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Judge rules that Bradley Manning was illegally treated

Military judge rules Bradley Manning was illegally treated, awards 112
days credit By Nathan Fuller, Bradley Manning Support Network. January
8, 2013.     After more than two weeks of intense litigation by
Bradley Manning’s defense, and hearing how Quantico brig staff
blatantly disregarded Navy Rules, military Judge Denise Lind has
confirmed that Bradley was punished unlawfully before trial by
awarding 112 days credit. Instead of awarding 10-for-1 credit (or
dismissing the charges altogether), which would severely reprimand the
military and significantly impact Bradley’s potential sentence, Judge
Lind gave 1-to-1 credit for selected portions of his Quantico
confinement.

Judge Lind has granted credit for the 7 days Bradley was kept on
suicide risk watch against Navy Rules, 75 days from November 1 to
January 18 when he was kept needlessly on Prevention of Injury watch,
and 20 days from April 1-20 when he was forced to remove his underwear
at night. Lind said Bradley’s confinement was “more rigorous than
necessary,” and that it “became excessive in relation to legitimate
government interests.”……
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/military-judge-rules-bradley-manning-was-illegally-treated-awards-112-days-credit

January 9, 2013 Posted by | civil liberties, Legal, USA | Leave a comment

New management for Oak Ridge nuclear weapons breakin site

U.S. uranium complex changes management after activists break in Al
Arabiya News, 08 January 2013 TIMOTHY GARDNER  REUTERS The U.S.
government has named a new group to manage security at a site where it
processes and stores enriched uranium after anti-nuclear activists,
including an 82-year old nun, broke into the site in 2012.

The National Nuclear Security Administration said on Tuesday it has
chosen Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC to manage and operate the
Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where the
breach occurred last July, as well as the Plantex Plant near Amarillo,
Texas.

The group selected is comprised of Bechtel National Inc, Lockheed
Martin Services Inc, ATK Launch Systems Inc and SOC LLC. Consolidated
will begin a transition immediately and the contract will start on May
1, the NNSA said.

The five-year contract, with options to renew it for another five
years, also includes construction project management of the uranium
processing facility of the Y-12 complex and an option for work at the
Savannah River tritium operations in South Carolina.

The contract includes a total available fee of about $446 million if
the Savannah River option is picked up by the end of the first year,
the NNSA said…..
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/08/259387.html

January 9, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

South Korea going ahead with nuclear energy, but public feeling is against it

South Korea to expand nuclear energy despite growing safety fears, The
Star, 8 Jan 13,  By Meeyoung Cho….The proportion of South Koreans
who considered nuclear power safe fell to 34.8 percent in a survey
conducted in November and published on Tuesday, down from 40 percent
in April 2011 and 71 percent in January 2010, the Ministry of
Knowledge Economy said.

The ministry has been sharply criticised for its role as regulator and
operator of the country’s nuclear power plants, and one of its
subsidiaries was accused of suppressing negative public opinion after
the Fukushima disaster by not publishing polls.

A fake parts scandal closed two reactors last year and the industry
suppressed details of the closure of the Kori No.1 reactor early in
2012.

“It is an urgent priority to recover people’s trust and the safety of
reactors just as it is unavoidable to maintain nuclear at a certain
percentage of the total power supply, considering the power supply and
demand situation,” the ministry said……”

January 9, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Contractors to run Tenn., Texas nuclear plants

Posted Tuesday, Jan. 08, 2013
The Associated Press
Star-Telegram

NASHVILLE, TENN. — A group of contractors headed by Bechtel National and Lockheed Martin has been selected to manage nuclear weapons facilities in Tennessee and Texas.

The National Nuclear Security Administration on Tuesday announced that Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC was selected to run the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. The contract will also include management of the construction project to build the new uranium processing facility at Y-12.

The contract also includes the option of managing the Savannah River Tritium Operations at the Savannah River Site in near Aiken, S.C., after the first year of the contract, if NNSA decides to exercise that option.

Consolidated Nuclear Security is comprised of Bechtel National, Lockheed Martin Services, ATK Launch Systems, Inc. and SOC, LLC. The 5-year contract will start May 1, which could be extended an additional five years.

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January 9, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Permanent storage of nuclear waste still in limbo – Prairie Island Indian speaks out -Audio

“…Of course, the tribe is not in complete agreement on nuclear power. Doreen Hagen, right, president of the Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council, says the tribe will fight to ensure that its homeland is not endangered by the nuclear reactor that is just 600 yards from reservation homes…”

Permanent storage of nuclear waste still in limbo

by Steven John, Minnesota Public Radio

January 8, 2013

AUDIO

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Thirty years ago this week the Nuclear Waste Policy Act became law, committing the federal government to finding a permanent storagefacility for the nation’s nuclear waste.

The Prairie Island Indian Community took out a full-page advertisement in the Star Tribune to commemorate the anniversary — but not in celebration.

Decades after President Ronald Reagan signed the act into law, nuclear waste is still being stored in temporary facilities across the country — including at the Prairie Island Nuclear Plant. The site that Congress approved for the permanent facility, Yucca Mountain in Nevada, was removed from consideration by the Obama administration, leaving the issue and the nuclear waste in limbo.

Phil Mahowald, general counsel for the Prairie Island Indian Community, speaks with MPR News about the subject.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/01/08/environment/prairie-island-nuclear-waste/

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2009

Minnesota Indian Tribe Wants Nation’s Nuclear Waste

The Prairie Island Indian Community is calling on President Barack Obama to deliver on the federal government’s decades-old mandate and promise to establish a permanent repository for the nation’s commercial nuclear waste. The Tribe’s urging comes after Congress approved the FY2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill which cuts funding for the proposed national nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev., to record low levels. High-level, radioactive nuclear waste from the nation’s nuclear power plants is currently accumulating at ‘temporary’ storage sites in 39 different states, including Minnesota.
Continue reading

January 9, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

USA -Wolves spotted at Idaho nuclear facility

January 8, 2013

The Associated Press

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO — Idaho National Laboratory officials say two wolves have been spotted on the 890-square-mile nuclear facility that is off limits to hunters.

INL spokeswoman Carisa Shultz tells the Post Register (http://bit.ly/V9j65r) that workers spotted the wolves Saturday outside the fence of the Advanced Test Reactor Complex.

Shultz says employees are used to seeing deer and occasionally elk at the eastern Idaho site.

Idaho Fish and Game spokesman Gregg Losinski says an elk herd has learned it’s a safe place from human hunters so it’s likely wolves could figure that out also.

Jeff Gould of Idaho Fish and Game says the wolves are probably just passing through and it’s unlikely they’ll set up a home range in the desert.

INL officials have reminded employees to be alert when outside the fence.

Information from: Post Register, http://www.postregister.com

 

 

January 8, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Rolls-Royce Expands Nuclear Operations With US Buyout

Plant Operation

8 Jan (NucNet): Rolls-Royce Holdings is expanding its nuclear energy operations with the purchase for an undisclosed sum of US engineering company PKMJ Technical Services.

The acquisition aims to accelerate growth in nuclear services, London-based Rolls-Royce said in a statement today.

Rolls-Royce already has nuclear services facilities in Williamson, New York state, and Peterborough, in Canada, and a nuclear instrumentation and control facility based in Chattanooga, Tenessee. Last year Rolls-Royce acquired R Brooks Associates, a leading specialist civil nuclear reactor services business in the US.

The company also announced last year a collaboration with Hitachi to work on new nuclear reactors in the UK. In September 2011, Rolls-Royce signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation covering nuclear energy with Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

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January 8, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

French Cuts Spur Debate on their Nuclear Deterrence Budget

“…Around 130 million euros of the annual 750 million euro research and technology budget is spent on studies for the deterrent, and the amount is expected to double by 2016, then decrease while the development money will rise, a July French Senate report said….”

“…There needs to be debate on topics such as the range of ballistic missiles, the number of submarines and possible cooperation with Britain beyond research on warheads, the source said.
Britain, for example, is due to decide in 2016 whether to maintain four missile submarines or cut to three when it signs construction contracts for the Successor next-generation fleet….”

8 January 2013

Indiandefence.com

PARIS — An impending wave of cuts in public spending in France calls for a debate on the elements that make up the country’s nuclear deterrent, with a big question mark over whether to maintain the carrier-borne air wing, a report from influential think tank Centre d’Etude et de Prospective Stratégique (CEPS) said.

The report, “Defense Without the Cosmetics: A Platform of Proposals for Defense and National Security,” seeks to open public debate on the traditionally sacred and unquestioned realm of nuclear deterrence ahead of the publication of the official white paper on defense and national security, due in a few weeks.

The CEPS report is due to be published at the end of this month.

The call to update nuclear doctrine comes as concern rises in some quarters over what is seen as an attempt by a military pro-nuclear lobby to impose an artificial “consensus,” two civilian sources said.

“It’s locked down,” a defense expert said. Anyone who questions the deterrent doctrine is subject to “eviction or ridicule.”
Short-Circuiting the Minister

In what is described as a “short circuiting” of the defense minister, officers from the Chief of the Defense Staff pushed to block any policy changes in the deterrent force at a restricted council meeting at the Elysée presidential office, a political source said.

The meeting, held in the second half of December, was an attempt by the military to persuade the president, the political authority on the nuclear deterrent, to “change nothing,” the source said.

The defense minister and his private office realize the budgetary weight of the nuclear force and the decisions needed for future-generation programs, but there is little room for discussion as the concept of operations has been frozen for decades, the source said.

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January 8, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Destination of Japanese Plutonium Unclear ??

Jan. 8, 2013

Global Security Newswire

Japan intends to continue generating plutonium despite having paused preparation of a facility at its Rokkasho site for generating nuclear power plant fuel from the bomb-usable material, theAssociated Press reported on Monday.

The developmental facility was originally scheduled in 2014 to begin converting the plutonium intomixed-oxide fuel, but construction has been on hold since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011.

Japan has stockpiled sufficient plutonium to power hundreds of atomic armaments, and the island nation would run afoul of nonproliferation commitments by potentially determining it has no peaceful use for the substance.

If the country stopped separating plutonium from spent atomic fuel at Rokkasho, domestic atomic energy sites with limited room would be forced to retake custody of roughly 3,000 tons of unwanted material. Political appetite appears limited for constructing a site to deal with such substances over an extended period, according to AP.

Tokyo last year halted preparation of the Monju fast-breeder reactor, which was intended to recycle used power plant material as an alternative to reprocessing it for plutonium.

Meanwhile, a high-level South Korean Foreign Ministry insider on Monday said his country does not plan to seek Japanese treatment of its used atomic reactor material, Kyodo News reported.

more links on that here..

RELATED GSN STORIES

Source for this

http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/destination-japanese-plutonium-remains-unclear/

January 8, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Idaho Governor Underscores Commitment to Keep Nuclear Waste Out of Idaho

By AARON KUNZ

TUE JANUARY 8, 2013

Idaho Governor Butch Otter underscored his commitment Monday to keeping more spent nuclear waste from entering Idaho. EarthFix Reporter Aaron Kunz explains.

Governor Butch Otter organized the Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission almost a year ago. The goal was for that group to determine what the Idaho National Laboratory future might be. The laboratory is the nations lead nuclear research facility.

When the LINE Commission released its preliminary report last month, it included revisiting Idaho’s 1995 agreement with the federal government that caps the amount of nuclear waste allowed to be shipped to Idaho.

Governor Otter downplayed the recommendation in his State of the State Address.

Otter: “I’m as committed as ever to enforcing the terms of our 1995 agreement with the federal government to get all nuclear waste out of Idaho by 2035.”

The LINE Commission will submit their final recommendations with Governor Otter by the end of the month. The public comment period closed last Friday.

Copyright 2013 Northwest Public Radio

Listen to Broadcast here

http://www.nwpr.org/post/idaho-governor-underscores-commitment-keep-nuclear-waste-out-idaho

January 8, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Iran to address nuclear concerns if rights respected: Mehmanparast -Press TV

Tue Jan 8, 2013 2:33PM GMT
Press TV
Iran says it is ready to help allay the West’s concerns over Tehran’s nuclear energy program provided that the country’s nuclear rights are fully recognized.

File photo shows Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran.

File photo shows Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran.

The recognition of Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities in legal terms and provision of technical assistance by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to Tehran have been already discussed in various sessions, Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Tuesday.

“They have never been able to provide real evidence at sessions and meetings for their claims. However, we have announced that if a comprehensive agreement is reached between the Islamic Republic and the IAEA, under which all [Iranian] nuclear activities are fully recognized, and we are fully provided with nuclear and fuel cycle technology, we will be ready to take the necessary measures to allay their concerns,” Mehmanparast told reporters in Tehran.

Mehmanparast described the recent meetings between Tehran and the nuclear body as constructive, adding that the talks revolved around “technical aspects” of Iran’s nuclear activities.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman further highlighted Iran’s sustained cooperation with the IAEA and said the Islamic Republic is determined to pursue all its nuclear rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the NPT and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted toward military objectives.

MRS/SS/IS

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/01/08/282451/iran-ready-to-address-nuclear-concerns/

January 8, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Even in “short trips” radiation damages astronoauts

text ionisingBut what’s interesting, and concerning, is that even with those protections we do see signs of radiation damage to astronauts,Cucinotta told me. The big thing is cataracts — changes in the lens of the eye that make it more opaque.

There’s also probably an increased risk of cancer, though it’s difficult to estimate how much, exactly. That’s because we don’t have human epidemiological data about the kind of radiation astronauts are exposed to.

How space radiation hurts astronautsBoing Boing,  Maggie Koerth-Baker, Jan 4, 2013  Space is full of radiation. It’s impossible to escape. Imagine standing in the middle of a dust storm, with bits of gravel constantly swirling around you, whizzing by, pinging against your skin. That’s what radiation is like in space. The problem is that, unlike a pebble or a speck of dirt, ionizing radiation doesn’t bounce off human flesh. It goes right through, like a cannonball through the side of the building, leaving damage behind.

Last week, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center published a study that suggests long exposures to galactic cosmic radiation — like the kind astronauts might experience on a trip to Mars — could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease…..

Galactic cosmic radiation — also called galactic cosmic rays — is the kind of radiation that researchers are most worried about. Continue reading

January 8, 2013 Posted by | 2 WORLD, health | Leave a comment

Japan’s government gambling with climate/nuclear disaster risks

Japan’s Pro-Nuclear Cabinet Fight Future Disaster With Reformed
Policies, The International,  By Abbie Saunders JANUARY 07,
2013……..The American Nuclear Society suggests that “one of the
most effective ways to reduce global carbon-dioxide emissions in the
future is by making increasing use of nuclear energy to replace fossil
fuels”. But Kurt Kleiner for Nature Reports maintains a different
stance.

globalnukeNOKleiner suggests that while the operation of a nuclear power plant
itself has “near-zero carbon emissions”, it is the initial
construction of these plants that damages their eco-friendly
reputation. He points to the sources of nuclear energy as the problem:
“uranium has to be mined, processed and transported, waste has to be
stored, and eventually the plant has to be decommissioned. All these
actions produce carbon emissions.”
nuke-&-seaLWhilst nuclear energy itself may be considered more eco-friendly than
exhaustible energy sources, renowned Japan correspondent Lucy
Birmingham points to the country’s history of natural disasters as a
potential danger. In November 2012, following the destruction of
Hurricane Sandy, she poignantly remarked that “nuclear power and
superstorms don’t mix”. She suggests that both floods and droughts can
severely damage nuclear reactors, causing them to release potentially
fatal radioactive materials.

It is this reality that prompts the Japanese population to protest.
Since Fukushima, the citizens of Japan have become increasingly
concerned about the dangers of nuclear energy. If the government’s
primary responsibility is the security of its citizens, is Shinzo
Abe’s attempt to bolster the economy and Japan’s carbon footprint one
risk too far for the environment and the welfare of the people
residing in potential risk areas?….”

January 8, 2013 Posted by | climate change, Japan | Leave a comment

Los Alamos nuclear weapons lab security risk with Chinese technology

YouTubeOpposing Views on Congress’ Claims Huawei Technologies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKYmL4JwNsY

 

secret-agent-SmThe report said that based on classified and unclassified information,

Huawei and ZTE ‘cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state
influence’ and pose ‘a security threat to the United States and to our
systems.’.

Los-Alamos(includes video) National security concerns at Los Alamos? U.S.
nuclear weapons hub discovers Chinese-made telecom gizmos embedded in
its network
So-called network switches are used to manage data traffic on computer networks
Los Alamos National Laboratory manages America’s arsenal of nuclear weapons
Exact number of the switches within the labor’s network infrastructure
is unknown
At least two Chinese-made ‘components’ removed from the network
Chinese manufacturer insists its products pose no security threat to the U.S.
Chinese company barred from buying U.S. corporation with officials
citing national security risks
House Intelligence Committee report says Chinese manufacturer ‘cannot
be trusted’
 Mail Online, By REUTERS REPORTER, 7 Jan 13, “….. The discovery
raises concerns about procurement practices by U.S. departments
responsible for national security. The U.S. government and Congress
have raised concerns about Huawei and its alleged ties to the Chinese
military and government. Continue reading

January 8, 2013 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | 1 Comment

America’s Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) computers attacked by China?

secret-agent-SmChinese Hackers Suspected in Cyber Attack on Council on Foreign
Relations, Washington Free Beacon, Advanced cyberespionage attack
employed ‘drive-by’ method on CFR website BY: Bill Gertz December 27,
2012
Computer hackers traced to China carried out an advanced
cyberespionage attack against one of America’s most elite foreign
policy web groups – the website of the Council on Foreign Relations
(CFR).

According to private computer-security forensic specialists, the
hacking incident involved a relatively new type of ploy called a
“drive-by” website cyber attack that was detected around 2:00 p.m. on
Wednesday.

The specialists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack
involved penetrating the computer server that operates the New York
City-based CFR’s website and then using the pirated computer system to
attack CFR members and others who visited or “drove by” the site…… Continue reading

January 8, 2013 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment