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Covert war – Israel, USA versus Iran

No one has claimed responsibility for the killing. But on Tuesday, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, Israel’s military chief of staff, told a special parliamentary committee Iran should expect more “unnatural” events in 2012

There has been obvious push-back from Iran in the form of repeated claims its secretive Al Quds Force has attacked U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan using Iranian-designed improvised explosive devices.

“Waging a covert, low-level war is not without risks, including the risk of undesirable escalation,”  “No matter how carefully we try to control the level of force, there’s always the danger that matters spiral out of control.”

Iranian nuclear scientists’ deaths no mystery, National Post, Peter Goodspeed  13 Jan 12, A covert war between Iran and the West burst to the surface Wednesday on the fashionable streets of northern Tehran when two men on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of a 32-year-old nuclear scientist, killing him and his bodyguard…….

Mr. Roshan’s killing is the latest in a long line of suspicious setbacks to Iran’s nuclear program. These have included assassinations, kidnappings, sabotaged equipment, computer viruses that destroyed information networks and mysterious
explosions at nuclear sites, missile-testing grounds, refineries and pipelines.

“Iranian nuclear engineers have to worry about being killed on their way to work, about their colleagues leaking information to the West, about their computers not working, about their equipment malfunctioning, about lacking necessary materials, about unavailability of training and advice and about the possibility of strikes from UAVs [drones]. That list of problems is daunting,” said Patrick Clawson, director of research for the Washington Institute for
Near East Policy…..
No one has claimed responsibility for the killing. But on Tuesday, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, Israel’s military chief of staff, told a special parliamentary committee Iran should expect more “unnatural” events in 2012 Continue reading →

January 13, 2012 Posted by | Iraq, Israel, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Unethical and unwise killing of Iranian nuclear scientist

The bomb blast that killed chemist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan this week seemed to be designed to limit the scope of the damage, unlike most terrorist attacks. But it did nonetheless kill his driver and wound a third person, which shows how easily an overly flexible definition of “civilian” can stretch to reprehensible lengths.

 A utilitarian calculation that suggests killing a few individuals now might save more lives later is not only ethically dubious; it’s also wrong. ..also counter-productive 

Killing civilians, Ottawa Citizen JANUARY 12, 2012 If the definition of “terrorism” is violence targeting civilians to spread fear in furtherance of a political motive, then the assassination of Iranian scientists certainly qualifies as terrorism. It should be condemned as such. It’s also an unwise strategy.

Although no one can say for sure who’s behind the attacks, the main motivation behind this string of assassinations seems clear: to slow down Iran’s efforts to become a nuclear power, not only by eliminating some skilled experts, but also by intimidating their peers. Continue reading →

January 13, 2012 Posted by | Iran, Religion and ethics, USA | Leave a comment

A bunker buster bomb on Iran’s nuclear site – not the answer

military action against Iran’s nuclear work would be their last and worst option. Not only would this risk civilian casualties, but Iran would seek to retaliate against Western targets in the region, raising the risk of a regional war and risking global economic turmoil.

A strike, furthermore, would only delay, not destroy, an Iranian nuclear program whose known sites are widely dispersed and fortified against attack….

Iran nuclear sites may be beyond reach of “bunker busters”, LONDON   Jan 12, 2012   (Reuters) – With its nuclear program beset as never before by sanctions, sabotage and assassination, Iran must now make a new addition to its list of concerns:

One of the biggest conventional bombs ever built. Boeing’s 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), an ultra-large bunker buster for use on underground targets, with Iran routinely mentioned as its most likely intended destination, is a key element in the implicit U.S. threat to use force as a last resort against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The behemoth, carrying more than 5,300 pounds of explosive, was delivered with minimal fanfare to Whiteman U.S. Air Force Base, Missouri in September. It is designed for delivery by B-2 Stealth bombers. Continue reading →

January 13, 2012 Posted by | Iran, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Poor security of enriched uranium around the world

the countries with active enrichment programs…… claimed the plants they are building or expanding are producing fissile materials only for use in civilian applications.

But the materials themselves [enriched uranium] can be shifted from one of these purposes
to the other, either by national government or by terrorists 

Fissile materials remain poorly protected, 1/12/12 By R. Jeffrey Smith, iWatch News A new industrial plant producing a key nuclear weapons ingredient, enriched uranium, opened in China last year, near the Sichuan city of Hanzhong. Other such plants opened last year in France and Japan. Argentina is trying to get one started, the Dutch are expanding theirs, and the United States has recently approved construction of such a plant in Idaho and the expansion of another in New Mexico.

The production of highly-enriched uranium is expanding in some countries, in short, even though arms control experts and government officials frequently depict stocks of the material as a troublesome invitation to nuclear weapons proliferation….. Continue reading →

January 13, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission wants a more pro nuclear Chairman

 Agency Smackdown, Round 2: A Critique of ‘the Nuclear Party’ NYT, By MATTHEW L. WALD, December 28, 2011,  The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, whose four fellow commissioners complained about him to the White House, saying that he had been withholding information from them and wielding too much power, drew a spirited defense on Wednesday from a predecessor at the agency.  Peter A. Bradford, who was a commission member from 1977 to 1982, was speaking with reporters in a conference call on another topic, whether the recent approval of a new reactor design by the commission represented a major step toward a “nuclear renaissance.” (It doesn’t, he said.)

…….In the course of the call, Mr. Bradford said that the four commissioners were trying to give the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s chairman, Gregory B. Jaczko, “a push toward the door.”

Mr. Bradford said it was not unusual for the commissioners to disagree strongly. “What’s unusual here is the letter these four commissioners have written,’’ he said. He said the letter had been prepared “unquestionably with the intention it would become public,’’ and that that there was no possibility that it would contribute to more collegial decision-making at the commission. The letter accused Mr. Jaczko of intimidating staff members – an allegation that was also noted in a report by the agency’s inspector general this year.

But Mr. Bradford said he did not believe that “ the chairman is somehow raging around the agency and intimidating the staff.’’

“These are professionals, they’re grown-ups, they don’t get scared under their desk by one commissioner, even the chairman,’’ he said. “It doesn’t pass the straight-face test. Of the four other members, two are Republicans and two are Democrats, but Mr. Bradford said the letter was not in fact bipartisan. “In Washington, you’ve got a situation where the ‘nuclear party’ transcends the Republican and Democratic party,’’ he said. “You’ve got four members of the nuclear party writing a letter about the chairman, who’s never been a member of the nuclear party.’’

Those four members have backgrounds in nuclear engineering, the nuclear Navy and related fields; Dr. Jaczko has a Ph.D in particle physics and came to the commission after a career on Capitol Hill, including a stint as an aide to Harry Reid of Nevada, the leader of the Senate’s Democratic majority.

The appointment of Dr. Jaczko did not have the support of the main nuclear industry trade association, the Nuclear Energy Institute, and that group has made an oblique plea for his departure.  http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/in-agency-smackdown-a-critique-of-the-nuclear-party/?scp=1&sq=Peter%20A.%20Bradford&st=cse

January 13, 2012 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission dispute, as Chairman Jaczko wants more safety

A Philosophical Split at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Huffington Post, Elliott Negin, 12 Jan 12“…….For two days, a federal agency aired its dirty laundry in public. Both the House and the Senate held hearings on December 14 and 15 respectively that wound up focusing on a bureaucratic tiff between the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the agency’s four commissioners….

the split may be more philosophical than personal. A critical vote the five took on December 15, the same day as the Senate hearing, suggests that it is at least partly the latter. For the seventh time over the last three years, Jaczko was on the losing end of a 4-1 vote that went against a proposal that would have strengthened plant safeguards.  Continue reading →

January 13, 2012 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Court rules that Germany’s nuclear fuel tax is legal

EON, RWE Retreat After German Court Backs Nuclear Fuel Tax Bloomberg, By Stefan Nicola and Karin Matussek – Jan 12, 2012 EON AG (EOAN) and RWE AG (RWE), Germany’s biggest utilities, fell in Frankfurt trading after a court said the country’s nuclear fuel tax
didn’t break the law.
EON dropped 1.3 percent to 16.45 euros after a tax court in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg upheld the levy in two interim rulings against plaintiff EnBW Energie Baden- Wuerttemberg AG, the country’s third-largest utility. RWE slipped 0.7 percent while EnBW slid 2.6 percent….

… Germany’s utilities are cutting costs and selling assets to curb losses related to the government’s decision to exit nuclear power by 2022. The shutdown of the country’s eight oldest reactors, as well as the nuclear fuel tax, drafted in 2010, cut EON’s earnings by 2.3 billion euros ($3 billion) in 2011, Chief Financial Officer Marcus Schenck said in November.

The judges didn’t share the legal analysis by courts in Munich and Hamburg, which had ruled in favor of EON and RWE over the tax. The divergence in rulings will be resolved once Germany’s top tax court mades its judgement.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-12/eon-rwe-retreat-after-german-court-backs-nuclear-fuel-tax.html

January 13, 2012 Posted by | Germany, Legal | Leave a comment

U.S. geologist warns on earthquake risk to planned Jaitapur nuclear plant

Jaitapur nuclear power plant project draws more fire Gulf News, By Pamela Raghunath, 13 Jan 12, US geologist warns of high quake risk in region and urges authorities to embrace a design that can withstand a high degree of shaking  Mumbai: A noted American geologist has criticised the construction of a 9,900 Megawatt nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, Maharashtra, warning of a high earthquake risk in the area.
In a paper co-authored with Professor Vinod Gaur of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Professor Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado warned that a magnitude 6 earthquake could hit Jaitapur. The paper was published in Current Science, a prestigious Indian journal published by the Current Science Association and the Indian Academy of Sciences.
He joins environmentalists, Indian scientists and local farmers in opposing the energy project……
The Jaitapur area comes under Ratnagiri district which falls in the seismic Zone 4 (high damage) category with Zone 5 being the highest. The region has witnessed 92 earthquakes within the period from 1985 to 2005.
Professor Bilham said nuclear power plants can be engineered to withstand a high degree of shaking intensity although the expense of the design will increase with the severity and duration of the shaking. http://gulfnews.com/news/world/pakistan/jaitapur-nuclear-power-plant-project-draws-more-fire-1.965175

January 13, 2012 Posted by | India, safety | Leave a comment

Anger over the assassination of Iran nuclear scientist

Killing of Nuclear Scientist Fuels Anger in Tehran VOA News, January 12, 2012 The killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist this week has provoked a wave of anger in Tehran, which blames Israel and the United States for the attack.

A hardline Iranian newspaper called on Thursday for retaliation against Israel, which Iranian authorities say orchestrated Wednesday’s bomb blast. An editorial in the Kayhan newspaper called for assassinations of Israeli military and other officials.

The comments follow Tehran’s call for the United Nations to condemn the attack and take steps toward eliminating what it called terrorism. Both Israel and the United States have denied any role in the killing of the Iranian nuclear scientist.  ….
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Killing-of-Nuclear-Scientist-Fuels-Anger-in-Tehran-137190928.html

January 13, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Renewables supply 39% of Philippines energy needs, and thousands of jobs

Aquino optimistic on renewable energy, Business World, Johanna D. Poblete, 13 Jan 12, PRESIDENT BENIGNO S.C. Aquino III is optimistic the Energy department will achieve an increase in the production of alternative renewable energy that would redound to an increase in employment by 2015.
He noted, for instance, that nearly 39% of the country’s energy requirements are now provided by renewable sources, namely, hydropower, geothermal, solar, wind and biomass.
“We project that the contribution of the biomass sector will increase from 39 megawatts of energy in 2010 to more than 300 megawatts by 2015,” Mr. Aquino said in his speech at the opening of the 1st Philippine International BioEnergy Conference on Thursday.
“Our projections also indicate that in achieving this goal, around 89,000 more jobs will be generated for Filipinos,” he added.
The President said that the development of the industry has a “multiplier effect” not just in terms of empowering consumers, but also by stimulating attendant sectors. “The effects of advancing the biomass sector will also reach close to 577,000 farm families who can benefit, for example, by gaining additional income [from] the sale of agriwaste or forest residues that
can be used in the development of biomass resources,” Mr. Aquino said…. http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=Aquino-optimistic-on-renewable-energy&id=44991

January 13, 2012 Posted by | Philippines, renewable | 1 Comment

Florida residents up for $millions for nuclear plants?

Progress Energy rate-payers are already on the hook for part of the $2.5 billion in repairs for the existing Crystal River nuclear plant. The plant has been offline with various problems since September 2009 and is not expected to be operating again before 2014. The utility wants customers to pay about $670 toward the repairs and insists that scrapping the plant would cost rate-payers more than fixing it.

Nuclear plant opponents in Fla. voice concerns Washington Examiner, By: MITCH STACY | 01/12/12  Opponents of two proposed nuclear power reactors in west-central Florida told a Nuclear Regulatory Commission panel on Thursday that the units will upset the delicate balance of the rural area’s water system and present a health risk……. The hearing before a
three-judge panel of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board — the judicial arm of the NRC — addressed a legal challenge to Progress Energy’s application to license the plants. The NRC is expected to complete an environmental impact statement this spring and a formal trial on the challenge could happen as early as October. Continue reading →

January 13, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment