Pakistan, Israel, and India. The nation that makes the 1st nuclear strike will cause the instant defensive retaliation of at least the original 5, but there is also the more localized war in Gaza to consider.

With power-mongering leaders like Putin, Kim Jong Un, Netanyahu, and the possible return of the loose-cannon war-threatening Donald Trump, any one of whom is a likely possibility to press the “nuclear button” with his individual control of the ‘nuclear football’, and it only takes one of them to force one or more of the the others to retaliate, bringing the entire nuclear-war world down upon humanity and all other life on planet Earth. ~llaw

Are the World’s Ongoing Conflicts in Danger of Going Nuclear?

• by Thalif Deen (united nations)
• Tuesday, September 17, 2024
• Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 17 (IPS) – The constant drumbeat of nuclear threats seems never ending—emanating primarily from the Russians, Israeli right-wing politicians and North Koreans.

The threats also prompt one lingering question: Can there be a World War III without the use of nuclear weapons?

In a report August 27, Reuters quoted a senior Russian official as saying the West was playing with fire by considering allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western missiles—and cautioned the United States that World War III would not be confined to Europe. 

Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s longstanding foreign minister and former UN ambassador, said the West was seeking to escalate the Ukraine war and was “asking for trouble” by considering Ukrainian requests to loosen curbs on using foreign-supplied weapons.

Putting it in the right context, the Washington-based Arms Control Association (ACA) pointed out last week, “the global nuclear security environment could hardly be more precarious.”

Carol Giacomo, chief editor of Arms Control Today, the ACA’s flagship publication, said that weeks before the US elects a new president, the global nuclear security environment could hardly be more precarious.

“Russia continues to raise the specter of escalating its war on Ukraine to nuclear use; Iran and North Korea persist in advancing their nuclear programs; China is moving to steadily expand its nuclear arsenal; the United States and Russia have costly modernization programs underway; and the war in Gaza threatens to explode into a region-wide catastrophe entangling Iran and nuclear-armed Israel, among other countries,” she pointed out.

Meanwhile, Russia and China are refusing to enter arms control talks with the United States, new countries are raising the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons and decades of arms control treaties are unraveling.

The situation has also prompted Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), to warn, in an interview with The Financial Times on August 26, that the global nonproliferation regime is under greater pressure than at any time since the end of the Cold War.

The U.S. presidential election campaign has not engaged publicly on most of these issues in any serious way despite the fact that whichever candidate wins will, once inaugurated, immediately inherit the sole authority to launch U.S. nuclear weapons, wrote Giacomo, a former member of The New York Times editorial board (2007-2020).

Dr M.V. Ramana, Professor and Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, Graduate Program Director, MPPGA at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, told IPS the dangers posed by nuclear arms, and the very powerful institutions and governments that possess these weapons of mass destruction, have never been greater.

“In the last 16 months, we have seen government officials from Russia (Dmitry Medvedev) and Israel (Amihai Eliyahu) threatening to use, or calling for the use of, nuclear weapons against Ukraine and Gaza respectively” he noted.

The rulers of these countries have already shown the willingness to kill tens of thousands of civilians. “Going further back, we can remember U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea. Coming from a person like Trump and a country like the United States that is the only one to use nuclear weapons in war, there is good reason to take such a threat with utmost seriousness”.

Such great dangers, he argued, can be ameliorated only with great visions, by people demanding that no one should be killed in their name, especially using nuclear weapons but not only using nuclear weapons.

This would require people to make common cause with people all over the world, and refuse to be divided by the “narrow nationalisms” that Albert Einstein identified as an “outmoded concept,” as far back as 1947.

Norman Solomon, executive director, Institute for Public Accuracy and national director, RootsAction.org told IPS the momentum of the nuclear arms race is moving almost entirely in the wrong direction. The world and humanity as a whole are increasingly in dire circumstances, made even more dire by the refusal of the leaders of nuclear states to acknowledge the heightened jeopardy of thermonuclear annihilation for nearly all of the Earth’s inhabitants.

As the nuclear superpowers, the United States and Russia, he said, have propelled the drive to keep developing nuclear weaponry. There are always rationalizations, but the result is proliferation of nuclear weapons.

“Nations with smaller nuclear arsenals and those with nuclear-arms aspirations are keenly aware of what the most powerful nuclear states are doing. Preaching about nonproliferation while proliferating is hardly a convincing role model to halt the spread of nuclear weapons to more and more countries,” Solomon pointed out.

“Notably, amid the vast amount of media coverage and diplomatic verbiage about Israel, rarely do we read or hear mention of the fact that Israel — uniquely in the Middle East — possesses nuclear weapons. Given Israel’s impunity to attack other countries in the region, it would be a mistake to have any confidence in Israeli self-restraint with military matters.”

The return of a cold war between the U.S. and Russia, said Solomon, is fueling the nuclear arms race to a dangerous extreme. Arms control has become a thing of the past, as one treaty after another in this century has been abrogated by the U.S. government. The Open Skies and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaties were canceled by President Trump.

Earlier, the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty was canceled by President George W. Bush. The absence of those pacts makes a nuclear war with Russia more likely. But President Biden has not tried to revive those agreements snuffed out by his Republican predecessors, he argued.

“If sanity is going to prevail, a drastic change in attitudes and policies will be needed. The current course is headed toward unfathomable catastrophe for the human race”, said Solomon, author, “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.”

Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation, told IPS: “Looking around today’s world, we see a growing mob of nationalist authoritarian governments and leaders—including in nuclear-armed Russia, Israel, India, China, North Korea and increasingly, the United States. All of them are busily preparing for war in the name of peace.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Reflecting the urgency of this moment, in June, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), the official nonpartisan association of more than 1,400 American cities with populations over 30,000, adopted a sweeping resolution, titled “The Imperative of Dialogue in a Time of Acute Nuclear Dangers.”

The resolution rightly “condemns Russia’s illegal war of aggression on Ukraine and its repeated nuclear threats and calls on the Russian government to withdraw all forces from Ukraine.” But it also calls on the President and Congress “to maximize diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.”

The resolution, Cabasso said, “calls on the U.S. government to work to re-establish high-level U.S.-Russian risk reduction and arms control talks to rebuild trust and work toward replacement of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the only remaining bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, set to expire in 2026.”

Note: This article is brought to you by IPS Noram in collaboration with INPS Japan and Soka Gakkai International in consultative status with ECOSOC.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Tuesday, (09/17/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

The U.S. Is Playing Nuclear Chicken in Ukraine – The American Conservative

The American Conservative

As things currently stand the Ukrainian fighting position in the east appears increasingly precarious. … All signs point to the latter being the case.

All We Know About World Liberty Financial, Trump’s Family Biz – YouTube

YouTube

Trump rolls Out New Crypto Business: All We Know About World Liberty Financial, Trump’s Family Biz … Why is North Korea Releasing Photos of Nuclear …

NASA nuclear engineer among group to visit NM nuclear facilities | KRWG Public Media

KRWG

KC Counts talks with Lindsay Kaldon, fission surface power project manager and Air Force Reserves Captain, about powering space exploration and …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear Power Iran: What Would It Do? – Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy

What Would Iran Do With the Bomb? A nuclear-armed Tehran would affect not just the region but also the great powers. By Sina Azodi, a professorial …

People ‘waking up to the facts’ about nuclear energy being safe – YouTube

YouTube

… nuclear energy. Mr Shackel discussed with Sky News host Andrew Bolt the lack of radiation from living near nuclear plants. “There are simple facts …

It’s Time To follow The Navy’s 50-Year Safety Record Of Nuclear Power Generation

Eurasia Review

Nuclear power has the competitive advantage of being the only baseload power source that can accommodate the desired expansion of a clean electricity .

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Saudi Arabia advances nuclear power project, set to host international conference in 2025

The Nation

The conference will focus on enhancing global preparedness for nuclear emergencies, with the Kingdom eager to work with other nations to ensure its …

Eskom had to shut down Koeberg Unit 1, but ‘reserves’ are enough to avoid load shedding

News24

Nuclear power station Koeberg’s Unit 1 had to be shut down last week … emergency reserves, the power utility said. Koeberg Unit 1 was …

New iodine tablets for communes near French nuclear power sites – The Connexion

The Connexion

The tablets are distributed for use in the event of an emergency, but some say the scheme does not go far enough. Iodine tablets are intended to be …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Kremlin Continues to Intimidate the West with Nuclear War Threats – Robert Lansing Institute

Robert Lansing Institute

Russian officials persist in threatening the West with nuclear weapons. However, the rhetoric has shifted from warnings of a direct strike on …

Is a political settlement between Russia and Ukraine on the cards? I am sceptical | Rajan Menon

The Guardian

Neither war fatigue nor the fear of an escalation into nuclear war seem enough to spur on negotiations to end the conflict, says political …

Negotiate with Moscow to end the Ukraine war and prevent nuclear devastation – The Hill

The Hill

When American leaders should be focused on finding a diplomatic off-ramp to a war that should never have been allowed to take place, …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Kremlin Continues to Intimidate the West with Nuclear War Threats – Robert Lansing Institute

Robert Lansing Institute

Russian officials persist in threatening the West with nuclear weapons. · We believe that Russia’s nuclear threats always have a domestic political …

Are the World’s Ongoing Conflicts in Danger of Going Nuclear? – Global Issues

Global Issues

The threats also prompt one lingering question: Can there be a World War III without the use of nuclear weapons? In a report August 27, Reuters quoted …

The Trilateral Dilemma: Great Power Competition, Global Nuclear Order, and Russia’s War …

James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies

This article concludes, however, that the components of this longstanding order are durable. They have proven robust to Russian nuclear threats, just …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 16, 2024

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at an inspection in Russia’s Kursk plant

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (09/16/2024)

I am pleased to finally see that a significant news outlet has at last realized the danger involving nuclear power plants in a war or a terrorist situation. And I am also pleased to see that the messenger is the “Bulletin of Atomic Scientists”, a publication that I subscribe to. No doubt other news agencies have noticed this risk for the future world — and in this case, the immediate potential of a world war that could be created by the ongoing territorial present war between Russia and Ukraine.

So I am gratified to the extent that I am no longer alone concerning the role of nuclear power plants as potential weapons of mass destruction, as is the case even now, as well as even moreso on our continual errant path toward building and operating more and more nuclear power facilities, large or small, in the USA and around the world.

We must stop in our tracks now, turn around, and promptly end the idea of expanded nuclear energy and get rid of what exists now and dispose of nuclear weapons and all uranium nuclear fuel and nuclear waste in the same major project that, as I have mentioned over recent years as well as in yesterday’s blog. Such an endeavor will take many unified long but politically tenuous years of compromise and cooperation among all nations in order for life, including human, to continue on this generous life-giving blue-green planet Earth — the essence of all life as we know it. ~llaw

Nuclear power: future energy solution or potential war target?

By Ray Hughes | September 16, 2024

Ukraine’s president posted a video of a fire at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on social media on August 11, 2024. Credit: Ukrainian Presidency

Innovative small modular reactors, floating nuclear plants, and microreactors offer potential routes to decarbonization that many countries are embracing. However, these emerging technologies elevate concerns that wartime attacks could expose warfighters and civilians to nuclear fallout. The risk of such exposure could enable states or non-state actors to threaten nuclear consequences without violating the taboo against using nuclear weapons—weakening international resolve to intervene in conflicts.

Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has already set a dangerous precedent that could sway the course of future wars. More recently, Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant also came under threat when Ukrainian forces advanced across the border.

The threat to these nuclear facilities underscores how both Russia and Ukraine view nuclear power plants as strategic assets that could bolster their negotiating positions in potential cease-fire discussions. Nuclear power plants could increasingly become strategic targets in war, and the emergence of advanced nuclear technology is likely to spread that danger to new regions of the world.

Caught in the crossfire. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, fighting broke out around Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Direct attacks resulted in a temporary loss of electrical power for cooling, leading many observers in Ukraine and across the world to fear a nuclear disaster.

The Russian military continues to occupy the Zaporizhzhia plant, despite demands from the international community that Russia withdraw from the plant. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has visited Zaporizhzhia five times—most recently on September 5—in an effort to assess the safety and security of the plant and avert a disaster. On September 9, Grossi stated that Zaporizhzhia still suffers from regular explosions, drone attacks, and gunfire—increasing the risk of an accident. Zaporizhzhia’s six reactors currently remain in cold shutdown, and the IAEA has advised that no reactor should be restarted while the conflict continues.

A few weeks before Grossi last visited Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border and entered the Kursk region in a significant escalation of the conflict. As the Ukrainians gained territory, international concern grew regarding the safety of the Kursk nuclear power plant, one of the three largest in Russia. The IAEA issued statements expressing alarm over the plant’s security, particularly in light of reports that Russian forces were digging trenches around the facility in anticipation of Ukrainian advances.

Grossi visited the Kursk plant on August 27 and warned of the risk of a serious nuclear accident. Shortly before Grossi’s visit, Putin accused Ukraine of trying to attack the facility but provided no details or evidence. Amid the advances on Kursk, a fire erupted in one of Zaporizhzhia’s cooling towers, with both Russia and Ukraine pointing fingers at each other.

RELATED:

Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko on the horror and absurdity of Russia’s senseless, existential war

Nuclear power plants are designed to withstand terrorist attacks, but in the future will also have to be prepared for the possibility of an attack by another state.

Solution to the climate crisis? Climate change and international efforts to reduce carbon emissions have accelerated the ongoing debate about building new nuclear power plants. These debates persist not only in existing nuclear states but increasingly across developing states that have expressed sincere interest in nuclear power. There are about 30 countries that are considering, planning, or starting nuclear power programs around the world, with the majority looking to build small modular reactors.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are often advertised as the solution to the climate crisis. Proponents argue that SMRs will be more affordable, safer, and better equipped to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons due to their sealed designs; however, this claim has yet to be substantiated. The IAEA highlights that there are currently over 80 SMR designs under development in 18 different countries.

The emergence of this new technology is happening at a time when nuclear power plants have become strategic targets in Russia’s war on Ukraine. This has renewed interest in, and international debate about, the need to establish a new convention to protect nuclear power plants during military conflicts.

Some voices insist that the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions adopted in the 1970s are sufficient to protect civil nuclear power plants. Despite these protocols, however, Russia has set a dangerous precedent that an occupying army can use a nuclear power plant to shield itself from an adversary’s attacks. The nuclear power plant then becomes a valuable strategic asset, because the risk of a nuclear accident deters the defender from trying to liberate the plant.

Rising risks. The promise of SMRs will likely increase the number of nuclear power plants worldwide from the current 416 reactors in 32 countries. Many states in the Middle East and Africa have expressed interest in SMRs and are in volatile areas that face a heightened risk of armed conflict. It is imperative to establish an international initiative to prevent nuclear power plants from becoming wartime targets, while ensuring that the effort does not hinder the growth of nuclear energy, particularly in developing countries.

Russia is the world leader in nuclear technology exports and is currently building nuclear reactors in China, India, Iran, Egypt, and Turkey—and constantly looking for new markets. Russia also uses its state-owned-and-operated nuclear corporation Rosatom as a diplomatic tool to counter the influence of the West in many conflict-prone regions. For example, in 2023 Rosatom signed nuclear cooperation agreements with Mali and Burkina Faso, two unstable countries in Africa that have suffered from multiple coups d’etats and terrorism in the Sahel region. These countries have the right to establish nuclear power, but their history of instability makes the acquisition of nuclear technology risky. Given that Russia is the leading exporter of nuclear technology while also being directly involved in conflicts near nuclear power plants, the international community faces a delicate challenge in establishing standards for protecting these plants during times of conflict.

RELATED:

Russia plans to restart Ukraine’s embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. That won’t make the plant safer

The risks associated with nuclear energy during wartime are not solely heightened by commercial nuclear power. The US Defense Department’s Project Pele intends to provide the military with a transportable power source for a variety of operational needs such as disaster response and power generation at remote locations. Mobile microreactors would provide the military with a clean alternative to fossil fuels, but they should not be deployed to a war zone or unstable region, as they could become attractive targets for an adversary.

The US military is not alone. China has plans to deploy mobile floating nuclear power plants, similar to Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov, in support of its sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. In the event of a major conflict in the region over Taiwan, these floating nuclear power plants would become vulnerable targets for potential nuclear accidents, thus posing a significant risk.

New agreement needed. Warfighting around the Zaporizhzhia and Kursk nuclear power plants represents a dangerous paradigm shift. The safety and security concerns of nuclear power plants has escalated from terrorist threats to major powers occupying and attacking nuclear power plants. If the appetite for nuclear energy grows, the international community must establish an agreement to protect nuclear power plants during conflicts.

The risk of a nuclear catastrophe has the power to profoundly alter the future dynamics of both warfare and energy. Time is running out to establish a cooperative international environment for negotiating a new agreement.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC, the US Energy Department, the National Nuclear Security Administration, or the United States government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The LLNL document release number: LLNL-MI-869196.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Monday, (09/16/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Uranium, the energy transition & the nuclear fuel global supply chain – KWM

King & Wood Mallesons

Nuclear power currently accounts for about 10% of all electricity generation globally, with operational nuclear power plants in 31 countries worldwide …

Lindsey Graham: Iran Nuke Quest Powered by Biden-Harris – WCBM TALKRADIO AM 680

WCBM

All About Real Estate · The Weekly Wealth Report · Kevin … I’ve never been more worried about a nuclear breakout by Iran than I am right now.

Australia can’t afford an AUKUS about-face: 5 things the critics are getting wrong

ANU Reporter – The Australian National University

Australia doesn’t need nuclear-propulsion submarines; the deal makes our neighbours in South-East Asia uneasy; it drags us back to our Anglosphere …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

IAEA Outlook for Nuclear Power Increases for Fourth Straight Year, Adding to Global …

International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has revised up its annual projections for the expansion of nuclear power for a fourth successive …

IAEA Projects 950 GW of Global Nuclear Power Capacity by 2050

POWER Magazine

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said generation capacity of nuclear power worldwide is expected to rise more than the group …

Nuclear power: future energy solution or potential war target?

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Many countries are exploring advanced nuclear reactors as a solution to the climate crisis. However, the proliferation of small reactors may …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Energy Minister: Saudi Arabia continues work on building first nuclear power plant

Saudi Gazette

He also revealed that Riyadh will host International Conference on Nuclear Emergencies by the end of 2025. Addressing the 68th Session of the General …

Saudi Arabia building first nuclear plant – ARY News

ARY News

… nuclear plant, Saudi nuclear power plant, nuclear energy … This conference will focus on preparedness for nuclear emergencies and will build on the …

Saudi Arabia Constructing Its First Nuclear Power Plant: Energy Minister – WE News English

WE News English

Prince Abdulaziz announced that Saudi Arabia will host an international conference on nuclear emergencies at the end of 2025 in Riyadh, as part of the …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Vladimir Putin ally makes terrifying claim over nuclear war as WW3 fears erupt

Daily Express

Putin has repeatedly made statements about nuclear weapons amid the war, and according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICANW) …

What’s The Nuclear Firestorm Russia Is Threatening West With? ‘US Can’t Hide’, Roars Putin’s Aide

YouTube

Russia’s US envoy issues spine-chilling threat. ‘US can’t hide from nuclear war‘. Heightened risk of nuclear war between Russia & NATO.

The Crumbling Nuclear Order – Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs

The risk of nuclear war is the highest it has been since the end of the Cold War. The cause lies primarily with Russia’s ongoing nuclear threats …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

The Crumbling Nuclear Order – Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs

The risk of nuclear war is the highest it has been since the end of the Cold War. The cause lies primarily with Russia’s ongoing nuclear threats …

After Ukraine’s incursion into Russian territory, fears of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal have diminished

NZZ

Despite Russian threats, Ukraine has crossed so-called red lines numerous times. Since February 2022, many observers have seen Russia’s war against …

Ignore ‘fascist’ Putin’s nuclear threat over Storm Shadow deployment, says Lammy – The Telegraph

The Telegraph

… threats to use nuclear weapons. The Foreign Secretary said the West should not be bullied by Putin’s threat of all-out war with Nato if Ukraine .

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

The mountain that roared | U.S. Geological Survey – USGS.gov

USGS.gov

Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 15, 2024

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Ukraine has three nuclear power plants that are targets of the Russia/Ukraine war.

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (09/15/2024)

As I wrote yesterday in my previous blog #750, expanding the US’s participation in the Russia/Ukraine war beyond limited and localized use of military weapons and other hardware has put the United States between a rock and a hard place. The following ‘Politico’ article helps to more clearly explain why. The overall situation is murkily scary and obviously dangerous.

But as I’ve said many times before, ‘deterrence’ alone cannot and will not avoid nuclear war forever, and the tense situation involving, in particular, the United States, Britain, Ukraine, other NATO countries, and Russia with their allies, may be moving beyond the much ballyhooed “deterrence” stage, which is based on fear of one another’s nuclear powers, including nuclear weapons of mass destruction and, now, nuclear power plants, which are obviously important participants in a real nuclear war. This situation alone, whether settled amicably or not, should convince all of us around the world that no new nuclear power plants should ever be built anywhere, and the older ones shut down and permanently dismantled and all existing nuclear arms together with all uranium fuel and radioactive nuclear waste buried deep in impenetrable ground where future access to it can never be accomplished by any nation for any reason.

Failing to do this now (and it will take many years of cooperative effort among global nations) may well mean the beginning of the end of sentient life on our wonderful planet Earth ~llaw

As Biden deliberates, Ukraine’s nuclear plants are increasingly at risk

The risk of Ukraine losing the war this winter has pushed Washington and London to reconsider how Kyiv uses Western-supplied long-range missiles, but the U.S. remains fearful of escalation.

Unpacked

September 15, 2024 2:44 pm CET

By Jamie Dettmer

Jamie Dettmer is opinion editor at POLITICO Europe.

KYIV — As the U.S. ponders loosening some of the restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to allow for the targeting of airfields and missile launch sites deeper inside Russia, Ukraine remains on tenterhooks.

As it stands, Washington doesn’t appear ready to take the gloves off entirely and allow Ukraine to target Russia’s airfields with long-range U.S. missiles quite yet — though it may withdraw restrictions on the U.K.’s Storm Shadows, which use U.S. technology.

“I would like to see a more forthright position coming from the Biden administration that says there’s no reason why Ukraine shouldn’t be fighting back,” former U.S. envoy to NATO Kurt Volker told POLITICO. “Russia’s the one attacking Ukraine from all these facilities across Russia. There’s no reason for there to be a sanctuary. But I don’t think we’re going to see Biden authorizing the use of U.S. missiles to strike at Russian airfields, although the British might be allowed to proceed without U.S. objection,” he added. “That won’t be enough.”

And if that’s really the outcome of these weeks-long intense negotiations, Ukraine’s energy officials will be among those most alarmed.

They fear this coming winter may prove to be a breaking point for Ukraine in the energy war. And that’s largely because Russian commanders are adapting their airstrike tactics, having learned from their previous failed bombing campaign to collapse the country’s energy system — and the recent shipments of Iran’s Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles to Russia will help them do so.

Ukrainian officials expect Russia will use these missiles, which have a range limit of 120 kilometers, to complement their glide bombs in targeting logistics and communications hubs and ammunition depots in the rear of Ukraine’s front lines. That, in turn, will free Russia up to concentrate its own longer-range missiles on civilian infrastructure — particularly the energy system in a bid to break it.

Stuck in the crosshairs are key substations feeding high voltage electricity to Ukraine’s still functioning nuclear power stations in Rivne, Khmelnytskyi and Yuzhnoukrainsk in southern Ukraine. Take these substations out and the reactors have to be shut down rapidly, or else it could provoke a “nuclear incident,” energy expert Mykhailo Gonchar told POLITICO. And “that’s what the Russians are aiming to do — hit the key substations.”

Currently, 55 percent of Ukraine’s energy is generated by its three operating nuclear power stations — the one in Zaporizhzhia, which is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, was captured by Russia in 2022 and has largely been shut down. Russian missile and drone strikes have destroyed 9 gigawatts of the country’s electrical generating capacity — that’s half of the peak winter consumption — with 80 percent of thermal generation from coal- and gas-fired power plants and a third of hydroelectric production capacity wiped out by bombing.

Last year, Russia tried to isolate these nuclear power plants, focusing on degrading Ukraine’s energy transmission. It targeted distribution to consumers and businesses but was met with characteristic Ukrainian ingenuity and confounded by improvised repairs and rerouting.

Paralyze the three nuclear power stations, though, and it’s game over for Ukraine in the energy war , diminishing its war-fighting capacity, crashing the economy and weakening its position if peace negotiations do ever commence.

And according to officials in Kyiv, it’s the fear of this happening that’s been one of the factors driving the Biden administration to reconsider the restrictions, including on U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows. Washington sat up when Russian airstrikes started targeting the main substations feeding operational electricity to the nuclear power plants in late August. “That concentrated minds,” said one Ukrainian official who asked not to be identified in order to speak freely.

Based on a study by Gonchar’s Center for Global Studies that was shared with NATO, a Russian strike on Aug. 26 signaled this switch in tactics. It was massive — one of the biggest airstrikes since the start of the war almost three years ago — and made combined use of both Iranian-supplied Shahed drones and Russian-made cruise and ballistic missiles.

Russia launched 109 drones that day, in an offensive orchestrated to tie up Ukrainian air defenses, while strategic Russian bombers and MiG-31K fighters flying from airfields inside Russia launched 127 cruise and ballistic missiles targeting the nuclear power plants’ electricity-feeding substations. Ukrainian air defenses had success in intercepting them but, nonetheless, there were 32 hits causing significant damage.

“If we aren’t given the opportunity to target deeper inside Russia and reach Russian airfields, our chances [of getting] through this winter aren’t so great,” Gonchar noted grimly. And Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the former CEO of Ukraine’s national power transmission network Ukrenegro, agrees with that assessment. Speaking to POLITICO, he said there were three factors that would prove critical for Ukraine this winter — the weather, Russian missiles and Ukraine’s ability to strike Russian airfields to interdict strategic bombers and fighters. His greatest fear is that it will turn into a repeat of late 2022, when he truly feared they wouldn’t manage to keep the lights on.

For their part, Ukrainian officials hope the prospect of the energy system’s collapse will ultimately outweigh Washington’s fears of escalation, which have so often unnerved Western allies when deciding what to supply Ukraine with, in what quantities and what Ukraine can do with what it’s given. They’ve been complaining about the West allowing Russia’s threats of retaliation to shape its policy and pursue escalation management based on fear.

Of course, Russian President Vladimir Putin predictably upped his rhetoric last week as news emerged of a possible reconsideration regarding restrictions on the use of Western-supplied long-range missiles inside Russia, saying it would put NATO “at war” with Russia and “significantly change” the nature of the Ukraine conflict. It would amount to “nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries,” he menaced.

Following his cue, other senior Russian officials chorused, with Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Fomin warning that the West is playing a dangerous game, which could lead to a direct military clash between nuclear powers.

But Ukrainian officials argue that such blood-curdling nuclear threats — among the most explicit since the Cold War — are empty, and that each and every time a new weapons system has been supplied or used over the border inside Russia, or fired at targets in occupied Crimea and Donbas, they’ve come to nothing.

Meanwhile, Western officials argue they have little option but to be prudent and take the threats seriously — that they have a duty to do so because the consequences could be catastrophic if they miscalculate. And yet, last week CIA Director William Burns referenced Moscow’s nuclear threats from 2022 as an example of why such statements shouldn’t always be taken at face value: “Putin is a bully. He’s going to continue to sabre rattle . . . We cannot afford to be intimidated by that,” he said at a London conference.

Even so, Burns also stressed no one should underestimate the risk of escalation and admitted his agency genuinely feared Russia might resort to tactical nuclear weapons in 2022. And while Biden and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer brushed off Putin’s threats on Friday, the U.S. administration still appears to be trapped between two worries — fear of how Moscow might respond if Western-supplied missiles start striking Russian airfields, and wreck projects for peace talks to get going, and alarm over the prospect of Ukraine losing power.

Biden critics argue he’s being overly cautious. “Kyiv is getting hit; Kharkiv is getting hit. Ukraine should have the ability to defend itself by targeting military targets in Russia,” Donald Bacon, a U.S. congressman and former U.S. air force general told POLITICO. He expressed disappointment at emerging signs that Biden may agree to Britain’s Storm Shadows being used for attacks on Russian airfields but not American ATACMS, and he blamed the U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan for the caution.

“Time isn’t Ukraine’s friend. And so, you’ve got to give it the ability to use resources to defend itself. I think Russian escalation will be minimal because if they’re going to strike at Poland or the Baltics, I think that opens up a can of worms for Russia that it can’t afford. Who should be living in fear of who? Why are we walking in fear of Putin? Let’s let him fear us,” he added.

Volker concurs. “The president has this Cold War upbringing, a 1980s mindset that says we must avoid war at all costs. I think he’s stuck in that thinking . . . I also think that you have a team of people around him who are incredibly cautious and feel we can’t afford to be in a conflict with Russia [because] we need Russia for other issues as well,” he said.

“They think anytime the U.S. exercises power, it’s bad for the world, so we shouldn’t do it. It’s a completely wrong mindset in my view.”

---

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
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7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Sunday, (09/15/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Iran says it launched a satellite under program criticized by West over missile fears – WVTF

WVTF

All Things Considered · BBC World Service · Fresh Air · Full Disclosure · Here … nuclear weapons. U.N. sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic …

Russian TV Host Says Putin Already Has ‘Basis to Start a Nuclear War’ – Newsweek

Newsweek

He added: “You say that everything is going according to plan. Pardon me, but the Nazi troops have invaded the territory of the Kursk region. This isn …

India has a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine. But can it catch up with China?

CNN

… all times. Nuclear-powered submarines are complex machines. When things break and need repairing, or just when regular maintenance is needed, the …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

As Biden deliberates, Ukraine’s nuclear plants are increasingly at risk – Politico.eu

Politico.eu

The risk of Ukraine losing the war this winter has pushed Washington and London to reconsider how Kyiv uses Western-supplied long-range missiles, …

The mistaken conventional wisdom about nuclear energy – Pearls and Irritations

Pearls and Irritations

Are nuclear energy risks routinely, colossally overstated creating fear resulting at least in part responsible for its high cost?

Robot begins removing Fukushima nuclear plant’s melted fuel – VOA News

VOA News

Nuclear fuel in the reactor cores melted after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

United States Radiation Emergency Medicine Market By Application 2024-2031 – news

meramandsaur.in

In the industrial sector, these systems are used to monitor radiation levels in nuclear power plants, manufacturing facilities dealing with …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Alarm in UK and US over possible Iran-Russia nuclear deal | Keir Starmer – The Guardian

The Guardian

… nuclear bomb. British sources indicated that concerns were aired about … war. Last week in London, Blinken said that US intelligence had …

Putin Aide’s Direct Nuclear War Warning To West, Cites Kursk & Long-Range Weapons …

YouTube

In a chilling warning to the West, Putin’s aide Dmitry Medvedev stated that Russia’s patience with Ukraine’s long-range missile strikes is wearing …

Will Korea be swallowed up in the surging risk of nuclear war?

hani.co.kr

What distinguishes this new US nuclear strategy from the Cold War era is the shift in the primary threat from Russia to China. The strategy also …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

As Biden deliberates, Ukraine’s nuclear plants are increasingly at risk – Politico

Politico

But Ukrainian officials argue that such blood-curdling nuclear threats — among the most explicit since the Cold War — are empty, and that each and …

UK foreign minister Lammy plays down Putin threats – France 24

France 24

UK foreign minister Lammy plays down Putin threats. London (AFP) – UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ” …

Putin Aide’s Direct Nuclear War Warning To West, Cites Kursk & Long-Range Weapons …

YouTube

NATO In Panic After Putin’s On-Camera Threat Of Direct War? UK PM’s 1st Reaction After Missile Move. Hindustan Times New 301K views · 3:48.

