Home
Daily News

Daily News: 06/2012

June 29, 2012

Julian Borger & Saeed Kamali Dehghan, "Iran sanctions will halve oil sales but may still not succeed" The Guardian / June 28, 2012 The EU's oil embargo comes into full effect on Sunday, marking a dramatic escalation in the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme. But while the sanctions are biting deeper into Iranians' lives with each passing day, it is less clear whether they will alter the minds of the Tehran leadership.... View Source ›

"India, South Korea to enhance nuclear ties " IANS / June 29, 2012 New Delhi, June 29: Seeking to upgrade their bilateral ties, India and South Korea Thursday decided to step up cooperation in the areas of civil nuclear energy and space, including the launch of Korean satellites by India.... View Source ›

"Filipino Lawmaker Wants Investigation Into Docking of U.S. Nuclear Vessels" Global Security Newswire / June 28, 2012 A Filipino lawmaker is calling for a congressional investigation regarding whether the docking of atomic-powered U.S. submarines and other naval vessels in Subic Bay represents a breach of the prohibition against nuclear weapons anywhere in the Philippines, the local Business World newspaper reported on Tuesday (see GSN, Jan. 20).... View Source ›

"Japan's TEPCO to drop nuclear exports: report" Agence France-Presse / June 28, 2012 TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Electric Power Co. is to abandon plans to export its nuclear power plant expertise as it struggles to cope with the Fukushima disaster, news reports said Thursday, June 28.... View Source ›

"Nearly All High-Security Atomic Material Pulled From Livermore Lab" Global Security Newswire / June 28, 2012 The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has transferred all but 3 percent of its closely guarded "special nuclear material" to other government sites, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced on Wednesday (see GSN, Nov. 11, 2010).... View Source ›

Natasha Mozgovaya, "Top Iran official: U.S. threats of military attack against nuclear program are empty" Haaretz / June 29, 2012 U.S. warnings of the possibility of a military strike against Iran are void, and only meant to undermine the stability of other nations, a senior Iranian official told the state-run television outlet Press TV on Thursday. ... View Source ›

"Tougher U.S. Line Might Have Precluded Nuclear Deal With Iran: Envoys" Global Security Newswire / June 28, 2012 The latest multilateral gathering on Iran's disputed nuclear efforts might have failed to yield a bargain due in part to a less flexible posture assumed by the Obama administration, al-Monitor on Wednesday quoted sources from participating governments as saying (see GSN, June 27).... View Source ›

June 28, 2012

Ramin Mostaghim & Paul Richter, "Iran sanctions are about to get tougher" Los Angeles Times / June 28, 2012 TEHRAN — As the West has tightened its economic chokehold in an effort to force Iran's government to scale back its growing nuclear program, Iranians have coped by cutting back.... View Source ›

"Japan, South Korea to Ink Pact on Intelligence Sharing: Report" Global Security Newswire / June 27, 2012 Japan and South Korea are close to formalizing an accord on the sharing of critical data related to North Korea's WMD efforts, a government insider in Seoul told the Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday (see GSN, June 5).... View Source ›

Ashok Pradhan, "India to establish nuclear reactor that uses Thorium as fuel: Atomic Energy Commission" TNN / June 27, 2012 BHUBANESWAR: India is planning to establish a nuclear power plant that uses thorium as main fuel instead of uranium, which is used in the conventional reactors. "It is natural for India to go for thorium reactors given the abundance in its supply in the country. We are in the process of selecting an appropriate site for establishing one," said Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman R K Sinha.... View Source ›

"China reports milestone in operating nuclear accelerator" Xinhua / June 27, 2012 BEIJING, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The tandem accelerator in China's first major accelerator lab on nuclear physics had safely run for 100,000 hours by last week, according to a Wednesday statement from the China Institute of Atomic Energy.... View Source ›

"Authors of Cargo Screening Mandate Upset Over Lack of DHS Action" Global Security Newswire / June 27, 2012 In a Tuesday New York Times column, three Democratic lawmakers took the Homeland Security Department to task for failing to carry out a 2007 congressional mandate that all U.S.-bound cargo be scanned for weapon-usable radioactive materials and other threats prior to leaving foreign seaports (see GSN, June 12).... View Source ›

Yoko Kubota & Osamu Tsukimori, "Japan utility shareholders vote to keep nuclear power" Reuters / June 27, 2012 (Reuters) - Shareholders of Japan's two biggest electricity companies voted on Wednesday to stick with nuclear power despite rising public opposition after the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years in March last year.... View Source ›

"Russia, U.S. Discuss Atomic Protection Initiatives" Global Security Newswire / June 27, 2012 Russia and the United States on Tuesday indicated they would continue to take steps to guard against the illicit acquisition of atomic substances, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, June 26).... View Source ›

June 27, 2012

"Seismologists warn Japan against nuclear restart" Reuters / June 26, 2012 (Reuters) - Two prominent seismologists said on Tuesday that Japan is ignoring the safety lessons of last year's Fukushima crisis and warned against restarting two reactors next month.... View Source ›

"South Korean Envoy Sees Few Prospects For New Nuke Talks With North" Global Security Newswire / June 26, 2012 South Korea's senior nuclear negotiator on Sunday said for the foreseeable future there is a low likelihood of new nuclear talks with North Korea, the Washington Times reported (see GSN, June 25).... View Source ›

"Russia and US discuss nuclear cooperation plans" Associated Press / June 26, 2012 MOSCOW – The U. S. deputy energy secretary says the United States and Russia are planning to enhance cooperation in nuclear reactor design, while maintaining joint efforts to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands.... View Source ›

"Iran Faces Further EU Heat, Outreach" Global Security Newswire / June 26, 2012 The European Union's top diplomat on Monday said the 27-nation bloc would seek additional common ground with Iran in a meeting set for next week while also ramping up the temperature in the longstanding atomic impasse, ITAR-Tass reported (see GSN, June 25).... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "West worried by China-Pakistan atomic ties: sources" Reuters / June 27, 2012 (Reuters) - Western states pressured China at closed-door talks last week to address concerns about its plans to expand a nuclear power plant in Pakistan and provide more information, but were rebuffed, two diplomatic sources said on Wednesday. ... View Source ›

"Report: Nuclear safety chief bullied workers" Associated Press / June 26, 2012 WASHINGTON (AP) — An internal investigation has concluded that the departing chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission engaged in bullying and intimidation, creating a tense working environment at the agency.... View Source ›

Brian Wheeler , "Nuclear power plant construction to continue globally, bilateral agreements key" Power Engineering / June 26, 2012 Nuclear power plant construction will continue globally, with challenges, a panel of nuclear industry experts said during the American Nuclear Society's (ANS) Annual Meeting June 26. All aspects of construction were addressed, including regulatory framework changes following Fukushima and the importance of bilateral agreements. Currently, over 60 reactors are being constructed across the globe, which will add to the 430-plus operating units that generate over 370 GW.... View Source ›

June 26, 2012

"Japanese Atomic Law Amendment Will Not Lead to Nuke Work: Minister" Global Security Newswire / June 26, 2012 New language that adds "national security" as a goal of Japan's atomic energy law does not mean the country will initiate a nuclear weapons program, a senior government official said on Tuesday (see GSN, June 22).... View Source ›

"Iran says crisis-hit EU should rethink oil embargo that could hamper fuel supplies to bloc" Associated Press / June 26, 2012 NICOSIA, Cyprus — The European Union’s embargo on Iranian oil sales is “on the wrong track” and won’t help end a dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran’s foreign minister declared Tuesday, warning the EU to avoid actions that may jeopardize fuel supplies to its crisis-hit nations.... View Source ›

"Faster Progress on Iran Nuclear Standoff Needed to Avert War: Specialists" Global Security Newswire / June 25, 2012 Russian specialists have suggested a multilateral atomic dialogue with Iran might not be progressing quickly enough to prevent war, the Christian Science Monitor reported on Friday (see GSN, June 22).... View Source ›

"Indian Navy set to complete nuclear triad: Admiral Verma" PTI / June 26, 2012 London, Jun 26: With the Navy poised to attain a retaliatory nuclear strike capability, India will soon have a "credible and invulnerable" deterrent nuclear triad in place, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said.... View Source ›

"Netanyahu urges action on Iran after meeting Putin " Reuters / June 25, 2012 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday it was time to ramp up sanctions against Iran to try to curb its nuclear programme after discussing the matter with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. ... View Source ›

"Plutonium Being Moved to New Mexico" Global Security Newswire / June 25, 2012 Eleven pounds of plutonium is scheduled to depart the Savannah River Site in South Carolina this week toward storage at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 22, 2005).... View Source ›

