4th Nov 2025: AUKUS, Zirconium, Nuclear Testing.

Mouse plague in Australia 4 years ago, here and above. It may happen again in 2025-26.
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1. There could be a mouse plague in southeastern Australia over the next 6 months due to higher rainfall this year is some parts. The plague starts in grain growing areas and then spreads to coastal areas in high green and brown grass. Then mice move to food sources inside houses and supermarkets, etc. As well as crop damage mice eat electrical wiring of fridges, cars and tractors is destructive. 

2. The AUKUS deal is not guaranteed despite Mr Trump's vague endorsement. The first Virginia nuclear sub may arrive here in 2043 not the originally envisaged 2032. The only 2 US submarine factories must complete the higher priority Columbia-class nuclear missile subs first – due to happen by 2042 or later. Only then can they speed up production of the Virginias to 4 a year – sufficient to export Virginias to Australia. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-22/concern-remain-over-aukus-following-trump-talk/105918678

3. In 2006 Australia signed a deal to export vast amounts of Uranium (U) to China. This may not have meant Aussie U going into Chinese nuclear weapons. But it freed up China's own U mines to concentrate their production for Chinese nuclear weapons, All this means Australia is party to an indirect bilateral supply chain for Chinese nuclear weapons. 

4. More recently 2 Chinese companies are the largest shareholders in 2 Australian mines producing minerals vital for China’s hypersonic missiles and nuclear programs. The Australian government even gave one of the Chinese companies a $160 million soft loan to help it into production. China depends on imports for its supply of critical mineral Zirconium. Australia is the world's largest Zirconium producer and supplies China with 41% of its Zirconium supplies. Australian Zirconium eventually finds its way to Chinese and Russian weapons – see https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-03/china-critical-mineral-nuclear-program-australia-supplying/105951072

5. Trump has called for the US to immediately restart the process for testing nuclear weapons. He did not specify what that would involve apart from being "on equal basis" with other countries' (mainly Russia and China) testing programs. Nuclear explosions? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-01/what-donald-trump-us-nuclear-weapons-testing-would-mean/105955836

6. Because hybrid and electric vehicles are very silent when backing up, travelling a few 100 meters forward or a whole trip new government regulations will require an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS). Drivers of EVs are able to choose the sound effect - from ghost moaning, ice cream van jingles, to Teslas farting. Listen to this https://youtu.be/seEVSFq3FmE?si=NaDr0uSmTd8lZ9Ia

7. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor is moving into another mansion, early next year. This time on the royal 5 mansion and one palace size Sandringham estate. At least 2 layers of security cover the perimeter of the entire 20,000 acre Sandringham Estate. Andrew will not need to contribute to those layers of security. So this means Andrew is hardly the paying private citizen many British public and many Parliamentarians demanded.

8. Cute Animal Corner: People on a whale watching tour off the California coast were lucky enough to spot a gray whale giving birth. After seeing a pool of blood, the tourists feared the whale had encountered a predator. But they soon saw a smaller fluke, or tail, poke out from under the water. The newborn calf nuzzled as the mom held it up because newborn whales cannot swim well for 24 hours until their tails become rigid.

9. Large software upgrades often cause grief as Australian telecommunication carriers and large banks are increasingly experiencing. This is the old Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) all-Australia-rain-weather-radar MAP the BOM deleted 2 weeks ago - that the BOM was forced by huge political pressure to reinstate: https://reg.bom.gov.au/products/national_radar_sat.loop.shtml .