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Earth’s supervolcanoes are waking up. Here’s what that means for the planet

BBC Science Focus

Yellowstone has erupted three times in the last 2.1 million years, most recently 640,000 years ago, and each time has left a caldera dwarfing that …

Mag. 4.5 earthquake – 118 km east of Kyzyl, Respublika Tyva, Russia, on Sunday, Sep 15 …

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. … Bromo is one of Indonesia’s most visited volcanoes. It is the …

Mag. 2.2 quake – 12 km S of Fern Forest, Hawaii, on Saturday, Sep 14, 2024, at 09:53 pm …

Volcano Discovery

Yellowstone quakes · Yellowstone quakes · Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano. List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 14, 2024

1

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Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Saturday, (09/14/2024)

Following up from the past two days of conjecture, here we have the first responses from Russia about the American and NATO consideration of allowing military movement into Russia (including the US as a member and an ally of other NATO countries) threatening Moscow.

The US is, at least for the moment, caught between a rock and a hard place in its ability to stay reserved, out of direct engagement in the Russia/Ukraine war as it has up to now, or to enter Russia with NATO weapons, possibly including long range missiles, and military personnel.

The question is: How close are we to a nuclear World War III? ~llaw

Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, issued a new nuclear response warning on Saturday stating that it would be a decision with “irreversible consequences.”

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and the Kremlin have continued as NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow is a realistic danger. This comes after Putin and senior Russian officials have repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation against Kyiv and its Western partners since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In a Saturday Telegram post, Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and former Russian president, spoke about a nuclear response and that it is a “hugely complex decision with irreversible consequences,” but warned that “you can only test someone’s patience for so long.”

“Yet, Russia has been patient. It is obvious that a nuclear response is a hugely complex decision with irreversible consequences. What arrogant Anglo-Saxon dimwits fail to admit, though, is that you can only test someone’s patience for so long,” Medvedev said.

He added: “It will turn out in the end that certain moderate Western analysts were right when they warned: ‘True, the Russians are not likely to use this response, although…it’s still a possibility. Besides, they may use new delivery vehicles with conventional payloads.’ And then—it’s over. A giant blot of molten-grey mass in the place where ‘the mother of Russian cities’ [historical name of Kiev] once stood. Holy s***, it’s impossible, but it happened…”

This comes as the United States and other Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid to defend itself against Russia. Earlier this year, the U.S. began supplying Ukraine with longer-range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles.

Ukraine has pressed hard for the U.S. and the United Kingdom to drop their prohibition on American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles to be used to target Russian territory, amid concerns that their use would escalate the conflict.

Kyiv says it needs the long-range weapons to target air bases used by Russia’s warplanes that launch glide bombs against Ukraine often from deep inside Russian territory. Storm Shadow missiles with a range of around 150 miles have been used against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory only.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House and the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.

When asked if Washington would drop the restrictions, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that his administration was “working that out now.”

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that “most likely, of course, all these decisions have already been made,” by the West regarding dropping the prohibition on long-range weapons, the state news agency Tass reported.

“This can be assumed with a high degree of probability,” Peskov told Russian media. “At the moment, the media is simply conducting such an information campaign to formalize the decision that has already been made.”

If Ukraine were given permission to use weapons for strikes deep into Russia, Peskov said that Moscow would come up with “an appropriate response,” although he added “there is no need to expect some kind of response everywhere.”

---

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Saturday, (09/14/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Putin Ally Issues New Nuclear Warning: ‘Irreversible Consequences’ – Newsweek

Newsweek

Trump Conviction in Georgia Can ‘Only’ Be Stopped By 2 Things—Ex-Prosecutor … all these decisions have already been made,” by the West …

Iran says it launched a satellite under program criticized by West over missile fears

Nevada Public Radio

All Things · Culture · Food and Drink · The Guide · All Things · Culture · Food and … nuclear weapons. U.N. sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic …

Iran says it launched a satellite under program criticized by West over missile fears

WCMU Public Radio

All Things Considered · Destination Out · Fresh Air · Here and Now · Homespun … nuclear weapons. U.N. sanctions related to Iran’s ballistic missile …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Scotland’s papers: Nuclear power call and NHS ‘faulty kit crisis’ – BBC

BBC

Scotland’s papers: Nuclear power call and NHS ‘faulty kit crisis’. Just now. Share. Share. The Scotsman. The Herald. Daily Record. Scottish Sun.

After Putin ‘Direct War’ Threat, Now Russia Openly Dares West At UNSC – YouTube

YouTube

‘NATO Against Nuclear Power‘: After Putin ‘Direct War’ Threat, Now Russia Openly Dares West At UNSC. 16 views · 3 minutes ago #NATO #West #US

Next-Gen Nuclear Power: Oracle’s Solution for Energy-Hungry AI | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

Oracle chairman Larry Ellison reveals the company’s plan to power future data centers with small modular nuclear reactors, highlighting the …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

UN allocates $24 million emergency aid package for Lebanon | News.az

News.az

U.S. sanctions threaten the construction of a nuclear power plant …

Nuclear War

NEWS

United Nations Blasts West’s Long-Range Missile Move Against Russia; Issues Nuclear War Warning

YouTube

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary General, made a big statement after the US and UK allowed Ukraine to use Western weapons to …

Putin’s options for Ukraine missiles response includes nuclear test, experts say | Reuters

Reuters

… nuclear strike on a NATO country. BRITISH BLOWBACK. In the case of Britain, Moscow was likely to declare that London had gone from a hybrid proxy war …

Putin Ally Issues New Nuclear Warning: ‘Irreversible Consequences’ – Newsweek

Newsweek

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and the Kremlin have continued as NATO …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Russia’s Medvedev Threatens Nuke Strike Would Turn Kyiv Into ‘Gray Spot’ On The Map

Radio Free Europe

Former Russian President and current Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has hiked Moscow’s threat of the nuclear option.

Biden and Starmer unite against Putin nuclear threat but delay crucial decision on missiles

The Independent

… war. The leaders met under the shadow of nuclear threats from Vladimir Putin and desperate demands from Volodymyr Zelensky, who wants to be …

What to know about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme – Reuters

Reuters

North Korea says its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to carry them are necessary to counter threats from the United States and its …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

2.6 Quake 6 km N of Malibu, CA, Sep 13, 2024 04:34 pm (Los Angeles Time)

Volcano Discovery

Its vast caldera has an amazing moonscape and several active vents … Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano. List and interactive map …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 13, 2024

1

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Stock Photo: Getty Images

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Friday, (09/13/2024)

This Russia/Ukraine war has already turned into a “nuclear war”, albeit without nuclear bombs, but make no mistake about it — nuclear power plants can be described as stationary nuclear weapons of mass destruction either on a quiet peaceful Sunday afternoon or most likely in a time of war.

And both countries seem to fully recognize this fact, using the terrorist concept of this kind of nuclear war as a lethal strategy against each other, which has now spread to both countries. I have also read that the United States has or will withdraw its prohibition restricting Ukraine to militarily enter Russia as a condition of supplying Ukraine with military and other protective aid and equipment.

I fear that the US may soon be driven to also send aid to Ukraine in the form of troops in a humanitarian manner. Doing so would no doubt change the entire scope of and military operations of both the Ukraine military defensive and offensive strategies, and affect Russia’s military strategies as well. I sincerely hope that this no more than a delusional nightmare in my curious and reactive mind. We shall see . . . ~llaw

Over 100 Russian drones and missiles flew near Ukrainian nuclear power plants recently

Artur Kryzhnyi — Friday, 13 September 2024, 15:54

298

Stock Photo: Getty Images

Power engineers have recorded over 70 Russian drones and more than 30 cruise missiles flying close to Ukrainian nuclear power plants in recent weeks.

Source: Energoatom, the Ukrainian state-owned nuclear company

Quote: “The movement of more than 70 unmanned aerial vehicles from the terrorist state and over 30 enemy cruise missiles flying near Ukrainian nuclear power plants was recorded in recent weeks,” the statement reads.

Energoatom states that such actions by Russia “pose an unprecedented threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire continent”.

Background:

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will expand the presence of its monitoring missions in Ukraine to infrastructure facilities that affect the safety of nuclear power plants.
• Further Russian attacks on the power system of Ukraine may lead to an emergency at one of the three operating nuclear power plants still controlled by Kyiv, Bloomberg reported.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Friday, (09/13/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Will Russia nuke a NATO nation? Putin’s options explained | WION – YouTube

YouTube

A hawkish voice in Moscow is advocating that Russia could launch a limited nuclear strike on a NATO country without triggering all-out nuclear war …

Restrictions on Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons across Russia’s border may be lifted – KUAF

KUAF

EVELYN FARKAS: I don’t think there’s a risk of Russia, you know, attacking Ukraine using nuclear … Michel Martin is the weekend host of All Things …

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds a Press Briefing

Department of Defense

I have just a few things at the top and then I’ll be happy to take your questions. First, taking a look at the Middle East region, the departmen

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Leading experts discuss enabling nuclear power in energy transitions at IEA conference

International Energy Agency

Global stakeholders highlight barriers and solutions to ramping up nuclear power capacity and innovation. The International Energy Agency (IEA) …

RCEA Ponders Nuclear Power | News | North Coast Journal

North Coast Journal

Having long eschewed nuclear energy, board to mull offer of free electricity.

Nuclear Energy Takes Center Stage – The Big Sky Business Journal

The Big Sky Business Journal

An article in Epoch Times said that the tech companies are cutting side deals with nuclear power plants to get first call on their base-load power.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

IAEA to send its experts to substations important for safety of Ukrainian nuclear power plants

pravda.com.ua

Background: Further Russian attacks on the power system of Ukraine may lead to an emergency at one of the three operating nuclear power plants still …

Over 100 Russian drones and missiles flew near Ukrainian nuclear power plants recently

pravda.com.ua

Further Russian attacks on the power system of Ukraine may lead to an emergency at one of the three operating nuclear power plants still controlled by …

United States Potassium Iodide Radiation Tablets Market By Application Growth Report 2031

Third Eye News

… emergency preparedness and public safety. One of the primary applications of potassium iodide tablets is for use in nuclear power plant emergencies.