June 25, 2012

"N. Korea vows to boost nuclear deterrent" Agence France-Presse / June 25, 2012 North Korea on Sunday denounced US-South Korean military drills near the tense border as a "provocation" and vowed to "further bolster up its nuclear deterrent", state media reported.... View Source ›

"S. Korean, Russian envoys to discuss N. Korea's nuclear programs " Yonhap / June 25, 2012 SEOUL, June 25 (Yonhap) -- Senior South Korean and Russian diplomats will hold one-day talks this week in Seoul to discuss possible ways to revive the long-stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs, a Seoul official said Monday.... View Source ›

"Russia’s FM warns against issuing ultimatums to Iran over its nuclear program" Associated Press / June 22, 2012 MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign minister said Friday that Iran shouldn’t face threats over its nuclear program and that a quick settlement of the standoff over it isn’t realistic.... View Source ›

Anna Mukai , "Japan’s Former Leader Urges Political Debate on Nuclear Ban" Bloomberg / June 23, 2012 Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who last year presided over the initial response to Japan’s biggest crisis since World War II, today urged the nation’s political leaders to debate banning nuclear power generation. ... View Source ›

"Experts Urge Powers to Shift Tack on Iran Strategy" Global Security Newswire / June 22, 2012 The United States and partner governments face mounting calls to alter their tactics for defusing tensions with Iran amid an apparent lack of progress in dialogue aimed at addressing fears that the Middle Eastern nation's nuclear program is geared toward establishment of a weapons capability, CNN reported on Friday (see GSN, June 21).... View Source ›

"Iran attacks world powers’ ‘dishonesty’" Associated Press / June 24, 2012 Iran's leaders have accused the West of "enmity" and "bullying" policies after recent nuclear talks with world powers in Moscow ended without progress, according to media reports Thursday.... View Source ›

"Nuke Updates Moving Forward: Obama Insiders" Global Security Newswire / June 22, 2012 High-level administration officials on Thursday attempted to deflect GOP accusations that President Obama has moved only tentatively to update the U.S. nuclear arms complex as he seeks stockpile curbs exceeding the mandates of a treaty with Russia, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, June 20).... View Source ›

June 21, 2012

Mark Landler, "U.S. Urged to Confront Iran on Nuclear Work" New York Times / June 20, 2012 WASHINGTON — With high-stakes negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program at an impasse, the Obama administration is under mounting pressure to rethink a diplomatic exercise that many argue is simply stringing along the rest of the world. ... View Source ›

"Japan utility admits flaws in nuclear crisis" AP / June 21, 2012 TOKYO, Japan (AP) — The operator of the Japanese nuclear plant devastated by last year's tsunami issued a final report on the disaster yesterday, outlining organisational and communication problems that have not yet been resolved.... View Source ›

"Alarm goes off at Oi nuclear plant, 1st trouble since restart decided" Kyodo News Agency / June 20, 2012 An alarm went off Tuesday night at the No. 3 reactor of the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, indicating a minor problem, the plant operator and the government said Wednesday during preparations to reboot the reactor.... View Source ›

Joshua Mitnick, "Israeli Strike on Iran Stays on Hold, for Now " Wall Street Journal / June 20, 2012 TEL AVIV—Israel is unlikely to launch a strike on Iran as long as sanctions on Tehran intensify and diplomatic efforts continue, despite the failure of international talks in Moscow this week, Israeli officials and security experts said. ... View Source ›

"Reports: Obama to Pursue Further Nuclear Arms Curbs" Global Security Newswire / June 20, 2012 The Obama administration intends to pursue a deal with Russia enabling a significant decrease to the quantity of U.S. long-range deployed nuclear warheads, senior U.S. government insiders told Kyodo News on Friday (see GSN, May 18).... View Source ›

"Hillary Clinton: Nuclear Iran would start regional arms race" CBS / June 21, 2012 (CBS News) A nuclear armed Iran would start a regional arms race that would destabilize the region, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.... View Source ›

"Nuclear Divisions Precluded Setting Further High-Level Iran Talks: EU" Global Security Newswire / June 20, 2012 Iran and six major governments did not plan a new meeting of senior delegates to discuss the Middle Eastern nation's disputed nuclear efforts because the sides are too far apart on the matter following a two-day session in Moscow, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in comments reported on Tuesday by the New York Times (see GSN, June 19).... View Source ›

