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Iran to get uranium from Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe to sell uranium to Iran,  Telegraph, bu Aislinn Laing, 6 Mar 11, Zimbabwe is to defy United Nations sanctions in a deal to sell uranium to Iran

Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Zimbabwe‘s foreign minister, said the sanctions – which prohibit member states from providing Iran with raw materials that it could use to make a nuclear weapon – were unfair and hypocritical.

He said that Zimbabwe, which is also the subject of sanctions over human rights abuses perpetrated by President Robert Mugabe’s supporters, would benefit economically from the agreement.

A leaked intelligence report suggests Iran will be awarded with exclusive access to Zimbabwe’s uranium in return for providing the country with fuel……. Zimbabwe to sell uranium to Iran – Telegraph

March 7, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international, Uranium | Leave a comment

Inspection of Syria’s nuclear sites by IAEA

Syria agrees to IAEA inspection of nuclear site, Google hosted news, (AFP) – 3 March 11, VIENNA — Syria has agreed to a vist by inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency to a nuclear site for the first time since June 2008, diplomats said Wednesday.The site, at Homs in the west of the country, is known to the IAEA and is not thought to be suspect.”Syria has agreed to the principle of a visit,” said a source close to the IAEA. It is due to take place on April 1 though the details remain to be determined.The agreement follows numerous requests and growing impatience on the part of the agency with Damascus’s refusals.The visit will not take in a posible uranium enrichment facility at Al Kibar, which was bombed by Israeli warplanes in 2007, the source said….. AFP: Syria agrees to IAEA inspection of nuclear site

March 3, 2011 Posted by | politics international, Syria | Leave a comment

Syria might have had a nuclear power project in the past

Suspected Nuclear Facility Sighted in Syria, NTI: Global Security Newswire, Feb. 24, 2011 A site near the Syrian capital of Damascus has gained attention among Western intelligence services as a possible one-time host to undisclosed atomic activities in the Middle Eastern nation, Reuters reported. Continue reading →

February 25, 2011 Posted by | politics international, Syria | Leave a comment

Work with Pakistan to avoid a Jihadist nuclear-armed State

That means working with the Pakistan of today to try to improve its very spotty record on terrorism and proliferation. While many (on both sides of the U.S.-Pakistan dialogue) are pessimistic that cooperation/engagement between America and Pakistan will succeed, there is every reason to try, given the alternatives,”

“Jihadist nuclear-armed Pak worst nightmare for India, US, world”: Riedel | TruthDiveWashington, Feb 17(ANI): A jihadist takeover in Pakistan- which is a “real possibility today”- would have devastating consequences not only for the country but the entire world, and particularly for India, says Bruce Riedel in his new book. Continue reading →

February 19, 2011 Posted by | Pakistan, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nuclear weapons or not – for Egypt?

“The most one could say is that Egypt may be desiring to keep its options open. And among the Egyptian body politic, there is a point of view expressed by several parties that Egypt should pursue nuclear weapons.”………..

Will New Egyptian Government Pursue Nuclear Weapons?  Voice of America, 18 Feb 2011, “…..Egypt has two nuclear research reactors located near Cairo. They are used for peaceful purposes and are under International Atomic Energy Agency – or IAEA – safeguards. Continue reading →

February 19, 2011 Posted by | Egypt, politics international | Leave a comment

China protecting North Korea’s nuclear secrets

China has told UN security council members it plans to block publication of the organisation’s special report that accuses North Korea of violating sanctions on its nuclear programme.

China to block UN report on North Korean nuclear capability, guardian.co.uk, 18 Feb 2011, Report says uranium enrichment programme and development of a light-water reactor are serious violations of UN sanctions  Continue reading →

February 19, 2011 Posted by | China, politics international | Leave a comment

Britain to break international agreement in releasing plutonium into sea

Sellafield activity ‘will ensure UK breaks nuclear pollution  promise’ Group monitoring nuclear plant says ‘crash programme’ by government’s NDA will put UK in breach of Ospar convention Rob Edwards, guardian.co.uk,  17 February 2011
• ‘Sellafield is where we house the toxic legacy of our failed nuclear industry’

Britain is on course to break an international agreement to reduce radioactive pollution of the seas, because of an increase in activity at the Sellafield nuclear site, Continue reading →

February 18, 2011 Posted by | politics international, reprocessing, UK | 1 Comment

Egypt’s surreptitious nuclear arms program a problem for USA

Egypt has been quietly carrying out research and development on weapons of mass destruction — including nuclear

Egypt’s WMD programs complicate U.S. response, World blog, 7 Feb 2011, With Egypt in revolt and the country’s future uncertain, concern is growing over whether a new government in the Arab world’s most militarily and industrially advanced country could accelerate an arms race in one of the world’s most volatile regions. Continue reading →

February 8, 2011 Posted by | Egypt, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Should big powers be selling nuclear technology to unstable regimes?

Suppliers such as France, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and the United States are eagerly competing to ink deals with, and provide nuclear aid to, more than a dozen Middle Eastern states, including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — many of the same regimes now facing threats of internal upheaval.

Safeguarding Nuclear Security in the Shadow of Middle East Revolutions, THE HUFFINGTON POST,  Jonathan Pearl, 4 Feb 2011, As revolutionary fervor sweeps across the Middle East and the Obama administration takes steps to recalibrate decades of U.S. foreign policy toward the region, it must not neglect the issue of nuclear nonproliferation. Continue reading →

February 5, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, politics international | Leave a comment

Still time for peaceful resolution on Iran’s nuclear program

Iran “more than two years away from a nuclear weapon”A new report suggests there is still time for a peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear impasse  guardian.co.uk, Julian Borger, 4 Feb 2010, The International Institute for Strategic Studies has just brought out what it calls its “net assessment” of “Iran’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Capabilities” – a sober and informed guess on what Tehran’s WMD capability might be. Continue reading →

February 5, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international | 1 Comment

Lack of civil liberties on a national scale – Philippines and nuclear weapons

The problem is that under the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows US military forces to enter the country supposedly for specific non-combat activities for a limited period, Philippine authorities are not allowed to inspect America’s military vessels....This is aggravated by the US’s standard policy on these matters, which is to neither confirm nor deny whether its visiting military vessels and aircraft are nuclear-armed or not..

China, US making Southeast Asia a nuclear neighborhood, JUN VERZOLA, GMANews.TV , 3 Feb 2011, “…..According to Roland G. Simbulan, a long-standing advocate of nuclear disarmament: “Given the nuclear-free policy laid down by the Philippine Constitution, even transient visits by nuclear-armed vessels or aircraft are prohibited. Continue reading →

February 4, 2011 Posted by | Philippines, politics international | Leave a comment

The Southeast Asia nuclear weapons free zone

China, US making Southeast Asia a nuclear neighborhood.JUN VERZOLA, GMANews.TV, 3 Feb 2011, “……...The Southeast Asia nuclear weapons free zone The prohibition of nuclear weapons in Philippine territory is, in fact, not only mandated by the 1987 Constitution but by the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ), forged in Bangkok in 1995 by 10 Southeast Asian member-states: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The SEANWFZ or Bangkok Treaty of 1995, which took effect in 1997, commits its members to the following (Article 3):

  1. Anywhere inside or outside the nuclear weapons-free zone (NWFZ), not to develop, manufacture, acquire, possess or have control over nuclear weapons; not to station or transport nuclear weapons; and not to use or test nuclear weapons.
  2. In each member’s territory, not to allow any other state to develop, manufacture, acquire, possess or have control over nuclear weapons, nor to station nuclear weapons, nor to test or use nuclear weapons.

In short, the Bangkok Treaty binds all 10 member-states not to allow nuclear weapons—whether self-acquired or held by any other state—within their combined territory………….
Since China has rapidly increased its military strength in the past decade, its naval fleets have been projecting Chinese armed might—and presumably, its nuclear capabilities—beyond the internationally-recognized Chinese coastline, into the high seas beyond.

This problem is further aggravated in the case of the Philippines, where the most basic questions about the area of Philippine jurisdiction remain ambiguous. As discussed in his recent book, veteran diplomat Rodolfo Severino said, “Philippine law enforcement agencies have not been sure of what to allow and what to prohibit, particularly by way of sea passage, overflight, fishing activities, and environmental protection.” (See: Veteran diplomat asks: Where in the world is the Philippines?)
China, US making Southeast Asia a nuclear neighborhood – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News

February 4, 2011 Posted by | ASIA, Philippines, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Manmohan Singh helps France, but not India, in nuclear deal

The deal between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Areva reflects a bonhomie between Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and French president Nicolas Sarkozy at the cost of Indian people and the economy. Dr Singh actually came to the rescue of the problem-stricken French nuclear industry. Apart from the tariff structure, which is a very contentious issue, silence about the safety-related expenditure aggravates the suspicion.Transparency is, historically, a casualty in the nuclear energy arena.

Cost uncertainty dogs the Jaitapur nuclear project – Mumbai – DNA, Sankar Ray , February 3, 2011 Forget about the highly questionable technology for the proposed 1,650 megawatt nuclear power plant at Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district from the French power major Areva, or even the objections of the Finnish environmental watchdog body STUK for the Olkiluoto plant, which is being replicated at Jaitapur.The fact is that nothing can prevent time overruns and, therefore, cost escalation. To date, no nuclear power project has been implemented on schedule. Continue reading →

February 3, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, India, politics international | Leave a comment

General Electric Hitachi pushing to sell nuclear technology to Poland, at unknown cost

Nuclear power for Poland, but at what price?, Warsaw Business Journal -28th January 2011 The government is pushing to bring its first nuclear power plant online in 2020, but it still has no idea how much the undertaking will cost. Deputy ministers from the Treasury and the Economy Ministry admitted as much earlier this week, saying they have not even commissioned any studies into the issue, Rzeczpospolita reports.
According to the daily, the heads of PGE – Poland’s largest utility and the firm charged with overseeing construction of the nuclear plant – say the cost of building one 3,000 MW plant will be zł.35-55 billion. General Electric Hitachi Nuclear said on Wednesday that it is looking to enter Poland’s nuclear components market…….Nuclear power for Poland, but at what price? – Warsaw Business Journal – Online Portal – wbj.pl

January 29, 2011 Posted by | EUROPE, politics international | 1 Comment

Chilean public not happy as USA and France push for selling nuclear technology to Chile

international environmental activists, Chilean naturalists and the Chilean public in general upset and displeased that the country keeps heading toward the nuclear power option.

U.S. and Chile Seeking Cooperative Nuclear Energy Deal, Despite Displeasure of Many Chileans, Hispanically Speaking News, January 28, 2011  Continue reading →

January 29, 2011 Posted by | politics international, SOUTH AMERICA | 1 Comment

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