Nuclear War

NEWS

‘Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power,’ Russia tells UN – live

The Guardian

‘Nato will be a direct party to hostilities against a nuclear power,’ Russia tells UN – live … war” with Moscow – a dramatic escalation of his …

Putin: lifting Ukraine missile restrictions would put Nato ‘at war‘ with Russia – The Guardian

The Guardian

… war” with Moscow. Putin spoke as US and UK top diplomats discussed … nuclear war, Putin tells Nato. 29 Feb 2024. Russia warns US and Europe …

Nuclear war in space: officials consider defense in orbit – Air Force Times

Air Force Times

A top Space Force general weighs in on how the space domain has become ever more critical to U.S. interests, and how rivals now threaten to attack …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Putin warns NATO risks ‘war‘ with Russia over Ukraine long-range missiles – NBC News

NBC News

Putin warns NATO risks ‘war‘ over Ukraine long-range missiles; Russia expels U.K. diplomats it accuses of spying … The Russian leader’s latest red …

Putin threatens war as Western allies near deal on missile strikes in Russia – POLITICO.eu

POLITICO.eu

The threat came with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer still en route to Washington ahead of Friday’s talks with President Joe Biden over Ukraine’s …

‘Usually just rhetoric’: European policy leaders downplay Putin’s war threats – The Guardian

The Guardian

The diplomat added: “Putin threatened the west before and he will continue to do so as long as these threats have an impact.” Explore more on these .

IAEA Weekly News

13 September 2024

Read the top news and updates published on IAEA.org this week.

13 September 2024

The Week Ahead: IAEA Hosts General Conference

Representatives from the IAEA’s 178 Member States will convene from 16–20 September for the 68th IAEA General Conference at the Agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Read more →

13 September 2024

General Conference Events: IAEA Flagship Initiatives Building Momentum

The IAEA is highlighting its flagship initiatives, addressing challenges like climate change, energy sustainability and public health, at its upcoming 68th General Conference, providing a platform to review progress, seek input from member countries and outline the way forward.  Read more →

12 September 2024

Mongolia Takes Steps to Enhance Cancer Detection and Treatment Capacities

Mongolia is steadily expanding the capacity of its workforce to detect and treat cancer earlier, according to a team of international experts appointed by the IAEA, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Read more →

10 September 2024

Japan’s Fukushima Soil Recycling and Disposal Plan Meets Safety Standards, IAEA Says

Japan’s approach for recycling and disposing of soil and radioactive waste from decontamination activities after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident as currently planned is consistent with IAEA Safety Standards, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report released today says. Read more →

9 September 2024

Director General Briefs Board on Role of IAEA Diplomacy in Ukraine, Iran and Syria, and More

“From the hard realities of war in Europe and preventing a nuclear accident, to bringing health, and food to the tables, in developing countries, your Agency, the IAEA, is continuing its work,” the IAEA Director General tells Board of Governors. Read more →

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 12, 2024

1

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Rivne nuclear power plant in Varash, Ukraine. Stock photo: Getty Images

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Thursday, (09/12/2024)

The nuclear war that is not yet defined as a nuclear war between Russia and Ukraine grows more fearful and dangerous every day, creating a serious dilemma, not only for those two nations, but also for the entire NATO group of countries, including the United States, one of the original founding members.

This quote from Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy explains the extremely serious nature of the aggression on nuclear power plants. “They know exactly what they’re doing, It is no coincidence that they are attacking substations critical to nuclear safety.”

It occurs to me that this war is presently the most immediate key to the possibility or probability of creating a full-scale nuclear war. So, therefore, whenever there are significant updates to this horrendous situation, I will concentrate this material in this section of “LLAW’s All Things Nuclear”. Of course the extensive TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS posted below by nuclear category will continue to allow you to investigate other nuclear situations around the world. ~llaw

Russian strikes on Ukrainian substations may provoke emergency at nuclear power plants

Artur Kryzhnyi — Thursday, 12 September 2024, 17:34

Rivne nuclear power plant in Varash, Ukraine. Stock photo: Getty Images

Further Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure could trigger an emergency at one of Kyiv’s three operational nuclear power reactors.

Source: Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy, writes Bloomberg 

Details: There are thousands of electrical substations in Ukraine, but 10 critical nodes related to nuclear power reactors are in danger. Their destruction might throw the country into darkness and cause a radiation emergency.

Russian assaults are putting nuclear threats closer to Ukraine’s borders with the European Union, he said.

Quote: “They know exactly what they’re doing,” Halushchenko said. “It is no coincidence that they are attacking substations critical to nuclear safety.”

Substations maintain stability by managing high-voltage power transmission. Nuclear facilities, unlike fossil or renewable sources, require a steady supply of power to maintain security systems operational.

Without this, the fuel in the reactor core can overheat, resulting in uncontrolled and potentially deadly radiation emissions.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) took the unprecedented step of expanding its monitoring mission in Ukraine to a substation, highlighting the risk to nuclear safety.

IAEA inspectors are usually concerned with the accounting of nuclear materials rather than the management of national energy networks.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Thursday, (09/12/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

A New Nuclear Age? – War on the Rocks

War on the Rocks

Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to talk about America’s nuclear policy … ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Notifications.

Examining Iran’s nuclear program and U.S.-Iranian relations – KUOW

KUOW

All Things Considered. 3:00 PM PDT. All Things Considered. 4:00 PM PDT. All Things Considered. 5:00 PM PDT. Today, Explained. 6:00 PM PDT. Marketplace.

Is Russian President Putin preparing for nuclear war? | WION Fineprint – YouTube

YouTube

… nuclear protection to its allies. Our next story explains all about the alarming threat. #russia #nato #nuclearwar About Channel: WION The World …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2024: Government and industry leaders chart a path to …

Nuclear Energy Agency

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the Ministry for Climate and Enterprise of Sweden will co-host Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2024 where …

RCEA Ponders Nuclear Power | News | North Coast Journal

North Coast Journal

The Redwood Coast Energy Authority Board will soon decide whether to accept an allotment of nuclear power to electrify the North Coast.

“It’s been a battle” Neighbors worry about Palisades Nuclear Plant restarting – FOX 17

FOX 17

May of 2022 Palisades Nuclear Power Plant shut down it’s reactor. Holtec International is in the process of restarting the facility, but neighbors …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Russian strikes on Ukrainian substations may provoke emergency at nuclear power plants

pravda.com.ua

Further Russian strikes on Ukraines power infrastructure could trigger an emergency at one of Kyivs three operational nuclear power reactors.

Storm Francine: Risks for the U.S. Gulf energy sector – energynews

energynews

… emergency plans are being activated for nuclear power plants such as Waterford 3 and River Bend in Louisiana. At the same time, local and federal …

Bangladesh seeks $5 billion in emergency funds from lenders | News.az

News.az

The finance ministry is in talks with Russia about the “payment of advances and outstanding balances” for the Rooppur nuclear power plant project.

Nuclear War

NEWS

Russian hawk pushes case for Putin to toughen policy on nuclear weapons | Reuters

Reuters

Russia should clearly state its willingness to use nuclear weapons against countries that “support NATO aggression in Ukraine”, according to an …

Ukraine war: Putin aide says ‘it’s time’ to tweak Russia’s nuclear strike stance to deter Nato

South China Morning Post

Foreign policy hawk Sergei Karaganov said Moscow could hit a Nato country without triggering all-out nuclear war.

Will Russia nuke a NATO nation? Putin’s options explained | WION – YouTube

YouTube

A hawkish voice in Moscow is advocating that Russia could launch a limited nuclear strike on a NATO country without triggering all-out nuclear war …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Key takeaways from AP’s examination of South Korea’s split views on North Korea’s nuclear threats

AP News

… threats to use its weapons in a full-scale attack on the South. “I hope he won’t get injured,” said Yeon Soo Lee, 55, a business owner from …

Russian hawk pushes case for Putin to toughen policy on nuclear weapons – Reuters

Reuters

… nuclear strike on a NATO country without triggering all-out nuclear war. … nuclear threats. But he has also said Russia can win the war without …

South Koreans are starkly divided over North Korea’s nuclear threat – AP News

AP News

South Koreans are starkly divided over North Korea’s nuclear threat · Out of the blue. “Kim Jong Un might really use a nuke,” said Kim Jaehyun, a 22- ..

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Light Mag. 3.1 Earthquake – North Pacific Ocean, 69 km Southwest of San Isidro de El …

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. Indonesia · Indonesia. Volcanoes of Java Climb some of its most …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 11, 2024

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Screenshot from the Daisy Advertisement.

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Wednesday, (09/11/2024)

This article contains useful food for thought for all Americans during what’s left of election year 2024. I remember Barry Goldwater and his cavalier attitude toward ‘all things nuclear’, especially his idea to use nuclear warfare, such as using nuclear bombs to ‘defoliate’ vegetation used as Vietnamese shelter from US attacks, as mentioned in this article. At the time I was working as an administrator for a highway construction and coal mining company, and gave little thought to ‘anything nuclear’, and actually entered into the nuclear energy and uranium mining business in 1969, endorsing the idea of nuclear power and the uranium required to fuel nuclear reactors.

I don’t remember the “Daisy Ad” nor the political scheme behind it, but we would be well advised these days to take heed of what it meant and what it means to our future with a presidential election just weeks away. To take nuclear ‘anything’ lightly by anyone in America, or any other nuclear endowed country — particularly the future leaders of our country is utter foolishness. But there is also the possibility of a candidate taking ‘everything’ nuclear too seriously, creating an even more controversial and aggravating atmosphere globally, leading to potential armageddon-like nuclear war that otherwise might not exist. I will leave it up to you, the individual reader, to decide which presidential candidate would be the most level-headed in a possible nuclear war political situation, but I can tell you flat-out it is not Donald Trump. ~llaw

Screenshot from the Daisy Advertisement.

60 Years After Lyndon Johnson’s ‘Daisy Ad,’ The Silence On Nuclear War Is Dangerous – OpEd

September 11, 2024 0 Comments

By Norman Solomon

One evening in early September 1964, a frightening commercial jolted 50 million Americans who were partway through watching “Monday Night at the Movies” on NBC. The ad began with an adorable three-year-old girl counting petals as she pulled them from a daisy. Then came a man’s somber voiceover, counting down from ten to zero. Then an ominous roar and a mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb explosion.

The one-minute TV spot reached its climax with audio from President Lyndon Johnson, concluding that “we must love each other, or we must die.” The ad did not mention his opponent in the upcoming election, Sen. Barry Goldwater, but it didn’t need to. By then, his cavalier attitude toward nuclear weapons was well established.

Goldwater’s bestseller The Conscience of a Conservative, published at the start of the decade, was unnervingly open to the idea of launching a nuclear war, while the book exuded disdain for leaders who “would rather crawl on knees to Moscow than die under an Atom bomb.” Closing in on the Republican nomination for president, the Arizona senator suggested that “low-yield” nuclear bombs could be useful to defoliate forests in Vietnam.

His own words gave plenty of fodder to others seeking the GOP nomination. Pennsylvania Gov. William Scranton called Goldwater “a trigger-happy dreamer” and said that he “too often casually prescribed nuclear war as a solution to a troubled world.” New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller unloaded with a rhetorical question: “How can there be sanity when he wants to give area commanders the authority to make decisions on the use of nuclear weapons?”

So, the stage was set for the “daisy ad,” which packed an emotional wallop — and provoked a fierce backlash. Critics cried foul, deploring an attempt to use the specter of nuclear annihilation for political gain. Having accomplished the goal of putting the Goldwater camp on the defensive, the commercial never aired again as a paid ad. But national newscasts showed it while reporting on the controversy.

Today, a campaign ad akin to the daisy spot is hard to imagine from the Democratic or Republican nominee to be commander in chief, who seem content to bypass the subject of nuclear-war dangers. Yet those dangers are actually much higher now than they were 60 years ago. In 1964, the Doomsday Clock maintained by experts at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was set at 12 minutes to apocalyptic midnight. The ominous hands are now just 90 seconds away.

Yet, in their convention speeches this summer, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were silent on the need to engage in genuine diplomacy for nuclear arms control, let alone take steps toward disarmament.

Trump offered standard warnings about Russian and Chinese arsenals and Iran’s nuclear program, and boasted of his rapport with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Left unmentioned was Trump’s presidential statement in 2017 that if North Korea made “any more threats to the United States,” that country “will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Nor did he refer to his highly irresponsible tweet that Kim should be informed “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”

When Harris delivered her acceptance speech, it did not include the words “atomic” or “nuclear” at all.

Now in high gear, the 2024 presidential campaign is completely lacking in the kind of wisdom about nuclear weapons and relations between the nuclear superpowers that Lyndon Johnson and, eventually, Ronald Reagan attained during their presidencies.

Johnson privately acknowledged that the daisy commercial scared voters about Goldwater, which “we goddamned set out to do.” But the president was engaged in more than an electoral tactic. At the same time that he methodically deceived the American people while escalating the horrific war on Vietnam, Johnson pursued efforts to defuse the nuclear time bomb.

“We have made further progress in an effort to improve our understanding of each other’s thinking on a number of questions,” Johnson said at the conclusion of his extensive summit meeting with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey, on June 25, 1967. But fifty-seven years later, there is scant evidence that the current or next president of the United States is genuinely interested in improving such understanding between leaders of the biggest nuclear states.

Two decades after the summit that defrosted the cold war and gave rise to what was dubbed “the spirit of Glassboro,” President Reagan stood next to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and said: “We decided to talk to each other instead of about each other.” But such an attitude would be heresy in the 2024 presidential campaign.

“These are the stakes,” Johnson said in the daisy ad as a mushroom cloud rose on screen, “to make a world in which all God’s children can live, or to go into the dark.”

Those are still the stakes. But you wouldn’t know it now from either of the candidates vying to be the next president of the United States.

• About the author: Norman Solomon is the national director of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. His latest book, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine, is published by The New Press.

Norman Solomon

Solomon is a co-founder of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of a dozen books including “War Made Easy.”

---

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Wednesday, (09/11/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Review: ‘Cyrano’ update at Pasadena Playhouse is all about the words – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

Mike Donahue directs Martin Crimp’s free-hand adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s classic “Cyrano de Bergerac’ in a production starring Chukwudi Iwuji …

This Presidential Candidate Wants You to Be Able to Get an Abortion and Buy a Rocket Launcher

Rolling Stone

What about if I could get a pocket nuke? I get asked all the time about nuclear weapons. And I don’t think government should have nuclear weapons.

NANO Nuclear Energy Rises on Addition to Russell 3000 – MarketWatch

MarketWatch

Barron’s: People Who Do This One Thing Every Day Have Half the Dementia Risk That the Rest of Us Do. The things to remember about dementia are that …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Oracle to power 1GW datacenter with trio of tiny nuclear reactors – The Register

The Register

Co-located alongside the 2.5 gigawatt Susquehanna nuclear power plant, the acquisition guarantees the cloud giant access to as much as 960 megawatts …

Turkey nuclear plant faces delays as Russia seeks parts in China – Duvar English

Duvar English

Turkey’s Energy Minister announced that the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant is being delayed because Germany’s Siemens Energy …

Nuclear modelling vital as licensing shifts towards performance – Reuters

Reuters

Modelling nuclear power stations is essential to reduce costs and streamline development, especially as regulation focuses more on plant …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Ukraine warns Russian strikes on power grid could spark nuclear crisis

South China Morning Post

… emergency at one of the three operating nuclear power plants still under Kyiv’s control. Advertisement. Ukraine has thousands of electricity …

Kyiv Warns Russian Strikes on Power Grid May Cause Atomic Crisis – BNN Bloomberg

BNN Bloomberg

… energy grid could trigger an emergency at one of the three operating nuclear power plants still under Kyiv’s control. Ukraine has thousands of …

Kyiv Warns Russian Strikes on Power Grid May Cause Atomic Crisis – Financial Post

Financial Post

… energy grid could trigger an emergency at one of the three operating nuclear power plants still under Kyiv’s control. Loading… We apologize, but …

Nuclear War

NEWS

60 Years After Lyndon Johnson’s ‘Daisy Ad,’ The Silence On Nuclear War Is Dangerous

Eurasia Review

60 Years After Lyndon Johnson’s ‘Daisy Ad,’ The Silence On Nuclear War Is Dangerous – OpEd … One evening in early September 1964, a frightening …

The Dangerous Silence on Nuclear War – Consortium News

Consortium News

Sixty years after LBJ’s “Daisy Ad,” Norman Solomon says the danger of nuclear war is higher than in 1964 but Harris and Trump are ignoring it.

US says Russia received missiles from Iran, piles on sanctions – Reuters

Reuters

After 2-1/2 years of war, Ukrainian … “This is a two-way street, including on nuclear issues as well as some space information,” Blinken said.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

North Korea’s Kim vows to make his nuclear force ready for combat with US – AP News

AP News

… nuclear weapons and South Korean conventional weapons to cope with growing North Korean nuclear threats. North Korea said the guideline revealed …

Putin’s nuclear threat against Western missile strikes – YouTube

YouTube

” Fears that Putin would deploy nuclear weapons if Ukraine used long-range missiles to strike into Russia are empty threats because the Russian …

Army preparing to enter Ukraine, politicians leaving the country – how fear of being dragged …

EDMO

… threats of a nuclear war. In this article, we explain who and how are spreading these falsehoods in the Baltic countries. “Lithuania to send 100 ..

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 10, 2024

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The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (09/10/2024)

This seemingly perpetual nuclear power plant situation, which has been ongoing for two-+ years, in the face of the war between Russia and Ukraine tells us how this war has already gone nuclear, but also involves a questionable, but so far lesser more recent attack on the Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia. In other words, nuclear bombs are not required to create a nuclear war.

And yet the US and other countries are anxious to build SMR (Small Nuclear Reactors) all over the world. These plants, if they ever come into existence, will obviously be subject to future wars, nuclear accidents, and nuclear terrorism.

We have known the horrible truth about “All Things Nuclear” since the 1940s, yet we seem to fail to understand the not only possible, but probable, self-extermination of life on planet Earth that nuclear power of every kind can and will, one day or another, cause the 6th Extinction. And all we can say, for the first time in the history of this world, we did it to ourselves. ~llaw

News

IAEA issues report on war-ravaged Ukrainian nuclear plant

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Energoatom

Publish date: September 9, 2024

The International Atomic Energy Agency has published a new report on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, with the agency’s director-general warning that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station remains “precarious and very fragile.”

The report’s release came during a visit to the plant by agency head Rafael Grossi, who last week announced that one of the site’s cooling towers would likely have to be demolished following a fire that ravaged it last month.

It was the first time IAEA teams had, in fact, been allowed inside the cooling tower, which agency experts had repeatedly sought permission from the Russian occupiers to inspect on numerous occasions, only to be denied.

Fire broke out in the tower on August 11, with Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of actions that triggered the blaze. Grossi at the time described the incident as one of numerous “reckless attacks,” but did not attribute blame nor elucidate the cause.

Grossi also inspected pumping stations and fresh fuel storage at the site — which could point to aspirations of the Russian occupiers to eventually restart one or more of the reactors, said Bellona expert Dmitry Gorchakov, who has written a detailed report on such a possibility.
 
The IAEA’s 28-page document highlights the challenges of the IAEA’s activities to protect Europe’s largest nuclear power station, which is on the frontline of fighting and has been under Russian control since soon after the February 2022 invasion.
 
Throughout this time, IAEA teams at the site have reported on incidents including shelling and drone strikes at the facility. The plant has also suffered repeated loss of offsite power, which hobbles its cooling systems.
 
Since Grossi last went to the Zaporizhzhia site in February, the plant has experienced loss of powerlines in addition to the cooling tower fire, and the nearby plant worker’s settlement of Enerhodar has been strafed by drone attacks.
 
Grossi said the IAEA’s “comprehensive assistance” to Ukraine has seen 59 deliveries of equipment needed to maintain nuclear safety and security, with a total value of over $11 million. In total, the IAEA has conducted 139 support and assistance missions to the nuclear sites in Ukraine, the report said.
 
Grossi also recently visited the Kursk nuclear plant in Russia, which after an August 6 cross-border incursion by Ukrainian troops last month, is at risk of becoming yet another nuclear facility drawn into the war. 
 
Russia claimes the Kursk plant has been attacked by Ukrainian forces, citing fragments of a drone found at the site—though the origins of the drone have not been established.  
 
Grossi said during that visit that the Kursk plant was extremely fragile because it had no protective dome and that the “danger or possibility of a nuclear accident has emerged near here.”
 
Ukraine’s foreign ministry last Thursday denounced what it said were Russian efforts to accuse Ukraine of provocations that threatened nuclear safety, saying this was a “disinformation campaign to distract attention from its own criminal acts at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant”.
 
In its report, the IAEA wrote that it has also continued safeguards verification activities across Ukraine, ensuring that there is no diversion of nuclear material for military purposes. Assistance programs were established in the areas of health care and the nuclear safety and security of radioactive sources.
 
The agency also implemented programs to support Ukraine in managing the impact of the flooding of the Kherson Oblast and other regions in the aftermath of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.
 
A few months after the establishment of the IAEA’s presence at Zaporizhzhia, Grossi set up similar missions at the four other nuclear facilities in Ukraine – the Khmelnitski, Rivne and South Ukraine nuclear power plants, and the shut-down Chernobyl site.

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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are 3 Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Tuesday, (09/10/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Clayton Kershaw ‘trying everything,’ even working with Skechers, to ease toe injury

Los Angeles Times

… all things, by an injury to the big toe on his left foot. … Skies above Southern California wildfire looked like ‘a nuclear warhead had been set off’ …

Balloon Fiesta 2024: What you need to know – KRQE

KRQE

This article will detail all things Balloon Fiesta for those planning on attending. … nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture …

UV Lasers and Combs Provide High Frequency Light for Nuclear Clock – Photonics Spectra

Photonics Spectra

While the team’s laboratory demonstration is not a fully developed nuclear clock, it contains all the key technology for one. … All Things Photonics …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Fukushima nuclear plant: operation begins to remove radioactive debris – The Guardian

The Guardian

An aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant … Tepco plant officials remotely control a robot operating at Fukushima nuclear power …

What role will ‘new nuclear‘ play in the energy transition? | Spectra

Spectra – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Index. Extending the lifetime of conventional nuclear power plants Small but powerful Diversifying nuclear’s use cases Scaling up new nuclear. The …

IAEA issues report on war-ravaged Ukrainian nuclear plant – Bellona.org

Bellona.org

The International Atomic Energy Agency has published a new report on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Lafayette mayor-president declares state of emergency due to Tropical Storm Francine

WKRG

A robot begins removal of melted fuel from the Fukushima … This photo shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, …

Harvey Weinstein taken to NYC hospital for emergency heart surgery: representatives

FOX 8 News

Harvey Weinstein taken to NYC hospital for emergency heart surgery: representatives … nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, northern …

Jailed Harvey Weinstein taken to NYC hospital for emergency heart surgery, his representatives say

Times Union

Jailed ex-movie mogul Harvey Weinstein underwent emergency heart surgery at a New York … This photo shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in …

Nuclear War

NEWS

60 Years After Lyndon Johnson’s “Daisy Ad,” the Silence on Nuclear War Is Dangerous

Counterpunch

Screenshot from the Daisy Advertisement. One evening in early September 1964, a frightening commercial jolted 50 million Americans who were partway …

IAEA issues report on war-ravaged Ukrainian nuclear plant – Bellona.org

Bellona.org

The International Atomic Energy Agency has published a new report on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, …

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un says country to increase number of nuclear weapons, KCNA says

Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country is now implementing a nuclear force construction policy to increase the number of nuclear weapons …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

North Korean leader Kim orders boost to nuclear arsenal – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

… nuclear threats. North Korea said the guideline revealed its … Israeli attacks kill over 41,000 Palestinians since start of war on Gaza.

Kim Jong Un calls for major nuclear weapons buildup in response to U.S. threat

Space War News

Last month, North Korea unveiled new “suicide” attack drones and an upgraded multiple rocket launcher — short-range weapons that threaten targets …

Vladimir Putin ‘almost’ used nukes in Ukraine as intelligence chiefs warn of ‘threat to world order’

MSN

… threats to global stability from China and Russia during a time of … Putin has ‘clear intent’ to make nuclear war with the West possible as he ‘ 

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

New study seeks to shed light on earthquake hazards in the Gallatin Range – USGS.gov

USGS.gov

Yellowstone’s icy past. Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano …

Mag. 1.9 quake – 65 km WNW of Beluga, Alaska, on Monday, Sep 9, 2024, at 03:53 am …

Volcano Discovery

More on VolcanoDiscovery. Yellowstone quakes · Yellowstone quakes · Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano … caldera and picturesque villages.

94 km Southwest of Xinyuan, Xinjiang, China, on Monday, Sep 9, 2024, at 01:53 pm (Urumqi Time)

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. … Santorini is one of the most beautiful islands in the world, …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 09, 2024

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This cast is filled with molten-hot enriched uranium called HALEU. It was made in part from America’s old nuclear warheads.

National Nuclear Security Administration

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (09/09/2024)

This article is one of the most frightening you may ever read, even though you may not realize why until it’s too late to care. Think about it — we are down-grading military grade uranium fuel (called HALEU), an-in-between-nuclear uranium fuel that is diluted from nuclear weapons’ grade (HEU), which makes proposed new nuclear power plants even more dangerous than the existing ones as well as increasing the danger to life everywhere, wars or no wars.

This, to me, is pure insanity as we will, if we get that far, soon begin to build these SMR (Small Nuclear Reactor) plants everywhere around the world, starting in my old home state of Wyoming. To me this will be a sad day, not only for Wyoming, but the USA as well as all other countries around the world.

And even more sad is that we know how to use renewable resources like solar, wind, volcanic steam, geothermal steam, and hydro systems to produce all the world’s power that we should ever need if only we would just do it. But this approach to producing electricity is apparently too cheap, easy, low-tech an inexpensive for the money-hungry corporate technocratic entrepreneurs around the globe. So we will begin our new energy production nightmare by using diluted uranium fuel from outdated military weapons of mass destruction. If this sounds like a good idea to you, you will know better eventually unless you happen to be of Methuselah-like old age like I am. ~llaw

HALEU stands for High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium. It’s a type of uranium that’s enriched to a higher degree than the fuel used in light water reactors (LWRs), but not as high as high-enriched uranium (HEU): 

• Light water reactors: Use fuel enriched to about 5% uranium-235 (U-235) 
• HALEU: Enriched to between 5% and 20% U-235 
• High-enriched uranium (HEU): Enriched to 20% or greater in U-235 

Climate / Solutions

The US is dismantling nuclear warheads to power the next generation of reactors

By Ella Nilsen, CNN

5 minute read

Updated 1:41 PM EDT, Mon September 9, 2024

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This cast is filled with molten-hot enriched uranium called HALEU. It was made in part from America’s old nuclear warheads.

National Nuclear Security Administration

CNN — 

Inside a highly classified facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee — the same facility that enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb in the era of the Manhattan Project — workers are turning old, unexploded warheads into fuel that will power cities.

The recipe to create advanced reactor fuel involves melting weapons-grade uranium with low-enriched uranium in a crucible — a massive, metal cauldron heated to around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit to turn its contents into molten soup.

Emerging from its furnace, a glowing orange cast filled with the hot liquid uranium is slowly lowered into a cooling chamber. The hardened finished product, which looks like black charcoal, can be safely held in-hand.

This fuel is set to power the next generation of America’s nuclear reactors — small, modular power stations that are easier and cheaper to build. They require far less upkeep and physical space than the aging fleet of large nuclear power plants.

HALEU is canned at a secure federal facility in Oak Ridge, Tenneseee.

National Nuclear Security Administration

One downside? They also require a more-enriched and energy-dense uranium.

Until last year, the United States got the vast majority of its enriched uranium from Russia. A bipartisan law passed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put a stop to that. Now, scientists and companies are racing to produce it at home.

Why does Russia have so much enriched uranium?

• After the Cold War, Russia possessed loads of highly enriched uranium — the kind used for weapons. In negotiations after the war, the US and other countries encouraged Russia to dilute that uranium below the weapon-making threshold, and sell it to the world as nuclear fuel. It was a beneficial deal for all parties. The US had a supply of fuel, and Russia — which was struggling economically after the Cold War — had a willing market to sell to.

Downblending old weapons from the nuclear arsenal is not the only way to make this fuel, known as high assay low-enriched uranium — or HALEU for short. A couple of facilities around the country are also making it, and they are expected to produce most of the fuel in the long run. The federal government is expected to award over $2 billion in the coming months to uranium enrichment companies to help kickstart the supply chain.

In the meantime, the feds are doing a “couch cushion exercise,” scouring high and low for suitable nuclear fuel that might have slipped through the cracks, said Michael Goff, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Energy Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy. In addition to the US nuclear stockpile, the Idaho National Laboratory is also downblending part of its collection of fuel from research reactors.

That the US is looking to its own arsenal for nuclear fuel speaks to how much of a scramble there is to get new-age reactors off the ground — like TerraPower, the Bill Gates-backed project in Wyoming that recently broke ground.

Projects like TerraPower are awaiting the fuel shipments, anxious they may run out of time. The company was set to get its first fuel shipments from Russia – the world’s only commercial HALEU supplier.

That changed after the war in Ukraine.

“We are getting to the point where we need to see more urgency from the government,” said Jeff Navin, TerraPower’s director of external affairs. “There’s a huge national interest to move quickly. We don’t fully understand why that same sense of urgency hasn’t gotten to the Department of Energy in getting this material out.”

Bill Gates at the groundbreaking for TerraPower’s nuclear power plant near Kemmerer, Wyoming, in June.

Benjamin Rasmussen/The New York Times/Redux

Bottom line, the amount of HALEU the US can get from its nuclear weapon stockpile is relatively small. It’s going to need a bigger production line.

“The long-term solution is we have to have enrichment,” said Jeff Chamberlin, the acting principal assistant deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation. “Even if we down-blended all that material tomorrow, we couldn’t supply the demonstration needs of all the advanced reactor companies the US has stated right now.”

Why the US needs special nuclear fuel

The United States currently gets about 20% of its power from nuclear. Inside the US Energy Department, there’s high interest to increase that percentage in the coming years because nuclear energy is reliable and doesn’t produce climate pollution.

“We need some firm, clean baseload electricity — nuclear provides that,” said Goff. “In order to meet our energy security needs and our climate goals, we do need significantly more nuclear energy deployed.”

The nuclear power industry is increasingly looking to smaller reactors, which run on HALEU. These reactors can last longer than conventional ones and fit into smaller spaces — making them more versatile and easier to set up.

The uranium for conventional reactors is enriched up to 5% and HALEU is uranium enriched between 5-20%. Highly enriched uranium is anything more than 20% and is used in weapons or naval submarines.

In other words, if conventional reactor uranium is Miller Lite, and highly enriched uranium is Everclear grain alcohol, HALEU is the nice cool glass of Belgian beer that strikes the balance between two extremes, said Dan Leistikow, vice president of corporate communications at US-based uranium enrichment company Centrus Energy.

“You can get more energy in smaller spaces,” said Josh Jarrell, director of the Idaho National Laboratories fuel cycle science and technology division. “You can be more energy dense, you can make more effective fuel, theoretically, we could generate electricity more economically.”

Centrus is one of two enrichment companies in the US working to break America of its dependence on Russia, which supplies the vast amount of the world’s enriched uranium. Congress recently passed an import ban on Russian uranium, leading to a supply squeeze both for HALEU and fuel for conventional reactors.

Idaho National Labs is also working to convert warhead uranium into reactor fuel.

Idaho National Labs

After a “lack of investment over decades,” Centrus is aiming to “restore a domestic enrichment capability with US technology” to meet the demand for the country’s electricity and for its national security, Leistikow told CNN.

It will take years to get there.

The Energy Department estimates the advanced nuclear industry will need 40 tons of HALEU by 2030. Centrus is seeking funding from DOE to expand its operations, but it can currently enrich a little less than 1 ton per year.

What will the country’s leftover nuclear arsenal contribute? Six tons by 2027.

TerraPower’s Navin said six tons is a “great start,” but far from enough for his company’s first core load, let alone other advanced nuclear projects in the US.

Exactly how much highly enriched uranium the US has is a classified secret, and there are a lot of interests competing for it, from national security to research nuclear reactors.

But Congress recently directed the NNSA and Energy Department to prioritize converting America’s old nuclear arsenal for advanced reactor fuel.

“Within their possession, they have more than enough (highly enriched uranium) to make many, many, many tons of HALEU,” Navin said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

---

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There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

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2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
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7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Monday, (09/09/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Solving Nuclear Energy’s Biggest Problem | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

One of the positive things about nuclear power production is that it … all the uranium is used and the actinides — which remain radioactive …

ACM: What’s the deal on nuclear power plants? with a side of “didn’t convince” – Daily Kos

Daily Kos

… all of which drives up costs and adds to delays. It is not … He doesn’t seem to have an opinion about nuclear bombs; I am very much against.

Vodafone deploys private 5G at Czech nuclear plant – RCR Wireless News

RCR Wireless News

Vodafone has deployed an all-edge private 5G network at the Temelín nuclear plant in Czechia for power generation conglomerate ČEZ Group.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

DOE Report Finds More Than 60 Gigawatts of New Nuclear Capacity Could Be Built at …

Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Energy study shows 41 operating and retired nuclear power plant sites have room to host new reactors.

The US is dismantling nuclear warheads to power next-gen reactors | CNN

CNN

But Congress recently directed the NNSA and Energy Department to prioritize converting America’s old nuclear arsenal for advanced reactor fuel. “ …

Could the Nation’s Nuclear Power Plant Sites Support New Reactor Builds?

Department of Energy

A new U.S. Department of Energy report finds more than 60 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear capacity could potentially be built at operating or …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Nuclear Watchdog to Name Culprit in Event of Ukraine Accident – Bloomberg

Bloomberg

International monitors stationed at a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in Ukraine said they’d be able to assign blame for any potential …

Nuclear Watchdog to Name Culprit in Event of Ukraine Accident – BNN Bloomberg

BNN Bloomberg

The International Atomic Energy Agency has so far shied away from pointing fingers over drone attacks near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in …

ACM: What’s the deal on nuclear power plants? with a side of “didn’t convince” – Daily Kos

Daily Kos

The “firm” resources would be Hydroelectricity and geothermal energy (and fossil fuels reserves for desperate emergencies only). But “whenever needed” …

Nuclear War

NEWS

The US is dismantling nuclear warheads to power the next generation of reactors – CNN

CNN

Why does Russia have so much enriched uranium? After the Cold War, Russia possessed loads of highly enriched uranium — the kind used for weapons. In …

North Korea Slams US ‘Nuclear Threat’ – Newsweek

Newsweek

The Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group, formed by the U.S. and South Korea, held its fifth meeting in Washington, D.C., on September …

How to read Putin’s next nuclear threat – The Japan Times

The Japan Times

In the later stages of the Cold War, U.S. President Ronald Reagan … nuclear weapons use — in essence, a new nuclear threat. Once that …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

How to read Putin’s next nuclear threat – The Japan Times

The Japan Times

Historical analogies show that nuclear threats rarely succeed, but Russia’s signals of desperation should not be ignored.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 8, 2024 | Institute for the Study of War

Institute for the Study of War

… nuclear–threats-putin. [2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/07/cia-west-russia-nuclear–threats-putin. [3]

https://isw.pub…

CIA and MI6 chiefs warn of ‘an unprecedented threat to world order’ from China and Russia …

Daily Mail

… Putin and his cronies have threatened the West with nuclear weapons throughout the war … Do you believe nuclear threats like this should be .

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Scientists Say Massive Hydrothermal Explosion Caught On Video At Yellowstone … – TwistedSifter

TwistedSifter

It is common knowledge that Yellowstone National Park sits atop one of the largest volcanoes in the world. In fact, when this supervolcano erupts, …

4.3 Quake New Zealand Sep 7, 2024 08:16 pm (GMT -12) | VolcanoDiscovery

Volcano Discovery

… caldera, and Ijen. Yellowstone quakes · Yellowstone quakes · Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano. List and interactive map of current and …

47 km North of Stepnogorsk, Aqmola Oblysy, Kazakhstan, on Sunday, Sep 8, 2024, at 01:00 …

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. … Guatemala is a country with spectacular volcanic activity, …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Sep 08, 2024

1

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. . . all of which makes nuclear waste even more dangerous – a nuclear accident just waiting to happen sooner or later by nature or mankind’s own inevitable insidious ‘nook or crook’ . . . ~llaw

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (09/08/2024)

Tomorrow is Monday, and, hopefully, this blog will be back at 100% operational status with nuclear issues, comments, and diatribes, etc. For those of you who may have been unaware, here is an updated gentleman-like copy of yesterday’s explanation of why we were down for 3 full days after perfect attendance since the 1st blog post a little over two years ago (742 consecutive days).

Finally! I am back after an ugly 3 day unplanned hiatus due to the failure of a new equipment update from my Internet provider that was broken en-route (or before) and eventually I screamed loud enough to get an Internet serviceman out here to replace the failed Router and/or Modem. It took him all of less than 30 minutes to upgrade all 3 of the downed computers that I use to prepare this and other posts and blogs, or work on my next planned novel(s). And, had the equipment not been damaged, that would have also only been that total (30 minutes) if I’d done it myself, which was their plan for all, but even that self-help idea took more than a day for customers/users in the northern Nevada area, at least, to get back online because of other failures.

The waiting and thumb-twiddling, though, made me realize how useless I am to the world without my computerized writing equipment, which kindly gives me the increased vision I need to see in front of my face. I could do none of this without my computers that are networked along with my iPad and Galaxy phone, all of which, especially the 3 PC’s, to manage to get my “work” done each day.

I am sorry, mostly for myself of course, that I now have failed to provide an “All Things Nuclear” blog post for the first time in 742 consecutive days. If nothing else, it demonstrates how devoted I am to my cause of creating awareness of the life-threatening capabilities of “All Things Nuclear”. So I have set a record for myself that perhaps I may be able to break during the next couple of years, plus a few days . . .

By Monday, I will be back on track, but yesterday I took the time to add the IAEA weekly posts that should have been available on Friday and there are, as well, many frightening articles in this evening’s “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA” below. I will leave it to you to pick out the best or worst of the frightening tales . ~llaw

Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are 3 Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Sunday, (09/08/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Hurricane season lull may be coming to an end, forecasters say | WRVO Public Media

WRVO

Before her work on the Science Desk, she was a producer for NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered in Los Angeles. … Kathy Hochul to abandon nuclear.

Breaking the Stability Barrier: Unique Isotope Defies Nuclear Rules – SciTechDaily

SciTechDaily

Knowledge about the decay behavior of exotic nuclei like ¹⁸Mg could influence advancements in fundamental interactions, energy sectors, and all kinds …

Powering up N.Y.’s energy needs: Hochul is right on adding nuclear, but wrong on banning fracking

New York Daily News

Gov. Hochul didn’t actually say the word “nuclear,” but in a speech about transitioning New York to a clean-energy grid, she mentioned “splitting …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Solving Nuclear Energy’s Biggest Problem | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

Solving Nuclear Energy’s Biggest Problem · New methods like recycling in fast neutron reactors and geological disposal in facilities like Finland’s …

Company hopes Wyoming’s first nuclear power plant will revolutionize industry

Energy Central

CHEYENNE — Of the 54 operational nuclear power plants in the United States, only three have become operational since 1997. In June, a new plant …

Italy Is in Early Talks for Creation of Nuclear–Power Company – BNN Bloomberg

BNN Bloomberg

Ansaldo Nucleare, part of Ansaldo Energia, develops nuclear plants and related technology. Newcleo develops small units powered by recycled nuclear …

Nuclear War

NEWS

‘In 2022…’: US Spy Chief’s Huge Nuclear Attack Plan Claim | Russia-Ukraine War | CIA

YouTube

CIA director William Burns made a big revelation on Putin’s war strategy against Ukraine during the initial days of the invasion in 2022.

CIA director: Risk of Russia using nuclear weapon early in Ukraine war – CNBC

CNBC

There was a real risk in the fall of 2022 that Russia could use nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns said.

‘Deeply irresponsible’ Putin came close to unleashing nukes in Ukraine, MI6 reveals

Daily Express

The fears of a nuclear attack became so immediate that President Joe Biden sent his CIA chief to meet with the Russians for crisis talks.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

CIA boss urges the West to not take Russia’s nuclear threats ‘seriously’; here’s why

Firstpost

CIA boss urges the West to not take Russia’s nuclear threats ‘seriously’; here’s why … As the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate, CIA boss Bill …

CIA chief urges West not to be frightened by Kremlin’s nuclear threats | Ukrainska Pravda

pravda.com.ua

… threats of nuclear escalation. Source: Burns at a Financial Times event … Support UP or become our patron! nuclear weaponswar. Advertisement …

CIA Director Burns says U.S., West shouldn’t be intimidated by Kremlin’s nuclear threats in Ukraine

Washington Times

The U.S. and its allies should not be “unnecessarily intimidated” by Russian threats to unleash its nuclear arsenal as Ukraine presses for more ..

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Visit Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming | News – Homenewshere.com

Homenewshere.com

Yellowstone, named for the Yellowstone River, is a giant supervolcano. … caldera or basin. The park is full of geothermal features, including …

Expecting to meet funky characters on a coast bike ride | Outdoors | postregister.com

Post Register

I’m not talking about Armageddon or the Yellowstone caldera erupting, but a multi-week bike tour down the Pacific Coast with my brother. While …

Mag. 2.1 quake – 11 km west of Frontino, Antioquia, Colombia, on Saturday, Sep 7, 2024, at …

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. Bromo · Bromo volcano photos. Bromo is one of Indonesia’s most …