Iran’s plan for defusing the nuclear crisis
Iran Offers Plan, Dismissed by U.S., on Nuclear Crisis NYT, By DAVID E. SANGER October 4, 2012 WASHINGTON — With harsh economic sanctions contributing to the first major protests in Iran in three years, Iranian officials have begun to describe what they call a “nine-step plan” to defuse the nuclear crisis with the West by gradually suspending the production of the uranium that would be easiest for them to convert into a nuclear weapon Continue reading
Courage of Margaret Chan WHO Director General, on ionising radiation
HISTORY WAS MADE. Marion Odell, 29 Sept 2012 On May 12, 2011 history was quietly made when courageous WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said “There is no safe low level of radiation.”
Until May 12, 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) always followed the lead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on nuclear health effects issues as there is a 1959 agreement that WHO would accept the findings of that organization. This agreement is still in effect and hopefully will be rescinded soon.
However this most likely will need some considerable political pressure from the
public. It is imperative that we support this tremendously important pronouncement and spread the message far and wide. This is a breakthrough that will impress the public because of the prestige of the World Health Organization and the integrity of the
Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan.
The letter to Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan from the International Institute of Concern for Public appears below. It can also be seen at iicph.org/330. Continue reading
India’s government upset that Sri Lanka worries about nuclear radiation
India to discuss Kudankulam safety with Sri Lanka Sachin Parashar, TNN | Sep 29, 2012, NEW DELHI: Taken aback by what it describes as “propaganda” in Sri Lanka against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, India has offered to discuss the safety aspect of the pressurized water reactors with Lankan authorities.
The dialogue mechanism between the two nations for cooperation on nuclear issues
will include talks on Kudankulam safety when a Sri Lankan committee visits India later this year.
“The safety aspect will be a part of the broader agenda for talks over cooperation in nuclear energy but we are already telling them that India will abide by all international conventions over nuclear safety at Kudankulam,” said an official dealing with Sri Lanka. Although the
government in Sri Lanka has not raised any objection to the reactors, the Indian establishment in Colombo has been stunned by a spate of reports in the local media — in the run-up to loading of fuel in the first unit at Kudankulam – about how these reactors were going to adversely impact the island nation….. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-discuss-Kudankulam-safety-with-Sri-Lanka/articleshow/16596952.cms
Australia’s former conservatve Prime Minister warns on danger of USA militarism
An Australian General, Major General Richard Burr, has become a deputy commander of United States Army Pacific. He will be responsible for planning and advising on the further expansion of American armed forces throughout the Western Pacific.
Australia hostage to the politics of the US in the Asian Century, The Drum, MALCOLM FRASER, 27 Sept 12, This week Malcolm Fraser delivered a speech on Australia-US relations in the Asian Century. In this edited extract, the former prime minister says our Government has made us hostage to the politics of the United States. Australia has, under this Labor Government and with apparent consent of the Coalition, become the southern bastion of America’s re-arming in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. This is an extraordinary consequence of Australian Government ineptitude and of military planning, which might recognise America’s interest, but pays little account of our own.
It makes us complicit in any military activity that the Americans might undertake. Continue reading
New Zealand still will not allow USA’s nuclear ships in its ports
No backdown on nuclear-free NZ: Key Herald Sun AAP September 24, 2012 NEW Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key is promising there will be no backdown on the country’s nuclear-free status as part of renewedco-operation with the United States.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta visited New Zealand last week, and raised the possibility of having US troops based here…… During his visit, Mr Panetta announced New Zealand navy vessels will be able visit Defence Department and Coastguard facilities in the US and around the world.
Mr Key has also invited a US Coastguard vessel to visit New Zealand – as long as it’s not nuclear-powered.
“There’ll be no change to New Zealand’s anti-nuclear legislation, no change to the provisions about boats that would come to New Zealand,” he told TVNZ’s Breakfast…… http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/no-backdown-on-nuclear-free-nz-key/story-e6frf7k6-1226479988638
Doubts about China, France involved in UK’s new nuclear programme
Should China be involved in the UK’s nuclear energy infrastructure? Guardian UK, Paul Dorfman, 21 Sept 12 A more responsible way forward to this ethically questionable strategy can be found with Germany’s energy policy Government officials have been in Beijing this week with their Chinese counterparts for an “unprecedented” collaboration on energy . On the table was new nuclear power, and its role in moving the UK to a low-carbon economy.
So far, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) has been relentlessly optimistic about new nuclear, and hopes that its electricity market reform plans for a draft energy bill will do the trick, despite strong and sustained criticism from a parliamentary select committee on energy, and more recently a House of Lords working group who conclude that the reforms are “unworkable”. But Decc is still loyal to the nuclear project and hopes the financial support implied in these market reforms will attract foreign investment.
France’s state nuclear corporation EDF and their UK junior partner, Centrica, have been centre stage in this nuclear fiscal drama. Centrica appears increasingly lukewarm, and City insiders doubt whether it will maintain a 20% stake in the nuclear consortium. Centrica’s potential departure could have something to do with the economics of nuclear power, with construction costs more than doubling from €3bn to over €6bn – and rising for each of the French-designed European pressurised reactors being built in Finland at Olkiluoto, and Flamanville in France.
Separately, since Germany’s RWE and E.ON in March pulled out of the UK’s second nuclear consortium, Horizon Nuclear Power, two Chinese nuclear state corporations, China Guangdong Nuclear Power and State Nuclear Power Technology, are considering taking on the consortium. Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy corporation, has also expressed an interest in the UK nuclear market.
At this point, it’s worth looking at the underlying business ethics of the Russian and Chinese nuclear industries, and questioning the wisdom of their strategic involvement in key UK energy infrastructure……http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/sep/21/nuclearpower-energy?newsfeed=true
Attack on Iran the “stupidest idea” says former Mossad chief
Meir Dagan, Former Mossad Chief, Says Attack On Iran ‘Stupidest Idea’ He’s Ever Heard (VIDEO) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/16/meir-dagan-mossad-iran-attack-stupid_n_1888840.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000032 The Huffington Post | By Mark Hanrahan, 17 Sept 12, Meir Dagan, a former head of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, says that an attack on Iran would be the “stupidest idea [I’ve] ever heard.”
Speaking to ’60 Minutes’ Dagan said: “An attack on Iran now before exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it [sic].”
Dagan, a man who Iranian authorities reportedly claim has dispatched assassins, computer viruses and faulty equipment in a bid to delay the country’s nuclear program, appears to have developed a surprising appreciation for the Islamic Republic’s regime – which is a sworn enemy of Israel.
“The regime in Iran is a very rational regime,” according to Dagan. Asked if he felt the regime in Iran was capable of backing down from an escalating crisis over the country’s nuclear program, he replied: “No doubt that the Iranian regime is not exactly rational based on what I would call ‘Western Thinking,’ but no doubt they are considering all the implications of their actions.”
Dagan’s interview is in stark contrast to the opinions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who appeared on ‘Meet The Press’ earlier. Netanyahu said that supporters of the policy of ‘containing’ Iran and its nuclear ambitions “set a new standard for human stupidity.”
Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium lead the flight from nuclear power
Nuclear best friends turn cold shoulder after Fukushima Business Recorder, 14 September 2012 LONDON: Nuclear industry was dealt a big blow on Friday when two of the most nuclear-friendly countries decided to exit or sharply curb their reliance on the technology following a public opinion backlash after the Fukushima accident in Japan last year.
Japan, which produced more than 10 percent of the global nuclear power before Fukushima, joins Germany, Switzerland and Belgium in deciding to shut down their nuclear plants and to spend money on renewable energy instead. Continue reading
USA government worried about Japan cutting out nuclear power?
U.S. energy official voices concern over zero nuclear energy target, Japan Times, 14 Sept 12, Jiji WASHINGTON — U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman has voiced concerns about Japan’s apparent plans to end its nuclear energy dependence by the 2030s, Democratic Party of Japan executive Seiji Maehara said Wednesday.
At a meeting with the DPJ’s policy chief Tuesday, Poneman said that if Japan takes such steps it might have unexpected effects on the United States and other concerned parties, Continue reading
Nuclear lobby gets its claws into the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
APEC Leaders Safe Use of Nuclear Energy Power Industry News 9 Sept 12, Asia-Pacific leaders wrapped up two days of their summit talks on Sunday with an agreement to ensure the safe use of nuclear energy and a renewed commitment to forestalling protectionism. Leaders of the 21 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum adopted a joint declaration and related documents at their meeting in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok….
Specifically, they agreed to “ensure the safe and secure use of nuclear energy as a clean energy source in interested economies.” Their accords also include the promotion of steady investment in energy infrastructure….http://www.utilityproducts.com/news/2012/09/09/apec-leaders-safe-use-of-nuclear-energy.html
Diplomacy the only realistic way to keep Iran away from nuclear weapons
Diplomacy: Best Way to Keep Iran Away From the Bomb Forever
HUFFINGTON POST, Kate Gould, : 09/05/20123 Things You Need to Know about the IAEA Report As Iran war-fever again breaks out upon the release of the latest IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear program, the single most important determinant of ‘how many years Iran is from a nuclear weapon’ bears repeating: according to U.S. and Israeli intelligence , Iran has not decided to build a nuclear weapon. Amidst this media frenzy, one can forget that centrifuges spinning on their own don’t speed toward nuclear weapons. People (in governments) make the political decision about whether or not to make nuclear weapons. As countless top national security experts have pointed out , diplomacy is the best way to persuade the people in Iran — yes, there are living breathing people behind those centrifuges — to never make that decision.
1. The Report Confirms (Again): Iran Is Still Not Building Nuclear Weapons
The IAEA report highlights troubling developments about Iran’s nuclear program, but it also confirms what every other Iran report from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog has verified: Iran is still using its enriched uranium strictly for peaceful purposes. The report further confirms U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessments that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon . Continue reading
USA – Marshall Islands “shared history” – 7000 nuclear bombs
I bet the Marshall Islands wish there had been no shared history – peoples’ lives have been ruined because of it.
Barbara Dreaver: Pressure on US for nuclear compensation
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/barbara-dreaver-pressure-us-nuclear-compensation-5064010 By Barbara Dreaver ONE News Pacific Correspondent September 05, 2012 And there it was. The elephant in the room. Jumping off the Pacific Islands Forum communique were the words “Radioactive Contaminants in the Republic of the Marshall Islands”.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have been enroute to Rarotonga when the Pacific Island leaders she was coming to visit put out the communique demanding that the US live up to its full obligations in providing adequate compensation for those affected by her country’s nuclear testing.
I wonder how long it took for her to get the news .Let’s recap. Between 1946 and 1958 the US conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. In total they added up to 7000 Hiroshima bombs. Continue reading
Non aligned Nations endorse Iran’s nuclear power project
NAM nations back Iran’s nuclear bid Times of India Thomas Erdbrink, NYT News Service | Sep 2, 2012, TEHRAN: The 120-nation Nonaligned Movement handed its host Iran a diplomatic victory on Friday, unanimously decreeing support for the disputed Iranian nuclear energy programme and criticizing the US-led attempt to isolate and punish Iran with unilateral economic sanctions.
But the group’s communique, issued by Iranian state news media at the end of its annual meeting, omitted any mention of support for Syria, Iran’s vital Middle East ally, which appeared to reflect a view among many members that the Syrian government’s attempt to crush the uprising there was indefensible…..
The Tehran Declaration document not only emphasizes Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy but acknowledges the right to ownership of a full nuclear fuel cycle, which means uranium enrichment – a matter of deep dispute. Continue reading
No sensible reason for Israel to attack Iran, following new nuclear report
New Iran Nuclear Report Should Not Be Signal to Attack Bloomberg, By the Editors Aug 31, 2012 The latest report on Iran’s nuclear program from the International Atomic Energy Agency gives ample ammunition to Israeli leaders who argue that they need to bomb now. The report confirms what we have long understood, that Iran is working to build a nuclear weapons capability.
But that’s all. The report doesn’t change the calculus about whether Israeli airstrikes would be the best way to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons effort, and it doesn’t say Iran is building a weapon. Continue reading
Clean up Marshall Islands radioactive mess, Pacific leaders tell USA
Pacific leaders urge US on nuclear mess, Herald Sun, 31 Aug 12, PACIFIC leaders have used a joint communique to urge the US to clean up the mess left by nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands ….. A meeting of the 15-nation Pacific Island Forum (PIF) in the Cook Islands issued the communique after a leaders’ retreat, saying the United States, which tested 67 nuclear weapons in the Marshalls from 1946-1958, had a “special responsibility” on the issue.
The communique said radioactive contaminants were still present in the Marshalls and Washington should “live up to its full obligations” to remove them and compensate affected populations.
“(There is) a special responsibility by the United States of America towards the people of the Marshall Islands, who have been and continue to be, adversely affected as a direct result of nuclear weapons tests,” it said.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in the Cook Islands later on Thursday and PIF leaders will have a chance to voice their concerns to her first-hand on Friday, when she meets them in the capital Avarua….
The communique also called for action on climate change, which threatens many of the low-lying island states, and marine conservation…….
They agreed that next year’s forum will be held in the Marshall Islands, which is set to place more pressure on the United States over its nuclear legacy.
A UN fact-finding mission to the northern Pacific nation found in March that test-affected islanders “feel like nomads in their own country” and had suffered long-term health problems for the Cold War-era nuclear program. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/pacific-leaders-urge-us-on-nuclear-mess/story-e6frf7k6-1226462698540
1 This Month
PLEASE OPPOSE HR 8255 AND S.3639 – bills would accelerate satellite deployment, with no environmental review or safeguards – https://ncstd5li.quorum.us/campaign/169331/
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