‘WE WILL NOT SURRENDER THE STATION’: CONCERN OVER RUSSIAN ATTACKS ON UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR PLANTS

Pavlo Pavlyshyn, the director of the Rivne nuclear power plant, has been working in Ukraine’s atomic power industry since 1992. He spoke to FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg about the current dangers at Ukraine’s power plants, only three of which – including Rivne – remain under Ukrainian control.

What are the dangers that Ukraine’s nuclear power plants are facing?

There are a lot of different potential scenarios depending on the type of incident. If there is damage to the auxiliary equipment, that is one thing. If there is damage to the primary circuit and the reactor, then that could be something comparable to the Chernobyl disaster or to what happened at Fukushima in Japan – that’s the biggest risk.

Do you think Russian forces might try to deliberately damage the plants?

It’s hard to say whether or not they would do it deliberately or by accident, but the risk exists, and it’s a very big risk in my assessment.

What will you do if the Rivne power station is attacked? 

I want to make it absolutely clear that giving up the station is not an option. No matter the threat to ourselves and the whole world, under no circumstances, no matter how severe the emergency – no one will abandon the power station. This is absolutely certain; you must understand this.  

So you will fight for the station even if that means the risk of facing a nuclear disaster?

So be it – we will not surrender the station.  

… Why should we? It’s our power station, these are our people, our staff, why should we give up anything? That’s why we are ready to fight, ready to defend ourselves, we will defend the power station and no one will surrender it.

But what if there’s a risk of a nuclear accident and everyone would die? What are the chances of this happening?

Well, then we will die. But no one will surrender the power station.

The war is really happening. In Europe or America maybe you think that this war is not really happening. But look what is happening in Mariupol: they are burying people in mass graves, innocent children and civilians are dying. And Kyiv, Kharkiv, Bucha, Hostomel … So what difference does it make? Why should anyone surrender anything? No one will do that. That’s the one thing I can guarantee you.

Could the plant withstand a possible missile hit?

Our blocs are designed to withstand an aeroplane crashing onto them. But an airplane crash and a direct hit by missiles of different calibres are absolutely not the same thing. The maximum impact the power station was designed to resist is a plane falling on its roof. As to what would happen in the case of several missiles hitting the station, no such studies have been done.

Why do you think Russia took over the defunct Chernobyl power station?

It’s very close to the Belarus border and there are very few people there, so it’s a useful bridgehead for amassing forces and materiel. That’s the first thing. And the second thing, clearly, is that there is an element of blackmail involving radioactive material, because there are quite a lot of storage sites at and near the Chernobyl power station containing used fuel, liquid radioactive waste and other things.

Do you think the Ukrainian workers at Chernobyl and at the Zaporizhzhya plant are doing the right thing by continuing to work there?

First, these are our power stations, this is our territory, this is our country. They are going to work and not abandoning their posts. And they are generating electricity for our country. They are doing this today at gunpoint and under great psychological pressure. What this says about how nuclear technicians act in situations of stress, it’s hard to say.

What would you like to hear from Ukraine’s Western partners?

First, there are organisations that oversee nuclear weapons and nuclear power stations across the world. There is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and there is the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) that brings together power station operators from all over the world. We have so far heard nothing concrete from them. Nothing. They mumble something or other but it’s completely ineffective, and they give the impression that they are just trying to cover for themselves somehow. So the first thing I’d like is for those organisations to start seriously warning the world of the dangers of combat operations taking place near nuclear installations, of the huge problem that might become for the world.

As for our European neighbours – first I want to say a huge thank you to the many countries that are today providing us with both humanitarian aid and weapons. This is very important and we will repay you. But you should not be afraid to gather the political will and take stronger steps to defend the European country that is Ukraine.

Do you not worry that the nuclear risks could lead Western countries to pressure Ukraine into compromises?

I’m not a politician, I’m an engineer, I’ve worked in nuclear energy my whole life. So I can’t really comment on this question. All I know is that the time will come when we will all know who was right and who was wrong.

After talking to you I’m more inclined to think that we’ll all be dead soon…

I don’t think that. We don’t think about that. I hope that everything will be OK and the war will end, and then we’ll have a lot of work to do to rebuild this country. My whole family is in this town and we’re not running away, we’re not emigrating.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for CHERNOBYL 

Saudi Aramco reports profit surge on day sites hit by Yemen rebels




Saudi Aramco reports profit surge on day sites hit by Yemen rebelsAn advert for Aramco in Riyadh -- the oil giant offered shares for the first time in 2019, and markets expect it to open up further, as Saudi Arabia seeks funds to diversify its economy 

(AFP/FAYEZ NURELDINE)

Haitham EL-TABEI
Sun, March 20, 2022,

Oil giant Saudi Aramco reported Sunday a 124 percent net profit surge for last year, hours after Yemeni rebels attacked its facilities causing a "temporary" drop in production.

As the world economy started to rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic, "Aramco's net income increased by 124 percent to $110.0 billion in 2021, compared to $49.0 billion in 2020," the company said.

The results followed news of overnight drone and missile strikes by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels which caused no reported casualties but hit targets including Aramco facilities and a water desalination plant.

The drone assault on the YASREF refinery in Yanbu Industrial City on the Red Sea "led to a temporary reduction in the refinery's production, which will be compensated for from the inventory," the Saudi energy ministry said in a statement. It did not provide numbers.


The Saudi-led military coalition which backs Yemen's government said it intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles and drones launched towards Jizan and other areas in the kingdom, causing "damage" to several sites.

"Initial investigations indicate the militia used Iranian cruise missiles that targeted Al-Shaqeeq desalination plant and Aramco's Jizan bulk plant," it said in a statement.

Targets included a Dhahran Al-Janoub power station, an Aramco gas plant in Yanbu and a gas station in Khamis Mushait, it said.

The Huthis confirmed they had launched the drone and missile attacks targeting a number of "vital and important" sites, including Aramco facilities.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan denounced the "terrorist" strikes, saying Washington "will continue to fully support our partners in the defense of their territory from Huthi attacks".

- 'Geopolitical factors' -

In 2019, Huthi-claimed aerial assaults on two Aramco facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia temporarily knocked out half of the kingdom's crude production.

The Saudi energy ministry said in its statement the attacks had targeted a gas plant and the YASREF refinery, which produces 400,000 barrels per day according to its website.

The kingdom, one of the world's top crude exporters, has been under pressure to raise output as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions against Moscow have roiled global energy markets.

Oil-rich Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, have so far resisted the pressure, stressing their commitment to the OPEC+ alliance of oil producers led by Riyadh and Moscow.

Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser cautioned that the company's outlook remained uncertain due in part to "geopolitical factors".

Alluding to the effect price spikes have had on consumers, he noted that "energy security is paramount for billions of people".

"We continue to make progress on increasing our crude oil production capacity, executing our gas expansion program and increasing our liquids to chemicals capacity," Nasser said.

On the latest results, for 2021, he acknowledged that "economic conditions have improved considerably".

The oil giant had in 2019 achieved a net income of $88.2 billion before the pandemic hit global markets, resulting in huge losses for the energy and aviation sectors, among others.

A strong rebound last year saw demand for oil increase and prices recover from their 2020 lows.

Brent crude has repeatedly spiked above $100 per barrel lately, driven by supply concerns centred on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Saudi Aramco also said capital expenditure in 2021 was up 18 percent on 2020 at $31.9 billion, a figure it expected to raise to approximately $40 billion-$50 billion this year, before further growth.

Saudi Arabia has sought both to open up and diversify its oil-reliant economy, especially since Mohammed bin Salman's appointment as crown prince in 2017.

Aramco floated 1.7 percent of its shares on the Saudi bourse in December 2019, generating $29.4 billion in the world's biggest initial public offering.

In February, the kingdom shifted four percent of Aramco shares, worth $80 billion, to the country's sovereign wealth fund -- a move seen as a possible prelude to further opening up the oil giant.

- 'Enabling by Iran' -

The Iran-backed Huthis, against whom Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition in Yemen, have repeatedly targeted the kingdom, including Aramco's sites.

On Sunday evening, the coalition reported a new attack on an Aramco petroleum products distribution station in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, saying it caused a small fire.

In his statement, Sullivan said the Huthis were launching cross-border attacks "with enabling by Iran, which supplies them with missile and UAV components, training, and expertise".

"This is done in violation of UN Security Council resolutions prohibiting the import of weapons into Yemen," he added, calling on the Huthis to cooperate with the UN to de-escalate the conflict.

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Biotech company offers money for poop in Arizona

Seres Therapeutics, a biotech company, is offering money 

for poop donations in Arizona. 

File Photo by Shutterstock/Feng Yu

March 18 (UPI) -- Seres Therapeutics, a biotech company, has opened a donor collection facility to collect poop for cash in Arizona.

The company operates GoodNature, which has set up shop in Tempe and is asking for donations of poop that can earn donors at least $25 and up to $75 per sample.

"Everyone has to do their business. Make sure yours does some good," the GoodNature website states.

GoodNature is looking for healthy adults aged 18 to 50 and notes that donors can earn up to $1,500 a month in compensation.

Potential donors need to have regular bowel movements, are of normal weight, don't smoke, are not pregnant, have no history of gastrointestinal disease or history of alcohol and drug abuse. Donors must also be able to donate poop three to four times a week at the collection site.

The poop is being collected to help lead to future developments in gastrointestinal infections and disorders.

Seres Therapeutics is a publicly-traded company that operates out of Cambridge, Mass. Poop collection programs are also available in Irvine, Calif., and Cambridge.

Wild eastern indigo snake found in Alabama for a second time in 60 years


The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division said an eastern indigo snake found this week in the Conecuh National Forest is only the second of its species to be found in the wild in Alabama in more than 60 years. 

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army/Wikimedia Commons

March 18 (UPI) -- Wildlife officials in Alabama said an eastern indigo snake found in the wild is only the second of the species to be discovered in the state in over 60 years.

The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division said a young eastern indigo snake was found by researchers in Conecuh National Forest.

The division said the snake is the product of natural pairings of snakes released into the national forest as part of the state's eastern indigo project.

The project began releasing captive-raised snakes into the wild in 2010 as part of efforts to establish a population in the wild, but no wild-born eastern indigos were identified by researchers until one was discovered in 2020.

The snake found on Wednesday is only the second of the species found in the wild in over 60 years.

"The snake found yesterday indicates that the project is resulting in some thriving and reproducing indigos -- just what we wanted! Reintroducing a species to its native range is a daunting task, and we celebrate each step of its success," the division said in a Facebook post.

Prince William, Kate Middleton cancel Belize farm trip after protests

Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive on the green carpet for the inaugural Earthshot Prize ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London in October 2021. 

File Photo by Neil Hall/EPA-EFE

March 19 (UPI) -- Prince William and Kate Middleton canceled their scheduled trip to visit a cacao farm in Belize after local residents protested.

The duke and duchess of Cambridge were scheduled to visit the Akte'il Ha cacao farm in the village of Indian Creek to launch a Caribbean tour, The Guardian reported.

"We can confirm that due to sensitive issues involving the community in Indian Creek, the visit has been moved to a different location," a spokesperson for Kensington Palace told the outlet.

The eight-day Caribbean tour has been described as an attempt from the royal family to garner support for the monarchy in the region after Barbados last year became a republic and removed Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state for the former British colony.

Residents in Belize demonstrated against the trip amid a property ownership dispute with Flora and Fauna International, saying that some of the 12,000 acres the conservation non-profit owns near Indian Creek fall within the communal lands of village, local broadcaster Channel 7 reported.

Prince William is a patron of the FFI non-profit and was expected to land by chartered helicopter on a soccer pitch in the village on Sunday, according to the outlet. However, residents said they were not consulted about the decision.

"We don't want them to land in our land, that's the message that we want to send. They could land anywhere but not in our land," village chairman Sebastian Sol told Channel 7.

Dionisio Shol, a local youth leader, said the village is "still suffering from the colonial legacy, which simply means for us Prince William being a patron to FFI is from the colonial era."

In photos to social media, demonstrators held signs with messages such as "colonial legacy of theft continues with Prince & FFI."

Kentucky judge says Kim Davis violated same-sex couples' rights


Kim Davis (C), the Kentucky clerk who defied a federal court order on same-sex marriage, is shown in the center of the back row. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

March 19 (UPI) -- A Kentucky federal judge has ruled that Kim Davis violated two same-sex couples' constitutional rights when she served as a Rowan County clerk years ago.

Davis violated their rights by failing to abide by the law shortly after the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling granted same-sex couples the right to marry across the country, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning of the Eastern District of Kentucky ruled on Friday.

The plaintiffs included David Ermold and David Moore, and James Yates and Will Smith, according to the 22-page ruling.

At the time, Davis stopped issuing marriage licenses to legally eligible couples, claiming qualified immunity based on her religious beliefs. A judge had ordered her to issue the licenses, but she ended up spending five days in jail since she was found in contempt of court for refusing to issue the licenses.

The judge ruled that such immunity would have applied to a mistake, but Davis "knowingly violated the law."

"Ultimately, Davis 'chose to stand for what [she] believe[s] in over what was contrary to that,'--the law," Bunning wrote in the ruling.

The plaintiffs were issued marriages licenses while Davis was in jail for contempt of court, but said they have suffered damages from her denying them the right to marry on multiple occasions beforehand, the court document shows.

"[E]very time I think of my marriage, I have to think about Kim Davis, and the experience, how we were humiliated and treated like less than human beings," the court documented cited plaintiff Ermold saying.

Plaintiffs alleged damages are a question of fact to be determined by a jury, according to the court document, and the judge denied Davis' request for summary judgment on the issue.

This means the case will still go to trial for a jury to decide on damages and a date will likely be set after a status conference on April 1.

Michael Gartland, an attorney for plaintiffs, told WKYT that "the plaintiffs could not be more happy."

"As the court notes in the decision, this case has been pending since 2015," he said. "They couldn't be more happy that they're finally going to get their day in court and they're confident justice will be served."

Liberty Counsel, which represents Davis, said in a statement it will continue to argue that she is not liable for damages.

RELATED Human Rights Campaign refuses money from Disney over anti-LGBTQ laws

"Kim Davis is entitled to protection to an accommodation based on her sincere religious belief," Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said in the statement. "This case raises serious First Amendment free exercise of religion claims and has a higher potential of reaching the Supreme Court."

Davis, a Republican, lost her bid for re-election to county clerk in 2018 to Democrat Elwood Caudill, Jr., who is now the county clerk.

USA

Most medical debt to be removed from credit reports
By Adam Schrader

The three main credit bureaus in the United States have announced new medical debt reporting measures that are expected to remove nearly 70% of medical collections from consumer credit reports. File Photo by Rhona Wise/EPA-EFE

March 19 (UPI) -- The three main credit bureaus in the United States have announced new medical debt reporting measures that are expected to remove nearly 70% of medical collections from consumer credit reports.

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion said in a joint statement Friday that medical debt that was sent to collections but paid off will be removed from credit reports rather than being kept on them for up to seven years.

The credit bureaus also said they would increase the time consumers have to pay unpaid medical bills before they are sent to collections and included on credit reports from six months to a full year.

Those changes are expected to become effective on July 1, according to the credit bureaus.

Additionally, starting in the first half of next year, the company will no longer include medical debt under $500 on credit reports.

The move was praised by President Joe Biden in a statement made to Twitter, crediting the move to a report last month from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

"This is a step in the right direction, thanks to @CFPB," Biden said. "We'll keep fighting for consumers - from increasing transparency to preventing surprise billing and more."

The CFPB report said that medical debt is the most common collection tradeline reported on credit reports but that medical debt collections were "less predictive than non-medical collections of future credit performance."

"Medical debt can also lead people to avoid medical care, develop physical and mental health problems, and face adverse financial consequences like lawsuits, wage and bank account garnishment, home liens, and bankruptcy," the CFPB report reads.

"Given the widespread impact of COVID-19, addressing medical debt is an urgent priority."

'Don't Look Up' director Adam McKay supports Youth Climate Strike LA


Adam McKay, director of "Don't Look Up," joins an indigenous and youth-led coalition during a rally, demanding the United Teachers Association union divest their $20 billion pension fund from fossil fuels at City National Bank in Los Angeles on Friday.

 Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

March 19 (UPI) -- Don't Look Up director Adam McKay turned out to support the Youth Climate Strike Los Angeles.

McKay joined an indigenous and youth-led coalition for a march Friday from Pershing Square to City National Bank where they demanded the United Teachers Association divest its $20 billion pension fund from fossil fuels.

The group is planning another protest on March 25, the day the union is slated to vote on the pension fund.

Adam McKay, director of "Don't Look Up," joins an indigenous and youth-led coalition during a rally, demanding the United Teachers Association union divest their $20 billion pension fund from fossil fuels at City National Bank in Los Angeles on Friday. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

They also complained about the impact the Coastal Gas Link pipeline in British Columbia, Canada, may have on the Wet'suwet'en tribe's territory and water supply.

"You are destroying lives, you are destroying indigenous people," McKay said. "Is it worth it? How much is enough? That's the question we ask you. At what point does human decency enter the board room? That's the question we ask."

Don't Look Up is a black comedy about what happens when powerful people ignore scientists who warn them the end of the world is imminent.

Drought conditions expected to worsen this spring, NOAA says


Dried lake bed bakes in the sun at Nicasio Reservoir in Nicasio, Calif., on July 10. NOAA predicted that for the second year in a row, drought conditions will worsen in the western U.S. due to a dry, hot spring. 

File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

March 18 (UPI) -- Below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures this spring are expected to worsen widespread drought across much of the U.S. West, national forecasters have predicted in a spring outlook report.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center said 60% of the contiguous United States is under moderate to exceptional dry conditions this week, and that will only worsen as spring advances.

"Severe to exceptional drought has persisted in some areas of the West since the summer of 2020 and drought has expanded to the southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley," said Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch at the Climate Prediction Center. "With nearly 60% of the continental U.S. experiencing minor to exceptional drought conditions, this is the largest drought coverage we've seen in the U.S. since 2013."

Gottschalck said it's likely some drought areas will become worse, increasing wildfire risk across the Southwest, Southern Plains and Central Plains. Drought conditions aren't likely to improve until late-summer monsoon season.

Above-average temperatures are expected in the Southern Rockies and Southern Plains, with below-average temperatures most likely in the Pacific Northwest and southeast Alaska.

Despite drought conditions in the West, NOAA said above-average precipitation is expected in parts of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and the west coast of Alaska. There's a minor-to-moderate flood risk in the eastern United States and Alaska.

"Due to late fall and winter precipitation, which saturated soils and increased streamflows, major flood risk potential is expected for the Red River of the North in North Dakota and moderate flood potential for the James River in South Dakota," said Ed Clark, director of NOAA's National Water Center.

Biden hails 'bold' ideas of new biomedicine research agency


President Joe Biden meets with researchers and patients to discuss ARPA-H, a new health research agency dealing with curing cancer and other health innovations, in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday. 

Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo


March 18 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden on Friday praised the government spending bill Congress passed this week for creating an agency focused on breakthroughs in biomedicine.

He said the Advanced research Projects Agency for Health will seek to precent, detect and treat diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes. He thanked members of Congress for ensuring the agency received $1 billion in funding through the government spending bill.

Biden said the ARPA-H is modeled on the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, which focuses on breakthroughs in security technologies.

"Like DARPA, ARPA-H will pursue ideas that break the mold on how we normally support fundamental research and commercial products in this country," he said during an event in the South Court Auditorium at the White House. "Ideas so bold no one else, not even the private sector, is willing to give them a chance or to sink a lot of money into trying to solve."

Biden met with researchers and patients to discuss the new initiative, including a patient who uses a prosthetic arm that provides a sense of touch thanks to DARPA research. He also spoke with Alondra Nelson, director of the Office on Science and Technology, and presidential science adviser Francis Collins, "to talk about how we ensure ARPA-H ... harnesses the powers and possibilities of science and technology to benefit all of America; to focus on equity, because every American should have access to cutting-edge healthcare innovations; and to ... make the impossible possible."