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Daily News: 04/2012

April 30, 2012

James Risen, "Experts Believe Iran Conflict Is Less Likely" New York Times / April 30, 2012 WASHINGTON — After a winter of alarm over the possibility that a military conflict over the Iranian nuclear program might be imminent, American officials and outside analysts now believe that the chances of war in the near future have significantly decreased. ... View Source ›

"IAEA to resume Iran talks in mid-May " Reuters / April 29, 2012 VIENNA: The United Nations nuclear watchdog confirmed yesterday it will resume talks with Iran in mid-May, more than two months after the last meeting over concerns about the Islamic state’s atomic activities ended in failure.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "China wants 'drastic' U.S., Russia nuclear arms cuts" Reuters / April 30, 2012 VIENNA (Reuters) - China called on the United States and Russia on Monday to make further "drastic" cuts in their nuclear arsenals and said all states with atomic arms should undertake not to be the first to use them. ... View Source ›

Steve Herman, "Expectation Grows for Potential North Korean Nuclear Test" Voice of America / April 30, 2012 North Korea is giving no official indication it is preparing a third attempted nuclear test. But reports abroad say such an underground detonation could come at any time. ... View Source ›

Ladane Nasseri , "Iran Nuclear Power Plant Works at Near Full Capacity, IRNA Says" Bloomberg / April 30, 2012 Iran’s first nuclear power plant was connected at almost full capacity to the national power grid on April 28, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who heads the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization. ... View Source ›

Paul Richter, "Officials: U.S. could agree to limited Iranian uranium enrichment" Los Angeles Times / April 27, 2012 In a major concession, Obama administration officials say they could support allowing Iran to continue a crucial element of its disputed nuclear program if the government in Tehran took other major steps to curb its ability to develop a nuclear bomb.... View Source ›

"Austria Says Pakistan, India Acting Irresponsibly With Missile Tests" Global Security Newswire / April 27, 2012 Austria's foreign policy chief on Thursday strongly criticized Pakistan and India's recent ballistic missile trial launches, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, April 26).... View Source ›

April 27, 2012

Dan Williams, "Barak restates Israeli hard line on nuclear Iran" Reuters / April 27, 2012 (Reuters) - Defense Minister Ehud Barak restated Israel's fears of a nuclear-armed Iran on Thursday after his top general clashed with the government's line by describing the Islamic republic as "very rational" and unlikely to build a bomb.... View Source ›

"Panetta hopes Israeli general 'correct' on Iran" Agence France-Presse / April 26, 2012 SANTIAGO — US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Thursday he hopes that statements from Israel's military chief describing Iran's leadership as rational were "correct."... View Source ›

"Russia Sees North Korea Detonating Nuke Device Within Days" Global Security Newswire / April 26, 2012 An anonymous Russian defense official told Kyodo News on Wednesday his government has increased its threat alert as there is a chance North Korea will detonate a third nuclear test device within the next seven days (see GSN, April 25).... View Source ›

"Ukrainian Premier Mykola Azarov has stated that Ukraine should develop nuclear power industry under conditions of overcoming an " Interfax / April 26, 2012 Ukrainian Premier Mykola Azarov has stated that Ukraine should develop nuclear power industry under conditions of overcoming an economic crisis, as it has no other alternatives.... View Source ›

"Europe gets more time for nuclear stress tests" Reuters / April 26, 2012 BRUSSELS, April 26 (Reuters) - European states are to get extra time to carry out further tests on nuclear plants, to ensure they can withstand natural and man-made disasters, Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said, before any laws to improve nuclear safety are proposed.... View Source ›

Steve Herman , "N. Korea's Neighbors Oppose New Nuclear Test" Voice of America / April 26, 2012 South Korea and China are warning North Korea of consequences if it goes ahead with a third nuclear test. ... View Source ›

"Hong Kong holds nuclear accident drill at Daya Bay power plant " Agence France-Presse / April 26, 2012 HONG KONG (AFP) - Hong Kong held a nuclear emergency drill on Thursday involving over 1,000 officials and foreign experts, the city's first exercise since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year. ... View Source ›

April 26, 2012

"Iran Says It May Halt Nuclear Program Over Sanctions" Bloomberg / April 26, 2012 Iran is considering a Russian proposal to halt the expansion of its nuclear program in order to avert new sanctions, the country’s envoy in Moscow said. ... View Source ›

Alexei Anishchuk, "Russia says Iran, West "interested" in nuclear offer" Reuters / April 25, 2012 MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian diplomat said on Wednesday that Iran and Western nations had shown interest in a Russian proposal aimed to help defuse the standoff over Tehran's nuclear programme, but suggested it had not been the focus of talks this month.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl , "Ex-Iran negotiator: "historic" chance for nuke talks" Reuters / April 25, 2012 VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran and major nations have a "historic opportunity" to settle their decade-old nuclear dispute, but requiring the Islamic state to stop higher-grade uranium enrichment would be discriminatory, Tehran's former chief nuclear negotiator said.... View Source ›

"Reagan era envoy found Pakistan 'lied' on nukes " Agence France-Presse / April 26, 2012 AFP - US officials concluded in the 1980s that Pakistan was lying about its nuclear program but muted criticism due to Islamabad's support against the Soviets in Afghanistan, declassified documents showed.... View Source ›

"Arms Control Consensus Eludes U.N. Disarmament Commission" Global Security Newswire / April 26, 2012 The U.N. Disarmament Commission failed to achieve uniform agreement on any advisory statements to other international arms control bodies before ending its annual session on Friday, the disarmament advocacy organization Reaching Critical Will said (see GSN, April 6).... View Source ›

"South Asian Nuclear War Would Upend World Food Supply: Analysis" Global Security Newswire / April 25, 2012 A nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would produce airborne debris that would poison distant crop fields with radioactive material and curb worldwide precipitation and heat levels, disrupting global agriculture and potentially causing the starvation of more than 1 billion people, according to an independent analysis issued on Tuesday (see GSN, Feb. 24, 2011).... View Source ›

"IAEA representatives to visit Azerbaijan" News.Az / April 26, 2012 The representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Azerbaijan at the beginning of May. ... View Source ›

April 25, 2012

Stepan Kravchenko & Henry Meyer, "Iran Considers Halting Nuclear Expansion to Avert EU Oil Ban" Bloomberg / April 25, 2012 Iran is considering a Russian proposal to halt the expansion of its nuclear program in order to avert new sanctions, the country’s envoy in Moscow said. ... View Source ›

"Japan fears nuclear plant sits atop active geological fault" Reuters / April 25, 2012 TOKYO (Reuters) - A nuclear plant in northwestern Japan may be sitting right on top of an active geological fault, the country's nuclear watchdog has said, raising the risk that the facility may never resume power generation for fear of an earthquake.... View Source ›

"Pakistan tests nuclear-capable ballistic missile days after archenemy India's launch" CBS/Associated Press / April 25, 2012 (CBS/AP) ISLAMABAD - Pakistan successfully launched an upgraded ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead Wednesday, days after its neighbor and archenemy India conducted its own missile test, the Pakistani military said.... View Source ›

"Iran undecided on nuclear bomb - Israel military chief" BBC / April 25, 2012 The head of the Israeli military has said he does not think Iran will develop nuclear weapons.... View Source ›

"White House warns North Korea" Agence France-Presse / April 24, 2012 WASHINGTON — The White House warned North Korea Monday that bellicose behavior did nothing to ease its isolation or feed its people, after Pyongyang's military threatened to turn parts of Seoul to "ashes."... View Source ›

Andrea Thomas, Jan Hromadko, & Friedrich Geiger, "Merkel Looks to Map Out Nuclear Exit " Wall Street Journal / April 25, 2012 BERLIN—German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited the country's four main utilities to a May 2 meeting to begin hashing out how best to fill the void in its future energy capacity, a year after she decided to rapidly shift away from nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. ... View Source ›

"Russian Military Concedes Iran, N. Korea Nuclear Threat" RIA Novosti / April 24, 2012 Russia's military leadership has for the first time acknowledged a nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea.... View Source ›

April 24, 2012

Benjamin Kang Lim, "Exclusive: North Korea's nuclear test ready "soon"" Reuters / April 24, 2012 BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters, which will draw further international condemnation following a failed rocket launch if it goes ahead.... View Source ›

"Iran says nuclear 'capabilities' must be recognised" Agence France-Presse / April 23, 2012 Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said on Monday the West has to give a "correct assessment" of his country's atomic capabilities in important talks due to be held in Baghdad next week.... View Source ›

Marcus George, "Iran says it fended off cyber attack on its IT systems" Reuters / April 24, 2012 (Reuters) - The Iranian oil ministry said on Tuesday its IT systems had suffered no lasting damage from a suspected cyber attack, but its experts would require two or three days to investigate and address the impact of the virus.... View Source ›

Joshua Norman , "Some Japanese towns to stay dangerously radioactive for at least a decade" CBS / April 23, 2012 (CBS News) As Japan continues to clean up after the deadly earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 16,000 people on March 11, 2011, one thing is clear: something went really wrong at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and the people who lived nearby will suffer for decades as a result.... View Source ›

"Pakistan Renews Demand For Entry to Global Atomic Energy Market" Global Security Newswire / April 23, 2012 Pakistan on Thursday renewed its demand that it be allowed to purchase sensitive atomic energy technology on the international market in a "nondiscriminatory" manner, the Daily Times reported (see GSN, Feb. 14).... View Source ›

"New comments from a leading Iranian religious figure offer further indications that the nation might be prepared to offer greate" Global Security Newswire / April 23, 2012 New comments from a leading Iranian religious figure offer further indications that the nation might be prepared to offer greater flexibility in negotiating a resolution to concerns over its controversial nuclear program, Reuters reported on Friday (see GSN, April 20).... View Source ›

"Toshiba secures Niger uranium supplies" World Nuclear News / April 23, 2012 Toshiba has secured the right to a "significant portion" of the output from the planned Madaouela uranium mine in Niger under a convertible debt-financing agreement with exploration and development company GoviEx.... View Source ›

April 20, 2012

Fredrik Dahl, "Iran open for IAEA talks, no word on Parchin: diplomats" Reuters / April 19, 2012 (Reuters) - Iran says it is ready to resume talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog two months after their last meeting ended in failure, but still appears to be stonewalling a request for access to a key military site, Western diplomats said on Thursday.... View Source ›

"Namibia To Host Regional Seminar On Processing, Control Of Uranium" Bernama / April 20, 2012 WINDHOEK, April 20 (NNN- NAMPA) -- Namibia, in conjunction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will host a regional seminar on good practices in the processing and control of uranium ore concentrate next week.... View Source ›

"Dialogue conducive to solving Korean Peninsula, Iran nuclear issues: China " Xinhua / April 20, 2012 China said Thursday that dialogue is conducive to the proper settlement of the Korean Peninsula and Iran nuclear issues, and called on all relevant parties to engage in negotiations to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula and in the Middle East.... View Source ›

"Too early to tell on North Korean leader: Clinton" Reuters / April 19, 2012 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered some hope on Wednesday that North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, may yet change course despite the reclusive Communist state's recent rocket launch and the threat of a new nuclear test. ... View Source ›

Hiroshi Nakano, "Hiroshima to rate nuclear powers' disarmament efforts" Asahi / April 19, 2012 HIROSHIMA--Hiroshima Prefecture will assemble a team of international experts for a project that rates the endeavors of nuclear powers to curtail their nuclear arsenals.... View Source ›

"Amid nuclear talks, Iran warns of cutting oil to more EU states" Associated Press / April 20, 2012 Recent Iranian measures against Britain, France, Greece and Spain, meant as pre-emptive retaliation ahead of an EU oil embargo that is due to go into effect in July.... View Source ›

Matthew Daly, "Obama to renominate GOP nuclear regulator" Bloomberg / April 19, 2012 President Barack Obama will nominate Republican Kristine Svinicki to a new term on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, despite opposition from two top Democratic senators.... View Source ›

April 19, 2012

Haider Rizvi, "Pakistan, India priorities: UN panel questions nuclear expenses" The Express Tribune / April 18, 2012 UNITED NATIONS: Nuclear powers, including Pakistan and India, are now facing mounting international scrutiny for spending hefty amounts of national resources on nuclear weapons rather than education and health.... View Source ›

"IAEA Head Inspects Medzamor Nuclear Plant" RFE / April 18, 2012 YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations nuclear watchdog, inspected the nuclear plant at Medzamor and discussed with Armenian leaders their plans to delay its decommissioning during a visit to Armenia on Wednesday.... View Source ›

"India Extends Missile Range, Raising Fear of Arms Race" New York Times / April 19, 2012 NEW DELHI — India said Thursday that it had successfully launched a missile with nuclear capability and a range of 3,100 miles, giving it the ability to strike Beijing and Shanghai and heightening fears of an Asian arms race. ... View Source ›

"UAE Promotes Nonproliferation "Gold Standard" for Nuclear Energy Programs" Global Security Newswire / April 19, 2012 The United Arab Emirates said that nations considering atomic energy programs should avoid establishing uranium enrichment operations that could be used to produce power reactor fuel as well as nuclear-weapon material, the National newspaper reported on Thursday (see GSN, March 9).... View Source ›

Roberta Rampton, "Turmoil at U.S. nuclear regulator spills into Congress" Reuters / April 19, 2012 (Reuters) - A toxic internal battle that has scarred the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission as it works on historic reforms now threatens to hold up the work of the U.S. Senate as leaders spar over an opening on the five-member panel. ... View Source ›

"South Korea Declares Ability to Strike Deep Into North" Voice of America / April 19, 2012 South Korea says it has deployed a new cruise missile capable of striking North Korean nuclear and missile sites.... View Source ›

"Landmarks for new Chinese nuclear plants" World Nuclear News / April 18, 2012 Construction projects in China have moved forward with the dome of unit 1 of the Fangchenggang plant being lowered into place and heavy components for the primary reactor coolant system of the first EPR at Taishan have being delivered from France.... View Source ›

April 18, 2012

Choe Sang-hun, "North Korea Says It Will Abandon Deal With U.S." New York Times / April 18, 2012 SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said on Tuesday that it was abandoning an agreement it made in February with the United States, in which it promised to suspend uranium enrichment, nuclear tests and long-range missile tests.... View Source ›

"China calls for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" Reuters / April 18, 2012 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, after North Korea said it was ready to retaliate in the face of international condemnation over its failed rocket launch.... View Source ›

"Trial Launch Looms for Indian Nuke-Capable Missile That Can Strike Beijing" Global Security Newswire / April 18, 2012 India is just days or even hours away from the initial trial flight of its longest-range nuclear-capable missile, a weapon that analysts say could change the security dynamic with neighboring China (see GSN, April 12).... View Source ›

Rick Gladstone, "Top Iran Nuclear Scientist, Once Targeted for Assassination, Gets New Emergency Post" New York Times / April 17, 2012 The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, a top nuclear scientist who narrowly avoided an assassination attempt less than two years ago, has been given a new post as the commander for nuclear and radioactive emergencies, the Iranian military announced Tuesday. ... View Source ›

"UN nuclear watchdog says now unlikely to visit N. Korea" Reuters / April 18, 2012 VIENNA - The UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday it was now unlikely to visit North Korea after Pyongyang announced it was no longer bound by an agreement with the United States for a moratorium on missile and nuclear tests.... View Source ›

Sarah McFarlane, "Iran starts feed grain imports as sanctions bite" Reuters / April 18, 2012 (Reuters) - Iran state feed agency SLAL is tendering to buy corn and soybean meal, European traders said on Wednesday, needed to feed the country's large livestock herds as private importers struggle with trade financing due to Western sanctions.... View Source ›

April 17, 2012

Ori Lewis, "Nuclear talks don't exempt Iran from attack: Barak" Reuters / April 17, 2012 (Reuters) - Israel's defense minister said on Tuesday that Israeli military action against Iran remains an option even while nuclear negotiations are under way, and voiced strong doubts whether the talks would succeed.... View Source ›

"U.N. Security Council Rebukes North Korea Over Rocket Firing" Global Security Newswire / April 16, 2012 The U.N. Security Council on Monday in a unanimous statement rebuked North Korea for firing a rocket last week and demanded the country cease all missile and nuclear testing, Reuters reported (see GSN, April 13).... View Source ›

"Sarkozy denies hawking nuclear reactor to Gaddafi" Reuters / April 17, 2012 PARIS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Sarkozy denied on Tuesday an allegation by the former head of French nuclear group Areva that he had sought to sell a nuclear reactor to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi until mid-2010.... View Source ›

"Russian Nuclear Reactors’ Designer Held on Suspicion of Fraud" RIA Novosti / April 17, 2012 The head of the Russian nuclear reactor design bureau Gidropress, a subsidiary of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, Viktor Mokhov has been detained on suspicion of an 18-million-ruble ($600,000) fraud scheme.... View Source ›

"Turkey Confiscates Potential Radiological "Dirty Bomb" Substance" Global Security Newswire / April 17, 2012 Turkish authorities have confiscated a small quantity of cesium 137 after following up on information indicating the radioactive material had been trafficked into the nation from Georgia, RTT News reported last week (see GSN, Nov. 22, 2010).... View Source ›

"Home > News U.S. looking at 'all options' on North Korea as nuclear test looms" Reuters / April 17, 2012 SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States is looking at "all options" as it seeks to discourage North Korea from conducting a third nuclear test, a senior U.S. military officer said on Tuesday, days after a failed long-range rocket launch by the North that drew international condemnation.... View Source ›

"U.S. Running Low on Working Nuclear Weapons Design, Testing Specialists" Global Security Newswire / April 16, 2012 The U.S. government within the next half decade expects to have lost to retirement all scientists who have done hands-on work in the blueprinting and trial explosions of nuclear weapons, Defense News reported on Saturday (see GSN, March 30).... View Source ›

April 16, 2012

Steven Erlanger, "At Nuclear Talks, Iran and 6 Nations Agree to Meet Again" New York Times / April 14, 2012 ISTANBUL — Iran and six world powers agreed Saturday to hold a new round of talks in Baghdad on May 23, Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said after the first meeting in nearly 15 months on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program. ... View Source ›

"Report: Iran FM says Tehran can solve nuclear dispute ‘quickly’ in Baghdad talks" Associated Press / April 16, 2012 TEHRAN, Iran — A semiofficial Iranian news agency is quoting the country’s foreign minister as saying that Tehran is ready to resolve all of its nuclear disputes in talks with world powers scheduled for late May in Baghdad.... View Source ›

"Kim Jong-Il's will demands WMDs " Agence France-Presse / April 13, 2012 KIM Jong-Il's will urges North Korea to develop weapons of mass destruction, a top defector has said.... View Source ›

Barak Ravid, "Iranian nuclear scientists were present at failed North Korean missile launch, says source" Haaretz / April 16, 2012 Anonymous diplomatic source tells South Korea's state news agency 12 Iranian officials observed the failed missile launch last week in North Korea. ... View Source ›

"Four states seek EU nuclear power subsidies: report" Agence France-Presse / April 13, 2012 Britain, the Czech Republic, France and Poland are calling for nuclear power to receive similar subsidies from the EU as wind and solar energy, a German newspaper said Friday.... View Source ›

"Sri Lanka sets up radiation warning system" ColomboPage / April 14, 2012 Apr 14, Colombo: Sri Lanka has taken measures to establish a warning system to alert to the danger of radiation in an event of a leak from the nuclear plants in neighboring India. ... View Source ›

"U.N. council to "strongly condemn" botched North Korea launch" Reuters / April 16, 2012 (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council agreed on Monday to issue a statement that "strongly condemns" North Korea's rocket launch and asks its sanctions committee to consider expanding its blacklist of sanctioned goods, firms and individuals, envoys said.... View Source ›