October 31, 2014

"Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, China hold talks on N. Korea" Yonhap / October 31, 2014 The chief nuclear envoys of South Korea and China held talks on Friday to discuss efforts to revive long-stalled international negotiations with North Korea, a senior Seoul diplomat said.... View Source ›

Osamu Tsukimori, "Asia buys less Iran crude, but volumes back above 1 million barrels-per-day" Reuters / October 31, 2014 Asian buyers of Iranian crude imported 6.6 percent less in September than a year ago, the first on-year decline since December, but shipments rose back above the 1 million barrels-per-day mark allowed under a deal that eased Western sanctions.... View Source ›

Matthew M. Burke, "Judge: Sailors' class-action suit can proceed over alleged radiation exposure" Stars and Stripes / October 31, 2014 A U.S. federal judge has ruled that a class-action lawsuit filed by about 200 Navy sailors and Marines can proceed against Japanese utility TEPCO and other defendants who they blame for a variety of ailments from radiation exposure following a nuclear reactor meltdown 3½ years ago.... View Source ›

Jenn Rowell, "15 Air Force officers could be discharged after cheating" Great Falls Tribune / October 31, 2014 Of the airmen involved in the cheating investigation at Malmstrom Air Force Base, most of them are now back on the job.... View Source ›

"China considers expanding nuclear plants inland" SINA English / October 31, 2014 China is considering developing inland nuclear power plants with the same safety standards applied to existing ones by the sea, Liu Hua, chief engineer of China's National Nuclear Safety Administration, said on Thursday.... View Source ›

October 30, 2014

"Iran wants sanctions lifted before nuclear deal" AFP / October 30, 2014 Iran wants all Western sanctions to be lifted before striking a deal on its contested nuclear programme by a November deadline, a top official said Wednesday.... View Source ›

Nasser Karimi, "Iran Foils Sabotage Attempt on Heavy Water Tanks" Associated Press / October 30, 2014 Iranian authorities have foiled a sabotage attempt involving tanks used for the transportation of heavy water, a key component in nuclear reactors, an Iranian newspaper reported on Thursday.... View Source ›

Kentaro Okasaka, "Japan-led nuke disarmament resolution passes U.N. committee" Kyodo / October 30, 2014 A Japan-led draft resolution on the elimination of nuclear weapons passed a committee of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday with endorsements from 163 countries, paving the way for adoption at a plenary meeting in December.... View Source ›

"Boeing, U.S. Air Force Demonstrate Minuteman III Readiness in Flight Test" Boeing / October 30, 2014 Boeing supported the U.S. Air Force’s successful flight test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which demonstrated the readiness of that system to deter nuclear threats.... View Source ›

Anthony DiPaola and Golnar Motevalli, "Iran’s Oil Revenue Falls 30% Because of Global Price Decline" Bloomberg / Iran’s revenue from crude sales, the OPEC member’s biggest export, dropped 30 percent because of the recent decline in global oil prices, according to President Hassan Rouhani.... View Source ›

October 29, 2014

Jay Solomon and Maria Abi-Habib, "U.S., Iran Relations Move to Détente" The Wall Street Journal / October 29, 2014 The Obama administration and Iran, engaged in direct nuclear negotiations and facing a common threat from Islamic State militants, have moved into an effective state of détente over the past year, according to senior U.S. and Arab officials.... View Source ›

Thomas Erdbrink, "Economic Pain Looms Large for Iranians in Nuclear Negotiations" The New York Times / October 29, 2014 Mohammad Heydarian, an Iranian contractor, still has work finishing off a single-family home. But things look bleak after that, he said. He has already fired his workers, and he is struggling to make ends meet, providing for his wife and two teenage children.... View Source ›

David Alexander, "Costly U.S. nuclear arms revamp, tight cash call for tough choices" Reuters / October 29, 2014 Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel grabbed a ladder extending through the sleek black hull of the USS Tennessee at a Navy submarine base here and disappeared down the hatch for a close look at one of the Pentagon's most daunting budget issues.... View Source ›

"S. Korea, U.S. seek to renew nuke accord in 'creative' way: official" Yonhap / October 29, 2014 South Korea is seeking to revise its nuclear cooperation accord with the U.S. in a "creative" manner that could guarantee Seoul's autonomy in its civilian use of nuclear energy to some extent, a ranking official said Wednesday.... View Source ›

"Local government gives OK to restart Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture" Reuters / October 29, 2014 The municipal assembly in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, voted Tuesday to approve the restart of the local nuclear power station, another step forward in the fraught process of reviving an industry left idled by the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe.... View Source ›

October 28, 2014

"Slim chances of Iran nuclear deal by deadline" AFP / October 28, 2014 A deal on Iran's contested nuclear programme before a November 24 deadline is highly unlikely, a Western diplomat close to negotiations said on Monday.... View Source ›

"Iranian FM, other nuclear negotiators visit Fordo and Natanz sites" Tehran Times / October 28, 2014 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, along with the country’s team of nuclear negotiators, visited Fordo and Natanz uranium enrichment facilities in central Iran on Monday.... View Source ›

John Andrew Prime, "Global Strike Challenge returns to Barksdale" Shreveport Times / October 28, 2014 Risen like a phoenix after the sequester and austerity cuts, Air Force Global Strike Command's fourth Global Strike Challenge competition will wind up months of competition with team arrivals, a symposium and score posting events at Barksdale Air Force Base early next week.... View Source ›

"Japanese officials begin abduction talks in Pyongyang" BBC / October 28, 2014 Japanese and North Korean officials have held talks in Pyongyang for the first time in a decade to discuss the abduction of Japanese citizens.... View Source ›

Jeremy Page, "Deep Threat" The Wall Street Journal / October 28, 2014 One Sunday morning last December, China’s defense ministry summoned military attachés from several embassies to its monolithic Beijing headquarters.... View Source ›

October 27, 2014

David E. Sanger, "U.S. Commander Sees Key Nuclear Step by North Korea" The New York Times / October 24, 2014 The top American military commander in South Korea said on Friday that he believed North Korea had most likely completed its yearslong quest to shrink a nuclear weapon to a size that could fit atop a ballistic missile. His assessment, if correct, could change American calculations about the vulnerability of the United States and its allies, and the North’s ability to sell nuclear weapons to others.... View Source ›

Lesley Wroughton, "No U.S. troop cuts without credible North Korea nuclear deal, says Kerry" Reuters / October 24, 2014 It is too premature to talk about reducing American forces in the Korean Peninsula without "authentic and credible" negotiations with Pyongyang about ending its nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.... View Source ›

Paul Richter, "Nuclear negotiators again discuss extending their talks with Iran" LA Times / October 25, 2014 With talks nearly deadlocked and their deadline one month away, six world powers seeking a nuclear deal with Iran have begun discussing whether to again extend negotiations, according to Western officials.... View Source ›

October 24, 2014

Associated Press, "US negotiator: Some want talks with Iran to fail" Washington Post / October 24, 2014 The chief U.S. nuclear negotiator suggested Thursday that some U.S. allies and members of Congress hope diplomacy with Iran fails, offering a glimpse of the difficult task awaiting the Obama administration if it manages to secure a nuclear agreement with Tehran by a late November deadline.... View Source ›

Arshad Mohammed, "Iran will be seen as responsible if nuclear talks fail: U.S." Reuters / October 24, 2014 Iran will be widely seen to be responsible if a comprehensive deal to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief is not reached, the top U.S. negotiator said on Thursday.... View Source ›

Jay Solomon and Carol E. Lee, "White House Seeks Support from Allies, Congress for Potential Iran Deal" The Wall Street Journal / October 24, 2014 The Obama administration is promoting a possible nuclear agreement with Iran to allies, Congress and U.S. policy makers in an effort to win support ahead of a late November deadline.... View Source ›

Paul Richter, "Collapse of Iran talks poses danger, U.S. official warns" LA Times / October 24, 2014 A failure of the gridlocked nuclear negotiations with Iran will lead to a dangerous escalation by both Tehran and the West, America's lead negotiator warned Thursday.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "US, Europeans row over post-Fukushima nuclear safety step" Reuters / October 23, 2014 The United States is lobbying against an amendment to an international nuclear safety pact proposed by Switzerland, which Berne argues could help prevent Fukushima-style disasters but which may also increase industry costs, diplomats said.... View Source ›

October 23, 2014

Ben Blanchard, "China says wants closer military ties with Iran" Reuters / October 23, 2014 China wants to have closer military ties with Iran, the Chinese defense minister told the visiting head of the Iranian navy on Thursday, state media reported, reaffirming diplomatic links despite controversy over Iran's nuclear plans.... View Source ›

Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, "Iran Deal Unlikely by November, French Envoy Predicts" Bloomberg / October 23, 2014 A deal over Iran’s nuclear program appears unlikely by a Nov. 24 deadline, meaning an extension of the interim agreement may be needed to press Iran for more concessions, the French ambassador to Washington said.... View Source ›

Jonathan Tirone, "U.S. Said to Join Russia in Blocking Nuclear Safety Moves" Bloomberg / October 23, 2014 The U.S. and Russia are joining forces to block a European plan to raise the protection of nuclear reactors against natural disasters after the meltdowns at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant, diplomats say.... View Source ›

October 22, 2014

"Kerry expects "deep" engagement with Congress on Iran talks" Reuters / October 22, 2014 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on a visit to Berlin on Wednesday that the Obama administration planned to fully consult Congress about ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.... View Source ›

Parisa Hafezi, "Iran arrests several spies near Bushehr nuclear plant: Fars news agency" Reuters / October 21, 2014 Iranian security services have arrested several suspected spies in the southern province of Bushehr where the country's first nuclear power plant is located, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.... View Source ›

Jonathon Tirone, "Nuclear Secrecy Feeds Concerns of Rogues Getting Weapons" Bloomberg / October 22, 2014 As the world’s nuclear monitor tries to prevent weapons-grade material getting into the wrong hands, its determination to keep its methods secret is raising concerns among analysts that it may be risking a fatal mistake.... View Source ›

PTI, "'No Question of India Joining NPT as Non-nuclear Weapon State'" The New Indian Express / October 22, 2014 India has made it clear that there is no question of it joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapon state while reaffirming its commitment to check further proliferation of atomic weapons.... View Source ›

"South Africa plans next steps with vendors" World Nuclear News / South Africa is moving towards signing framework agreements with China and Japan and is inviting would-be reactor vendor countries to participate in workshops to showcase their offerings as it moves through the pre-procurement phase of its nuclear new-build plans.... View Source ›

October 22, 2014

"Kerry expects "deep" engagement with Congress on Iran talks" Reuters / October 22, 2014 U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on a visit to Berlin on Wednesday that the Obama administration planned to fully consult Congress about ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.... View Source ›

Parisa Hafezi, "Iran arrests several spies near Bushehr nuclear plant: Fars news agency" Reuters / Iranian security services have arrested several suspected spies in the southern province of Bushehr where the country's first nuclear power plant is located, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.... View Source ›

Jonathon Tirone, "Nuclear Secrecy Feeds Concerns of Rogues Getting Weapons" Bloomberg / October 22, 2014 As the world’s nuclear monitor tries to prevent weapons-grade material getting into the wrong hands, its determination to keep its methods secret is raising concerns among analysts that it may be risking a fatal mistake.... View Source ›

PTI, "'No Question of India Joining NPT as Non-nuclear Weapon State'" The New Indian Express / October 22, 2014 India has made it clear that there is no question of it joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapon state while reaffirming its commitment to check further proliferation of atomic weapons.... View Source ›

"South Africa plans next steps with vendors" World Nuclear News / South Africa is moving towards signing framework agreements with China and Japan and is inviting would-be reactor vendor countries to participate in workshops to showcase their offerings as it moves through the pre-procurement phase of its nuclear new-build plans.... View Source ›

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October 21, 2014

Parisa Hafezi and Louis Charbonneau, "Iran offers 'compromises' in nuclear talks, West unmoved" Reuters / October 21, 2014 Iran is pushing what it portrays as a new compromise proposal in nuclear talks, but Western negotiators say it offers no viable concessions, underscoring how far apart the two sides are as they enter crunch time before a Nov. 24 deadline.... View Source ›

Fredrik Dahl, "Iran acts to comply with interim nuclear deal with powers: IAEA" Reuters / October 20, 2014 Iran is taking further action to comply with an interim nuclear agreement with six world powers, a monthly U.N. atomic agency report showed, a finding the West may see as positive ahead of a November deadline for clinching a long-term deal.... View Source ›

Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim, "Report says U.S. may OK more centrifuges in Iran nuclear talks" LA Times / October 21, 2014 The Obama administration has sweetened its offer to Iran in ongoing nuclear negotiations, saying it might accept Tehran operating 4,000 centrifuges, up from the previous 1,300, according to a semiofficial Iranian news agency.... View Source ›

Justin Sink, "White House: Cutting Congress out of Iran deal ‘preposterous’" The Hill / October 20, 2014 The White House is calling claims the administration is trying to bypass Congress on a nuclear deal with Iran “preposterous.”... View Source ›