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☆ Russian Shelling Knocks Out Power at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Image The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost power early Monday morning, according to Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear power company. Credit... Andrey Borodulin/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRussian shelling again knocked out power to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which had switched to backup diesel generators to keep critical cooling equipment running, Ukrainian nuclear officials said on Monday. The loss of power raised the threat of a nuclear disaster at the plant, which is occupied by Russian troops and operated by Ukrainian engineers. The generators have enough diesel to power the plant for 10 days. “After the loss of external power, which is vitally necessary to ensure the operation of the pumps for cooling the nuclear material of the power units, all diesel generators of the nuclear power plant were switched on automatically,” Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear power company, said on the Telegram messaging app.

☆ Ukraine's envoy to Japan urges G7 to condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations must condemn any threat to use nuclear weapons and vow "decisive action" against such a move when they hold a summit next week in the city of Hiroshima, Ukraine's envoy to Japan said. read more"It should be a very clear statement from specifically those nuclear powers among the G7 that the use of nuclear weapons or nuclear terrorism will not be tolerated and will be met with almost decisive actions from major powers," he said. "It's most important that the summit when we have a real threat of nuclear terrorism, that summit will be in Hiroshima," Korsunsky added. He called for G7 talks on nuclear security and the global architecture, as both the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council lacked power. Last week, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his government was examining how Russian assets could be used to help Ukraine's war effort.

☆ Operations suspended at Ukraine nuclear plant in case of 'provocations' - TASS
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Operations at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are being suspended in case of "provocations" by Ukrainian forces, the TASS state news agency said on Monday, citing the Moscow-installed governor of the Russia-controlled part of the surrounding region. Russia captured the plant in the early days of its invasion of Ukraine last year. The nuclear reactors have been suspended," TASS quoted Yevgeny Balitsky as saying. Some 3,000 people have been evacuated from villages close to the front line, TASS quoted Balitsky as saying on Monday, including around 1,000 minors. In March the IAEA warned the plant was running on diesel generators to keep vital cooling systems going, after damage to power lines.

☆ Zaporizhzhia: Evacuations from Russian-occupied Ukrainian region raise concerns of nuclear power plant safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Helen Regan Julia Kesaieva Mariya Knight Katharina Krebs Kostan Nechyporenko Stephanie Halasz | Helen Regan | Julia Kesaieva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the evacuation of a town close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has raised concerns about the facility’s stability. The plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, is held by Russian forces but mostly operated by a Ukrainian workforce. The plant is also significant because Ukraine relies heavily on nuclear power. On the groundOn Sunday, Ukraine’s Operation Command South spokeswoman said Russian forces were trying to exhaust Ukraine’s air defense system. Bakhmut has been the site of a months-long assault by Russian forces that has driven thousands from their homes and left the area devastated.

☆ A change in Turkish leadership might not spell the end of ties with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The strengthening ties between Erdogan and Putin have caused jitters in the West, with some watching the upcoming elections with anticipation of a possible Erdogan exit. That makes Russia among Turkey’s biggest trade partners. The European Union, as a bloc, however remains Turkey’s largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching around $219 billion, according to the European Commission. But while relations with the EU might improve if the opposition wins, the road may be longer and more challenging with the US, experts say. “When we mention Turkey’s relationship with the West… we sometimes take both ends of the Atlantic (as one),” Isci said.

☆ Situation around Europe's largest nuclear power plant is 'potentially dangerous,' watchdog warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Members of the delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visit the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on March 29, 2023. The situation in the area near Europe's largest nuclear power plant is "becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Saturday. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement that he was "extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risk," facing the Zaporizhzhia power plant in southeast Ukraine. "I'm extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant. The 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near the northern Ukrainian city of Pripyat is considered the worst on record.

☆ 'Mad panic' evacuation as IAEA warns of a nuclear accident at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant occupied by Russian forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fears mount of increased fighting around the contested Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that is occupied by Russian troops was becoming critical. "The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," Grossi said in a statement. Grossi said evacuations were underway in the nearby town of Enerhodar, built for workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Reuters reported. He said there is a "possibility" of an "outbreak of full-scale hostilities" near the nuclear plant, saying, "We have been worrying about this nuclear power plant for more than a year.

☆ IAEA head warns of dangers around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 6 (Reuters) - The head of the U.N.'s nuclear power watchdog warned on Saturday that the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear station had become "increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous" and called for measures to ensure its safe operation. "The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," Grossi said on the agency's website. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant days after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of his neighbour in February 2022. Russia last September proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, including Zaporizhzhia region. A widely expected Ukrainian spring counter-offensive against Russian forces viewed as likely to take in the Zaporizhzhia region, around 80% of which is held by Moscow.

☆ IAEA warns of dangers around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as evacuations under way
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 6 (Reuters) - The head of the U.N.'s nuclear power watchdog warned on Saturday that the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear station has become "potentially dangerous" as Moscow-installed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), called for measures to ensure the safe operation of Europe's largest nuclear plant as evacuations were under way in the nearby town of Enerhodar. "The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," Grossi said on the agency's website. A widely expected Ukrainian spring counter-offensive against Russian forces is viewed as likely to take in the Zaporizhzhia region, around 80% of which is held by Moscow. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant days after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of his neighbour in February 2022.

Peskov did not provide any evidence to his claims, nor additional details regarding the alleged attack, saying that information would be released later. Earlier this week, Russia claimed Ukraine launched a drone strike targeting the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a “planned terrorist attack.” Ukraine has strongly denied any involvement. The United States had nothing to do with this. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty ImagesRyabkov also accused US officials of trying to “promote the idea of Washington’s non-involvement” in the purported drone attack, TASS reported. “Washington has long been a direct party to the Ukrainian conflict and aims to destroy sovereign Russia,” he said, according to TASS.

Inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear agency visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear-power plant last year. Photo: Yuri Kochetkov/ShutterstockThe United Nations atomic energy agency is racing to prevent Russia’s war in Ukraine from endangering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, as fighting nearby intensifies. Artillery fire and explosions now ring out nearly every day at the six-reactor plant that sprawls near an active front line and is occupied by Russian security agents.

☆ Oliver Stone and Joshua Goldstein on their documentary 'Nuclear Now'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Tania Bryer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailOliver Stone and Joshua Goldstein on their documentary 'Nuclear Now'Can nuclear energy be the solution to combatting the climate crisis? A new documentary, "Nuclear Now," makes the case for atomic energy as an effective and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.

☆ Sam Altman is building his utopia, whether you want it or not
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

Altman told Insider, "We debate our approach frequently and carefully." "I don't think anyone can lose your dad young and wish he didn't have more time with him," Altman told Insider. Altman told Insider that his thinking had evolved since those posts. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ He's played chess with Peter Thiel, sparred with Elon Musk and once, supposedly, stopped a plane crash: Inside Sam Altman's world, where truth is stranger than fiction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Melia Russell | Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +41 min

But, "you do at some point need to start having contact with reality," he told Insider. The plan was still only a rough sketch, Blania told Insider, but that didn't seem to matter to his host. "He always wanted to understand everything at a very deep level," Thrun told Insider in an email. (When asked about guns, Altman told Insider he'd been "happy to have one both times my home was broken into while I was there.") When asked about this, Altman told Insider in an email: "i can guess what that's about; these stories grow crazily inflated over the years of getting re-told!

☆ Ukraine's nuclear power plants are still a source of nightmares years after the Chornobyl disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian army soldier stands guard at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 26, 2022, in Chornobyl, Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday commemorated the Chornobyl nuclear power plant disaster on April 26, 1986, saying that the events on that day "left a huge scar on the whole world." The disaster is still seen as the most serious accident in the history of nuclear power operation although Ukraine has remained heavily dependent on nuclear energy. Today, its nuclear power plants have once again become a source of nightmares as fears abound for their safety and security amid the relentless fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces. Most concerns around the safe functioning of the country's power plants amid war have centered on the the nuclear power plant located in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, which also happens to be Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

☆ Japan nuclear disaster: Fukushima's fishing industry fears Tokyo's next move may finish it off
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Emiko Jozuka Krystina Shveda Junko Ogura Marc Stewart Daniel Campisi | Emiko Jozuka | Krystina Shveda | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Ocean currents have since dispersed the contaminated water enough that radioactive Cesium is nearly undetectable in fish from Fukushima prefecture. A year before the 2011 disaster, government data shows Fukushima’s coastal fishing industry landed catches worth around $69 million. At the same time, ground and rainwater have leaked in, creating more radioactive wastewater that now needs to be stored and treated. This isotope is radioactive tritium, and the scientific community is divided on the risk its dissemination carries. He argues TEPCO should build more storage tanks to allow for the decay of the radioactive tritium, which has a half-life of 12.3 years.

CNN —The US has sensitive nuclear technology at a nuclear power plant inside Ukraine and is warning Russia not to touch it, according to a letter the US Department of Energy sent to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom last month. The Energy Department warned Rosatom in the letter that it is “unlawful” for any Russian citizens or entities to handle the US technology. The Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration told CNN in a statement that the letter is authentic. “The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration can confirm that the letter is legitimate,” said Shayela Hassan, the deputy director of public affairs for the National Nuclear Security Administration. She added: “The Secretary of Energy has the statutory responsibility for authorizing the transfer of unclassified civilian nuclear technology and assistance to foreign atomic energy activities.

☆ Europe’s Largest Nuclear Reactor Launches as Continent Splits Over Atomic Energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Olkiluoto island, off Finland’s west coast, houses three nuclear reactors. Finland has started regular electricity output at Europe’s largest nuclear reactor, a move that contrasts with developments in other European countries, where opposition to nuclear power is stronger. The long-delayed Olkiluoto 3 reactor is the first new European nuclear-power facility to open in 16 years. Alongside two other nuclear reactors on the Olkiluoto island off Finland’s west coast, the new 1.6-gigawatt reactor will eventually produce nearly one-third of the country’s electricity.

[1/6] An Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen under a magnifying glass at the CNEA (National Atomic Energy Commission), in Ezeiza, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina April 12, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYBUENOS AIRES, April 17 (Reuters) - Argentine, fighting one of its worst outbreaks of dengue in recent years, is sterilizing mosquitoes using radiation that alters their DNA before releasing them into the wild. Their population keeps on moving further south," said National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) biologist Marianela Garcia Alba. They expect to release the first batch of sterilized males in November. Similar techniques to sterilize pests using the same radiation found in X-rays have been utilised for decades, helping global efforts to control diseases such as chikungunya, dengue and Zika.

Below are key extracts from the G7 climate, energy and environment ministers' communique, including the annex. RUSSIA"We condemn Russia's illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine;"We stand ready to support the sustainable and resilient recovery and green reconstruction of Ukraine." "Currently $13 billion fiscal support that can be used for domestic and foreign projects is prepared across the G7 countries." PLASTIC POLLUTION"We are committed to end plastic pollution, with the ambition to reduce additional plastic pollution to zero by 2040." Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by David Dolan and William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-Mammograms do not expose women to Hiroshima-level radiation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Breast cancer screenings reduce deaths from breast cancer and have considerably lower radiation levels than nuclear or atomic bombs, contrary to claims circulating in a video on social media. Dr Veronique Desaulniers, a bio-energetic chiropractor according to her LinkedIn profile, warns about the purported dangers of breast cancer screening in the clip posted on Instagram (here). “A decade of annual mammography would yield a total radiation dose 10 times that: 3.6 mSv,” he adds. A reduction in breast cancer deaths has been primarily attributed to mammography screening and early breast cancer detection (here). There is a radiation risk to the breasts of teenagers and women in their early 20s due to development, however, the risk drops rapidly as women age, according to Kopans.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Pentagon leak suspect, 21, to appear in court; Ukraine making withdrawals in Bakhmut, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The suspect, Jack Teixeira, will appear in court Friday. Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from some positions in the eastern city of Bakhmut under heavy Russian fire, Britain's Ministry of Defense reported. Ukraine has for months refused to give up on its defense of Bakhmut, despite both sides suffering heavy casualties and the city being entirely destroyed. Kyiv says that conceding Bakhmut would give Russia a major access route to much more of eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi reiterated calls for relevant parties to establish a security perimeter around Ukraine's embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, warning "we are living on borrowed time when it comes to nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant."

☆ Nuclear Plant at Risk as Ukraine and Russia Gear Up for Spring Offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Ian Lovett | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Military activity is increasing around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear-power plant, according to international atomic energy officials, as Ukrainian and Russian forces gear up for an expected increase in fighting this spring. “The situation is not improving—it is obvious that military activity is increasing in this whole region,” Rafael Grossi , director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Agency, said Wednesday after a visit to the plant. “There’s a significant increase in the number of troops in the region and there is open talk about offensives, counteroffensives and so on.”

☆ Ukraine says Russian forces make progress in frontline city of Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Enemy forces had a degree of success in their actions aimed at storming the city of Bakhmut," the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in its regular nighttime report. Russian officials say their forces are still capturing ground in street-by-street fighting inside Bakhmut. [1/5] A tank is towed through a road, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, near the bombed-out eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 29, 2023. Russian forces shelled towns in central Zaporizhzhia region, including the contested centre of Hulyaipole, the Ukrainian general staff statement said. Rocket and artillery in the past 24 hours struck two areas of concentration of Russian forces, an ammunition depot and two fuel depots, it said.

☆ UN nuclear boss visits Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi is seen on his way to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine March 29, 2023. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, March 29 (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog visited the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southeastern Ukraine on Wednesday as part of efforts to avert the risk of an atomic accident. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrived at Europe's largest nuclear power plant to review the situation there, an IAEA spokesperson said. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the site of the power station over the last year. Grossi, who met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday, described the situation at the plant as "very dangerous" and very unstable. The IAEA has had its own monitors stationed at the Zaporizhzhia plant since last year, when Grossi travelled to the facility and fears were mounting of the possibility for a nuclear accident.

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