AROUND THE GLOBE - Russia Restricts Uranium Exports

The Russian government has imposed restrictions on the export of enriched uranium to the United States. The move is expected to create supply risks for U.S. nuclear power plants which last year imported a quarter of their enriched uranium from Russia. 

A Russian spokesperson said the temporary restrictions were in response to Washington’s ban on imports of Russian uranium, which was signed into law earlier this year, but contained waivers allowing for shipments to continue in the event of supply concerns through 2027.

Russia is the world’s 6th largest producer of  uranium and controls about 44% of global uranium enrichment capacity. 

Canada on Track to become Next Nuclear Superpower

Canada, rich with high grade deposits of uranium could become the next nuclear energy superpower, in the wake of uranium  making a comeback as an energy resource, due to a renewed focus on nuclear energy as a climate crisis solution. 

In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan badly damaged the world’s view of nuclear power, and the price for the heavy metal uranium, a critical component of nuclear fuel, collapsed.

But for the last five years there has been a reversal, with the global price of uranium spiking by more than 200%, becoming one of the year’s top-performing commodities.

This change in perception could easily be tracked back to Microsoft founder Bill Gates touting nuclear energy as “ideal for dealing with climate change” in 2018. Four years later, the UK pushed forward a policy of generating at least 25% of the country’s energy from nuclear power. Shortly after, the European Union voted to declare nuclear energy climate friendly.

The Canadian company NexGen Energy owns the largest in-development uranium mine in Canada, located in Canada’s remote, uranium-rich Athabasca Basin, in northern Saskatchewan. The company, whose market cap has increased by 62% in the last year, is now worth over $4 billion, despite the fact the mine won’t be commercially operational until at least 2028.

Even though other companies have rushed to get in on the Saskatchewan uranium boom, NexGen’s project alone could push Canada to become the world’s largest producer of uranium over the coming decade, knocking Kazakhstan out of the number one spot.  

Nuclear energy is often hailed for its low carbon emissions compared to other energy sources like natural gas or coal. Right now, 10% of power generated worldwide comes from nuclear sources, while more than 50% is still generated by gas or coal. 

Trump Set to Recognize Somaliland Independence

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to consider formally recognizing Somaliland’s independence, following a successful election in the self-declared African Republic.

Somaliland, a former British protectorate in the Horn of Africa near the Gulf of Aden, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after years of civil war. 

One of Trump’s last orders as President was to withdraw US troops from Somalia, but then when Biden took office he countermanded that order, 

“There is nothing that Trump hates more than someone overruling him,” claimed a source close to the situation.

While Somaliland has close ties with the UK as a former part of the empire, the only country which recognizes it is Ethiopia, which signed a deal for access to the sea at the port of Berbera.    

Biden First President to Visit Amazon Rainforest

President Joe Biden became the first sitting President to step foot in the Amazon Rainforest. The region, roughly the size of Australia, plays a crucial role in storing carbon dioxide, a key factor in global warming. 

During his visit, Biden signed a declaration making November 17 International Conservation Day. He vowed that the United States would spend millions of dollars on restoring land, planting native tree species, supporting biodiversity efforts and increasing fertilizer efficiency programs in the Amazon.

Flanked by giant ferns in the forest, Biden said the fight against climate change has been a defining cause of his presidency. He said he has pushed for cleaner air, water and energy and achieved legislation that steered unprecedented federal spending to the fight against global warming. 

He is about to hand off the Presidency to  Trump, who is highly unlikely to prioritize the Amazon or anything related to climate change, which he has cast as a hoax. The incoming Trump administration vows to spur fossil fuel production and scale back efforts against climate change.

UN Official Urges Transfer to UN Peacekeeping in Haiti

With extreme levels of gang violence continuing to erode state authority in Haiti and no improvement in sight, a senior United Nations official, at a Security Council meeting, urged Member States to boost their contributions and transform a Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti into a UN peacekeeping operation.

“Haiti is at a crossroads,” one UN official stated. “The security crisis continues to intensify.” He cited a series of shocking incidents of recent weeks, with four commercial aircraft struck by gang related gunfire, resulting in the closing of Port-au-Prince’s International Airport. 

Meanwhile, armed gangs, which for decades were confined to big-city slums, have made territorial advances in strategic areas and now control an estimated 85% of the capital, resulting in Haitians increasingly taking matters into their own hands, turning to mob justice as over 700,000 people have been displaced due to the ongoing gang violence.     

Reportedly, armed groups have been looting and torching houses, mutilating and murdering people, and burning bodies in plain sight. The UN Secretary-General recently warned that insecurity in the capital Port-au-Prince had “reached levels comparable to countries in armed conflict.”

Still, everyone is not in agreement on the positive effects of the UN’s ongoing involvement in Haiti.

“Haiti has been under US and UN occupation for 21 of the last 30 years,” declared Dan Cohen, investigative journalist and filmmaker. He pointed out: “Those two-plus decades of occupation never achieved their stated goals. These UN troops were responsible for crimes against the Haitian people, from the introduction of cholera to the rape of children, for which they were never held accountable. The proposed UN peace-keeping intervention is like the Support Mission, a violation of Haitian law and the UN charter.” Cohen went on to state that his many visits to the country have made clear that most Haitians do not want another intervention in their country. 

Nevertheless, unless it’s not too late, some interventive actions by global interests need to be taken before the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere collapses into chaotic gang rule, and the stench of genocide hangs over the good people of Haiti.