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Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the al Qaeda threat

Estimates vary on the size of Pakistan’s and India’s nuclear arsenals, although analysts suggest India has 70-120 nuclear weapons while Pakistan has 60-120. These can be delivered by aircraft, or by missiles, which both countries have been developing and testing.

Factbox: Pakistan’s nuclear capability Reuters 6 May 11, Back in the 1990s, bin Laden said acquiring nuclear weapons was a “religious duty” of Muslim states and the leader of al Qaeda in Afghanistan in 2009 said the group hoped to seize and use Pakistan’s arsenal. Continue reading →

May 6, 2011 Posted by | Pakistan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Fukushima crisis: – unstable reactor, parents’ protest on new radiation rules

Tepco is still pumping nitrogen into the unstable reactor in an effort to prevent another hydrogen explosion. ….school children could be [now be legally] exposed to 20 times more radiation than the amount previously permissible.

Japan Nuclear Disaster Update, CleanEnergy Footprints   May 5“……though the ensuing nuclear disaster has been superseded by other worldwide news events, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and the Japanese government are still struggling to gain control of the severely damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
As was the case in our update from last week, emergency cooling efforts continue at reactor Units 1, 2, 3 and 4. Reactor Unit 1 remains the primary concern as temperatures and pressure continue to rise, Continue reading →

May 6, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Rising sea levels threaten Britain’s nuclear power plants

‘Shrinking Britain’ will force land to be abandoned to the sea, Guardian UK, by Damain Carrington, 6 May 11, Coastal erosion and UK tsunamis are a cause of concern for vulnerable nuclear power stations, says leading geologist……..

The fact that tsunamis can happen in the UK, and the idea that Britain’s coast is shrinking, is certainly relevant to the debate over nuclear power and the disposal of long-lasting nuclear waste, in my opinion. Take a look at the map of British nuclear power sites: they are all on the coast.

“It is a cause for concern, some nuclear power stations are in vulnerable positions,” said Prof Rob Duck, at Dundee University, whose new book is called This Shrinking Land: Climate Change and Britain’s Coasts…
Shrinking Britain will force land to be abandoned to the sea | Damian Carrington | Environment | guardian.co.uk

May 6, 2011 Posted by | climate change, UK | 2 Comments

USA’s Troubling Nuclear Waste Mess

The findings of the GAO, which serves as the investigative arm of Congress, complicate the Obama administration’s position on Yucca Mountain at a time when lawmakers and regulators are scrutinizing nuclear power and waste policies in the U.S…...

Nuclear waste from power plants is currently stored on-site at dozens of locations across the country. Because the law requires the U.S. government to be responsible for the waste, the government has to compensate the power plants for the cost of storing it.

Scrapping Yucca Mountain exposes U.S. to fines, By Tennille Tracy,  May 5, 2011, WASHINGTON -(MarketWatch)– The U.S. government could face fines of $75,000 a day if it fails to find a way to store or handle stockpiles of defense-related nuclear waste by 2035, according to the Government Accountability Office. Continue reading →

May 6, 2011 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

New plutonium nuclear fuel plant, costly, delayed, and unsafe, too?

More than a decade later, the mixed oxide fuel [2] (MOX) plant is running into mounting troubles [3], including long delays, soaring costs and the lack of utilities committed to use the new fuel in their reactors

But there’s another aspect of the story that has received little attention…

Safety Reviewers Raise Questions about Construction of New Nuclear Fuel Plant, ProPublica   By Donna Deedy, w ith Michael Grabell,   May 5, 2011, . In the late 1990s, U.S. policymakers approved a plan to turn plutonium from nuclear weapons into fuel for commercial reactors. The first-of-its kind plant [1], now being built in South Carolina, was intended to reduce the Cold War stockpile and the threat of nuclear material theft while supplying the country’s energy needs. Continue reading →

May 6, 2011 Posted by | - plutonium, safety, USA | Leave a comment

North Carolina legislature opposing ratepayer money for new nuclear plant

Duke’s Fading Nuclear Dream The Progressive Pulse May 5, 2011 by Lisa Finaldi On April 15th I questioned if Duke’s dreamto build new nuclear power plants and charge ratepayers in advance of a reactor’s operation wasn’t fading. Events of this week indicate the company’s plans may be dimming. Funny it took Duke CEO Jim Rogers this long to realize it. Continue reading →

May 6, 2011 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Fukushima nuclear accident could cost tax-payer $trillions

“In America, ….. the necessary insurance for nuclear operators is capped at just $375 million by law,

Ultimate costs from nuclear accidents can be difficult to predict, but many estimates place total damages, including economic loss, in the trillions.……

a severe accident at just one of Southern Company’s existing Plant Vogtle reactors in Georgia could cause up to 39,000 immediate injuries and cost over $70 billion (in 1982 dollar and Census figures).

Japan Nuclear Disaster Update, CleanEnergy Footprints   May 5“…….Despite all of the concern over health, radiation and environmental hazards raised by this disaster, Tepco shockingly does not have disaster insurance. Speculations are that the company will be nationalized and that the Japanese government, which likely means taxpayers, will assume the burden of Tepco’s massive liabilities. Continue reading →

May 6, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Russian nuclear powered ice-breaker has radiation leak

Radioactivity leak reported on Russian icebreaker, Moscow – Monsters and Critics May 5, 2011, Moscow – A small amount of radiation escaped from a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker, officials said Thursday. …Radioactivity leak reported on Russian icebreaker – Monsters and Critics

May 6, 2011 Posted by | Russia, safety | Leave a comment

Pop artists cancel Japan visit for fear of radiation

Justin Bieber Crew Refusing to Do Japan Shows Over Radiation Fears, GossipCop 6 May Justin Bieber’s stage crew is refusing to go to Japan for two concerts scheduled later this month over fears of radiation from the recent nuclear disaster.

The crew is apparently arguing that it’s unsafe to visit the country for the planned May 17 and May 19 shows, noting that Avril Lavigne and Slash have already cancelled their Japan concerts.…Justin Bieber Japan shows | Justin Bieber radiation | Justin Bieber crew revolt | Gossip Cop

May 6, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment