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Chernobyl fallout continues | The Courier-Mail

Chernobyl fallout continues

Courier mail David Murray

April 26, 2009 12:00am

THE charity flights arrive at London’s Gatwick Airport twice a week. On board are sick, disadvantaged or dying children from areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

More than two decades after the world’s worst nuclear accident, thousands of youngsters are still being brought to the UK each year.

Born up to 15 years after the event, they spend a month recuperating with volunteer families from the Chernobyl Children Life Line………………

………….for charity founder Victor Mizzi, who personally greets almost every flight, there is no question that Chernobyl is an ongoing tragedy.

“The situation is just as bad now with cancer and leukemia as it was in 1986,” claims Mizzi, who has brought more than 46,000 children from affected areas to Britain…………………………

More than 340,000 people were evacuated from the surrounding area over the following years, never to return to their contaminated homes.

Today, the area around Chernobyl remains a wasteland, with habitation banned in a 30km “zone of alienation”.

In the abandoned city of Prypiat, once bustling with a population of 50,000, decaying shells of buildings are all that is left…………

………….Greenpeace, for one, has estimated more than 90,000 people will die from cancer and that other illnesses will send the toll soaring into the hundreds of thousands.

April 27, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Russia | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

High Stakes for Moscow in U.S. Play for Iran

High Stakes for Moscow in U.S. Play for IranThe Moscow Times By Fyodor Lukyanov April 16, 2009 The situation in Iran will likely become the center of global tensions in the months and years ahead. Tehran’s desire to establish its status as a regional power will surely clash with Washington’s desire to solidify its own global leadership role. And Russia, which has one foot in both camps, will find itself in an increasingly difficult position………….

……………….Iran is a problem for Russia regardless of which direction Tehran goes. A nuclear-armed Iran would greatly destabilize the region. It is difficult to predict the extent and aim of Iran’s ambitions. Any attempt by the United States to apply force against Iran would mean that the military conflict would be brought to Russia’s southern border. Moreover, if Washington achieves its objectives in Iran, it would shift the strategic balance of power in favor of the United States and away from Moscow. But a failure by the United States to achieve its goals in Iran could undermine the existing balance of power.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1045/42/376232.htm

April 16, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics, Russia | Leave a comment

Tajikistan’s Former Soviet Nuclear Sites Pose Threat To Nearby Villages –

Tajikistan’s Former Soviet Nuclear Sites Pose Threat To Nearby Villages

A mound of radioactive waste 300 meters high rises above the town of Taboshar.

Radio Free Europe April 09, 2009

By Farangis Najibullah

The first Soviet atomic bomb, tested in 1949, was made from Tajik uranium.

Now Tajikistan is dealing with the dangerous legacy of its role in the Soviet nuclear program: 55 million tons of radioactive waste that, in some sites, is leaking into the soil and local water supplies.

Tajik and international specialists say the leaks pose a major risk to residents’ health and the environment. Most of the radioactive waste in Tajikistan comes from the country’s Vostokredmet plant, in the northern city of Chkalovsk. The plant was built in 1945 to mine and process uranium from deposits in Tajikistan and other Central Asian republics.

April 9, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Russia | Leave a comment

Nuclear-waste contract opposed

Nuclear-waste contract opposed Fairplay Daily News 02 Apr 2009

RUSSIAN environmental groups are urging rejection for a contract renewal to ship radioactive waste through St Petersburg’s port to a storage facility at Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland.Greenpeace told Fairplay that it had urged Russia’s government-owned nuclear fuel trading company Techsnabexport (Tenex) not to renew its contract to accept uranium hexafluoride …

www.fairplay.co.uk – Nuclear-waste contract opposed

April 3, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Vote now for Miss Nuclear Reactor 2009 | Technically Incorrect – CNET News

Vote now for Miss Nuclear Reactor 2009 cnet news by Chris Matyszczy 6 March 09

What would you do, in this age of green power and greener pastures, to improve the image of the nuclear power industry?

And what would you do if you happened to live in the country where the nuclear power industry brought you, um, Chernobyl?

Well, the Russians, traditionalists to the bitter end, have come up with a brainwave of a quite elevated frequency. Yes, an online beauty pageant.

Who, on this Thursday that seems surrounded only by woes, can resist logging on to this sumptuous contest to find the most beautiful woman working in the Russian nuclear power industry? n the interests of nuclear objectivity, I have taken it upon myself to observe some of the contestants with an artist’s eye and an espionage operative’s concern.

In all, there are 200 contestants. And all have the ambition to effect world peace and work with small children.

However, it is hard, merely by looking at these images, to know exactly what services these women perform to benefit the nuclear cause.

All the same, I am expecting voting to rival that of an average week of “American Idol”.

Vote now for Miss Nuclear Reactor 2009 | Technically Incorrect – CNET News

March 6, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, spinbuster | Leave a comment

Russian “Nuclear Renaissance” Hits Roadblock

Russian “Nuclear Renaissance” Hits Roadblock msnbc Business 27 Feb 09 Financial resources and technical capabilities thwart ambitious plans Russia’s ambitions for its “nuclear renaissance” face many obstacles, concludes a report released today by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

The Russian Nuclear Industry: Status and Prospects provides a detailed analysis of the current state of the nuclear power industry in Russia and shows that although this industry has recently been greeted with renewed funding and enthusiasm, achieving its ambitious plans will require it to overcome considerable problems and limitations.

“Continuing a tendency from Soviet-era days, the Russian government has shown a predilection for developing grandiose plans for the expansion of the nuclear energy sector that are not fulfilled,” writes Miles Pomper, author of the paper. “While the first post-Soviet nuclear plans called for a total of 38 new nuclear reactors to be built, only three have actually been constructed and with capabilities that are not superior or even equal to its Western competitors.”

Russian “Nuclear Renaissance” Hits Roadblock – MSNBC Wire Services – msnbc.com

February 27, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Russia | Leave a comment

Russia amends decree to facilitate nuclear exports

Russia amends decree to facilitate nuclear exports “THE HINDU Business Line 22 Feb 09 The blanket clause requiring all nuclear facilities to be put under IAEA safeguards has now been removed.”

Anil Sasi

New Delhi, Feb. 21 Russia has amended a restrictive decree on its nuclear exports, which formally paves the way for the export of Russian reactor equipment and nuclear material to India. This will help the new set of Russian-made Light Water Reactor capacities on the anvil.

Prior to the amendment, the 1992 decree prevented nuclear exports from Russia to any non-nuclear weapons State, unless “all nuclear activities of that state” were placed under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards……………….The blanket clause requiring all nuclear facilities to be put under safeguards has now been removed, Department of Atomic Energy sources said…………………………Russia agreed late last year that it would build four more reactors at the same site. Russia’s state-owned nuclear fuel monopoly TVEL Corporation has also inked deal to deliver 2,000 tonnes of uranium pellets to India.

The Hindu Business Line : Russia amends decree to facilitate nuclear exports

February 23, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, safety | Leave a comment

Russia won’t toughen policy on Iran

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV – 4 hours ago

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia does not intend to toughen its policy toward Iran regarding its nuclear program, a senior Russian diplomat said Monday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said it’s necessary to intensify international efforts to reach a political settlement of the Iranian nuclear standoff. But Ryabkov added that Russia has no intention to take a harsher attitude to Iran, Russian news agencies reported.

“Our stance on the Iranian nuclear program has no elements which could be interpreted as toughening of approach,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

The U.S. has accused Iran of supporting terrorism and secretly seeking to build nuclear weapons — charges that Iran denies.

Russia has developed close ties with Iran and is building its first nuclear power plant. Moscow has supported limited U.N. sanctions on Iran, but opposed the U.S. push for tougher measures…………………..

Ryabkov said Monday that ending the Iranian nuclear standoff could also help advance U.S.-Russian talks on possible cooperation on missile defense.

“As soon as there is a shift toward restoring confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, opportunities will open for deeper talk on prospects for cooperation on missile defense,” Ryabkov said. “We are studying signals from the U.S. administration, and, for our part, have made proposals on how we can cooperate in the missile defense field.”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iBLHJGdHUD5xKiB9QYH6NlZhfTXgD96CSI0G0

February 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Russia | Leave a comment

Chernobyl children say thank-you for your help –

Chernobyl children say thank-you for your help

Peterborough Today 09 February 2009

By Stephen Briggs

YOUNG victims of one of the worst ever nuclear disasters have said a big thank-you to kind-hearted Peterborough residents.

Hundreds of city folk donated gifts for the children, who still suffer from the fallout of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 24 years ago…………………..“Every time we visit Ukraine, we find more people who need support. The Chernobyl disaster may have happened 23 years ago, but the dreadful legacy is still being felt today.

“Nine out of ten children have three or more medical problems as a result of the disaster…………………………….Hundreds of people were killed when a huge explosion occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Thousands of people were killed as a result of the blast and radiation poisoning, while millions are still suffering from health problems as a result of the catastrophe.

Chernobyl children say thank-you for your help – Peterborough Today

Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, uranium, radioactive

February 10, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Russia | Leave a comment

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