Daily News: 11/2015

November 30, 2015

John Irish, "France wants precise answers in IAEA Iran nuclear report" Reuters / November 30, 2015 The U.N. nuclear watchdog must provide all the information it possesses with the "necessary detail" on whether Iran has in the past carried out work related to nuclear weapons, France's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.... View Source ›

Francois Murphy and Shadia Nasralla, "Report on whether Iran sought nuclear bomb will not be clear cut - U.N." Reuters / November 27, 2015 A U.N. report on whether Iran has in the past carried out work related to nuclear weapons will not reach a definitive conclusion on the subject, the chief of the U.N. nuclear agency said on Thursday.... View Source ›

Erin Banco, "Iran Nuclear Deal Implementation Day Could Be Pushed Back, But Some Companies Already Trading" International Business Times / November 30, 2015 Iran has deactivated thousands of its centrifuges, authorities in Tehran have said, but the U.N. body conducting its mission in the country as part of the nuclear deal is still investigating allegations that the country has engaged in nuclear weapons research. ... View Source ›

John O'Donnell and Christoph Steitz, "Minister signals German trust could handle nuclear waste storage" Reuters / November 29, 2015 Germany could share responsibility for phasing out nuclear power with energy firms by setting up a publicly managed trust, the environment minister said on Sunday.... View Source ›

Michael R. Blood, "Nuclear crossroad: California reactors face uncertain future" Associated Press / November 29, 2015 Six years ago, the company that owns California's last operating nuclear power plant announced it would seek an extended lifespan for its aging reactors. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. envisioned Diablo Canyon as a linchpin in the state's green energy future, with its low-carbon electricity illuminating homes to nearly midcentury.... View Source ›

November 25, 2015

Shadia Nasralla, "Iran expects nuclear deal to be implemented in early January" Reuters / November 24, 2015 Iran expects a deal it reached with world powers in July, under which sanctions will be lifted in return for it scaling down its nuclear program, to be implemented at the start of next year, Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday.... View Source ›

"Revised nuclear deal between South Korea, US takes effect" Associated Press / November 25, 2015 A new nuclear treaty with the United States governing South Korea's commercial nuclear activities during the next 20 years went into effect Wednesday, the South Korean government said.... View Source ›

Jonathan Crawford, "America to Decide Whether a Nuclear Reactor Can Outlive a Human" Bloomberg / November 25, 2015 The U.S. is set to become the first nation to decide whether it’s safe to operate nuclear power plants for 80 years, twice as long as initially allowed.... View Source ›

November 24, 2015

Douglas Busvine, "Nuclear club eyes Indian inclusion, but risks Pakistan's ire" Reuters / November 24, 2015 Diplomats have quietly launched a new push to induct India into a club of nuclear trading nations, but rather than increasing stability in South Asia, the move could escalate strains with rival Pakistan.... View Source ›

"Vienna Hosts Last Iran-IAEA Meeting on Nuclear Program's Military Dimension" Sputnik News / November 24, 2015 The Austrian capital Vienna will hold a last meeting on Tuesday between representatives of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) prior to the release of a final report from IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano on the possible military dimension (PMD) of Iran's nuclear program.... View Source ›

"EU launches state aid probe into Hungarian nuclear reactors" Associated Press / November 23, 2015 The European Union said Monday it has opened a probe to establish whether Hungary's financing of two new nuclear reactors constitutes illegal state aid.... View Source ›

November 23, 2015

Lidia Kelly and Maria Kiselyova, "Russia formally eases ban on nuclear technology exports to Iran" Reuters / November 23, 2015 President Vladimir Putin has eased an export ban on nuclear equipment and technology to Iran, a Kremlin decree published on Monday showed, after Tehran struck a deal with world powers on its nuclear program in July.... View Source ›

Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, "World powers to help Iran redesign reactor as part of nuclear deal" Reuters / November 21, 2015 Six world powers will help Iran redesign its Arak heavy water reactor so that it cannot produce weapons-grade plutonium, according to a document released by the state news agency IRNA on Saturday.... View Source ›

"IAEA to release final report on Iran nuclear case by Dec. 1" Mehr News / November 21, 2015 Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA says the Agency is currently drafting the final report on Iran’s nuclear program to be released by December 1-2, 2015.... View Source ›

Chris Buckley, "China’s Nuclear Vision Collides With Villagers’ Fears" New York Times / November 21, 2015 This placid, leafy hamlet tucked beside a dam in the countryside hardly seems like the next testing ground over China’s efforts to cut smog and greenhouse gases. But here among cornfields and crumbling stone homes skirted by persimmon trees, the government intends to build a nuclear power plant.... View Source ›

November 20, 2015

Jonathan Tirone, "Iran Sanctions Might Be Lifted in January as Atomic Gear Removed" Bloomberg / November 20, 2015 Oil and banking sanctions against Iran might be lifted by mid-January based on the pace at which technicians are removing and mothballing nuclear equipment at the country’s uranium-enrichment facilities.... View Source ›

Luke Baker, "Egypt, Russia sign deal to build a nuclear power plant" Reuters / November 19, 2015 Moscow and Cairo signed an agreement on Thursday for Russia to build a nuclear power plant in Egypt, with Russia extending a loan to Egypt to cover the cost of construction.... View Source ›

Barbara Lewis and Gergley Szakacs, "EU starts legal action over Hungary nuclear project" Reuters / November 19, 2015 European Union regulators started legal action against Hungary on Thursday over a contract it awarded to Russia's Rosatom to expand the Paks nuclear power plant, but Hungary said it would press ahead with its plans.... View Source ›

November 19, 2015

Shadia Nasralla and Francois Murphy, "Iran starts dismantling nuclear equipment, U.N. report says" Reuters / November 18, 2015 Iran has disconnected almost a quarter of its uranium-enriching centrifuges in less than a month, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday, suggesting it is racing to implement an agreement restricting its nuclear activities.... View Source ›

George Jahn, "UN: Iran cuts down on some, but not all nuke technology" Associated Press / November 18, 2015 Iran has started cutting back on some nuclear technology, which could be reengineered to make nuclear weapons, in line with a deal with six world powers, a U.N. nuclear agency report said Wednesday.... View Source ›

"Iran, G5+1, EU's Mogherini Ink Document to Redesign Arak Reactor" Fars News / November 19, 2015 An informed source close to the nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers told FNA on Thursday that the process for the endorsement of Arak reactor redesigning document is complete now and it has been inked by all relevant sides.... View Source ›

"Cracks in bricks at core of Hunterston nuclear reacto" BBC / November 19, 2015 Cracks have been discovered in bricks which make up the core of one of two nuclear reactors at the Hunterston B power station in Ayrshire.... View Source ›

November 18, 2015

Carlos Tejada, "China Advances Global Nuclear Ambitions With Argentina Deal" Wall Street Journal / November 18, 2015 China struck a deal to build a nuclear reactor in Argentina and the agreement could result in more than 30 billion yuan (about $4.7 billion) in equipment exports, Chinese official media said.... View Source ›

"Major work required at Rokkasho for new regulations" World Nuclear News / November 18, 2015 Completion of Japan's Rokkasho reprocessing plant and mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel factory have been postponed by around two years as work continues to comply with new safety requirements.... View Source ›

"Technical cooperation for South African and Chinese regulators" World Nuclear News / November 17, 2015 The agreement between South Africa's National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) and China's National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) was signed in Beijing on 12 November by NNR CEO Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka and Li Ganjie, China's vice minister for environmental protection and bureau chief of the NNSA.... View Source ›

November 17, 2015

Walter Pincus, "IAEA’s coming report on Iran will likely give more fodder to deal’s critics" Washington Post / November 16, 2015 Opponents of the Iran nuclear agreement in Washington and Tehran will have their next opportunity to sabotage its implementation when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) releases a report by Dec. 15 on its investigation into Iran’s past nuclear weapons activities.... View Source ›

"Second reactor in Japan brought back fully online after Fukushima nuclear crisis" Japan Times / November 17, 2015 Kyushu Electric Power Co. began full-scale commercial operations Tuesday of the second reactor at its two-unit nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture after clearing final inspections by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.... View Source ›

Gergely Szakacs, "Hungary to start building new nuclear blocks in 2018" Reuters / November 17, 2015 Hungary plans to start building two new blocks at its Paks nuclear power plant, which supplies about 40 percent of the country's electricity needs, in 2018, Government Commissioner Attila Aszodi said on Tuesday.... View Source ›

Li-mei Hoang, "Shares in WS Atkins jump on nuclear services deal" Reuters / November 17, 2015 Shares in WS Atkins, the British engineering consultancy designing the Riyadh Metro, touched their highest level in 18 months after it announced plans to acquire a nuclear services business.... View Source ›

November 16, 2015

Hooyeon Kim, "North Korea prepares for possible missile launch: Yonhap" Reuters / November 15, 2015 North Korea has declared a no-sail zone off its east coast in a sign it could be preparing a missile launch, Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday.... View Source ›

Hyung-Jin Kim, "Report: UN chief to visit North Korea this week" Associated Press / November 16, 2015 U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Pyongyang this week for a possible meeting with leader Kim Jong Un, a South Korean news report said.... View Source ›

"Document on redesigning Arak reactor to be signed Monday" Tehran Times / November 16, 2015 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Sunday that most of the foreign ministers from the 5+1 group have signed a document on redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor and the ones who have not signed it yet will do so soon. ... View Source ›

Maximilian Heath, "Argentina says signs nuclear plant construction deals with China" Reuters / November 15, 2015 Argentina has signed two nuclear power plant construction deals with China for about $15 billion, the Argentine government said in a statement on Sunday, calling the deals "a fundamental step toward diversifying our energy matrix."... View Source ›

Mari Yamaguchi, "Japan fuel reprocessing plant delayed again, until 2018" Associated Press / November 16, 2015 The operator of Japan's nuclear fuel reprocessing plant said Monday it was postponing the opening to as late as September 2018, citing regulators' lengthy inspection procedures and time needed for safety upgrades.... View Source ›

November 13, 2015

Jonathan Tirone, "Iran Nuclear Report at Center of Dispute Said to Come Dec. 2" Bloomberg / November 12, 2015 The question at the center of Iran’s dispute with world powers might be answered on Dec. 2, when investigators plan to publish a report on Iran’s nuclear past, according to three people familiar with the situation.... View Source ›

"Japan regulator wants plutonium reactor operator replaced" Associated Press / November 13, 2015 Japan’s nuclear regulator has issued a rare warning to the science minister, telling him to disqualify the operator of a plutonium-burning reactor plagued with poor safety records.... View Source ›

"SKorea leader open to NKorea talks if nuclear progress made" Associated Press / November 13, 2015 South Korea's president said Friday that she is open to talking directly with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if the North makes progress in abandoning its nuclear bomb ambitions.... View Source ›

Susan Montoya Bryan, "Final settlement on nuke violations has yet to be inked" Associated Press / November 13, 2015 Disagreement over money and timing have stalled the signing of an agreement that would settle dozens of violations stemming from a radiation leak at the federal government's troubled nuclear waste repository in New Mexico, a state official told lawmakers Thursday.... View Source ›

Russi Rosendahl, "Finland approves underground nuclear waste storage plan" Reuters / November 12, 2015 Finland has become the first country in the world to give a construction license for a permanent underground nuclear waste repository, the center-right government said on Thursday.... View Source ›

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