June 20, 2012

Ellen Barry, "Setback in Talks on Iran’s Nuclear Program in a ‘Gulf of Mistrust’" New York Ti mes / June 19, 2012 MOSCOW — Talks on Iran’s disputed nuclear program descended into mistrust and frustration in Moscow on Tuesday, casting doubt on whether the two sides can negotiate a way out of the escalating crisis. ... View Source ›

Ellen Nakashima, Greg Miller & Julie Tate, "U.S., Israel developed Flame computer virus to slow Iranian nuclear efforts, officials say" Washington Post / June 19, 2012 The United States and Israel jointly developed a sophisticated computer virus nicknamed Flame that collected intelligence in preparation for cyber-sabotage aimed at slowing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Western officials with knowledge of the effort.... View Source ›

"British Strategic Subs Called "Welcome" in Wales" Global Security Newswire / June 20, 2012 The top Welsh government official has said that the United Kingdom's ballistic missile submarines would be "welcome" in Wales in the event an independent Scotland evicts the British nuclear deterrent, the Press Association reported on Tuesday (see GSN, June 14).... View Source ›

Osamu Tsukimori , "Japanese authorities sat on data showing radiation spread" Reuters / June 19, 2012 TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese authorities failed to disclose U.S. data about the spread of radiation spewing from a crippled nuclear plant last year, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday, leaving some evacuees fleeing in the same direction as the radioactive emissions.... View Source ›

"Fukushima plant operator: We weren't prepared for nuclear accident" CNN / June 20, 2012 Tokyo (CNN) -- The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant admitted Wednesday that it was not fully prepared for the nuclear disaster spurred by last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami.... View Source ›

"Iran: Lift sanctions, and we will fully cooperate with IAEA" Russia Today / June 19, 2012 The Islamic Republic’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said his country is prepared to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency if the sanctions currently placed on Iran are lifted. ... View Source ›

"NRC reactor licensing decisions challenged" World Nuclear News / June 20, 2012 The attorney general of the state of Massachusetts has filed an appeal with a US court against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) decision to relicense the Pilgrim nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, environmental groups are calling on the NRC to delay final reactor licensing decisions until it has studied the environmental impacts of its policy for on-site used fuel storage.... View Source ›

June 19, 2012

"IAEA mission starts its work in Belarus" BelTA / June 18, 2012 MINSK, 18 June (BelTA) - A mission of experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Belarus to assess the country’s nuclear power infrastructure as part of the Belarusian NPP construction project, head of the international cooperation department of the Belarusian Energy Ministry Lilia Dulinets told BelTA. ... View Source ›

Justyna Pawlak & Yeganeh Torbati, "Iran nuclear talks "intense" but no breakthrough" Reuters / June 18, 2012 (Reuters) - Iran had "intense and tough" talks on Monday with the six world powers concerned about its nuclear program, but there was no clear progress towards ending a decade-long dispute which risks sparking a new Middle East war. ... View Source ›

"Obama Renews Economic Penalties Targeting North Korea" Global Security Newswire / June 19, 2012 U.S. President Obama on Monday notified Congress he was renewing for an additional year national penalties targeting North Korea due to the serious danger the aspiring nuclear power continues to represent to the United States, the Xinhua News Agency reported (see GSN, June 18).... View Source ›

Karolin Schaps & Arno Schuetze, "Exclusive: Western firms tap China cash to bid for UK nuclear" Reuters / June 18, 2012 (Reuters) - China may soon control one of Britain's top nuclear projects after two Chinese state firms teamed up with Western players to bid for the $24 billion development, industry and financial sources told Reuters.... View Source ›

Michael R. Blood, "AP Exclusive: Feds: Design Led to Nuke Plant Woes" Associated Press / June 18, 2012 After months of investigation, federal regulators have determined that design flaws appear to be the cause of excessive wear in tubing that carries radioactive water through California's troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant, a top federal regulator said.... View Source ›

"Radiation Sensors Deployed in Latvia" Global Security Newswire / June 19, 2012 The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration on Friday said radiation sensors had been activated at Freeport of Riga in Latvia as a means of deterring the smuggling of substances that could be used to produce nuclear or radiological weapons (see GSN, Dec. 4, 2007).... View Source ›

"House Democrats: Obama Should Block Bill Over Any Nuke-Cut Restrictions" Global Security Newswire / June 19, 2012 Nearly three dozen House Democrats on Monday told President Obama he should refuse to sign the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill if it retains language restricting his administration's options for pursuing atomic arsenal cuts and observing requirements under a bilateral nuclear arms control treaty with Russia (see GSN, June 7).... View Source ›

June 18, 2012

Ellen Barry, "Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Moscow" New York Times / June 18, 2012 MOSCOW — Talks on Iran’s nuclear ambitions resumed in Moscow on Monday, with a significant gap looming between the two sides’ positions as painful new sanctions were set to come into effect to further isolate Tehran from world oil and banking markets.... View Source ›

Chris McGreal, "Iran warned to take 'concrete actions' ahead of new round of nuclear talks" The Guardian / June 17, 2012 US and European officials are deeply sceptical that a new round of talks with Iran over its nuclear programme, opening in Moscow on Monday, will bring an end to the crisis significantly closer.... View Source ›

"Japan approves nuclear restart despite opposition " Reuters / June 16, 2012 Japan gave the go-ahead to resume operations at two nuclear reactors on Saturday despite mass opposition to the plan. The move comes a little more than a month after the country’s last plant was taken offline following the Fukushima nuclear crisis. ... View Source ›

"Iran considers halting high-grade enrichment: Ahmadinejad" Reuters / June 18, 2012 (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to indicate that Iran would be prepared to stop high-grade uranium enrichment - a demand of the United States and its allies - if world powers agreed to meet its needs for the fuel. ... View Source ›

Sean Buckley , "NNSA Sequoia supercomputer takes worlds fastest title, prevents nuclear testing" Engadget / June 18, 2012 NNSA Sequoia supercomputer takes worlds fastest title, prevents nuclear testing Fujitsu's 10.51 petaflop K supercomputer is pretty fast, but does it pack enough computational oomph to stave off underground nuclear testing? Probably -- but the NNSA's new sixteen petaflop rig does it better.... View Source ›

Tim Castle, "UK to order reactor for nuclear-armed submarine" Reuters / June 17, 2012 (Reuters) - Britain will order the first reactor for a new generation of nuclear-armed submarines next week as part of a 1 billion pound ($1.6 billion) contract with Rolls-Royce, a defense ministry source said on Sunday, in a move that could strain the coalition government.... View Source ›

"RWE Says Won't Build New Nuclear Power Plants Abroad" Dow Jones Newswires / June 18, 2012 German utility RWE AG (RWE.XE) won't build nuclear plants abroad and plans to increase its domestic solar power business, a spokeswoman said Monday.... View Source ›

June 15, 2012

Linda Sieg, "Japan to get new atomic regulatory body within three months" Reuters / June 15, 2012 (Reuters) - Japan will set up a new nuclear regulator around September under a law approved by parliament's lower house on Friday after months of delay as part of a drive to improve safety and restore public trust after the worst atomic disaster since Chernobyl.... View Source ›

"U.K. to Provide $3.5M For Threat Reduction in Three Countries" Global Security Newswire / June 15, 2012 The United Kingdom this week pledged to supply $3.5 million for U.S. threat reduction operations in three nations (see GSN, April 1, 2010).... View Source ›

"PM takes stock of nuclear arsenal" TNN / June 14, 2012 NEW DELHI: India's nuclear weapons arsenal, its command and control structures as well as the state of operational readiness came up for a detailed review at a top-level meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday.... View Source ›

"Turning point for American Centrifuge" World Nuclear News / June 14, 2012 USEC and the US Department of Energy (DoE) have signed a raft of new agreements, completely reorganizing the American Centrifuge program.... View Source ›

"Senator Urges Bigger Cuts to Nuclear Arsenal" New York Times / June 14, 2012 WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee called on the Obama administration on Thursday to seek cuts in nuclear warheads far beyond the requirements of current treaties. ... View Source ›

"Ukraine could invest $25 bln in new nuclear power capacity by 2030" Interfax News Agency / June 15, 2012 Ukraine could invest $25 bln in new nuclear power capacity by 2030 ... View Source ›

"National Academies Report is “Grist” for CTBT Debate: Gottemoeller" Global Security Newswire / June 15, 2012 WASHINGTON -- A recent report from a respected research organization will be “grist” for debate as the Obama administration pushes forward with efforts to persuade wary senators to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a high-level arms control official said this spring (see GSN, March 30).... View Source ›