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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

Blended nuclear waste allowed in Utah

Audio State Regulators Stand By Decision to Allow Blended Nuclear Waste 01.10.2012 by Jessica Gail (KCPW News) The battle over nuclear waste in Utah raged on Tuesday as anti-nuclear activists along with representatives of EnergySolutions met before the Utah Radiation Control Board. State regulators have come under scrutiny over a recent decision to allow blended radioactive waste to be buried in Utah. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on the state’s reasoning and what environmental activists have to say about it.  http://kcpw.org/blog/local-news/2012-01-10/state-regulators-stand-by-decision-to-allow-blended-nuclear-waste/

January 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Listing every move of the nuclear war Doomsday Clock

As Iran ramps up its nuclear program, a look at every movement of the Doomsday Clock National Post,   Jan 10, 2012  The Doomsday Clock was set up as a symbol of how close the world is to nuclear armageddon. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a prominent group of international scientists, move the minute hands on the clock toward (and sometimes away from) midnight (which symbolizes nuclear war).

In light of the increased tensions on the Strait of Hormuz, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the clock once again, from 6-minutes-to-midnight to 5-minutes-to-midnight.

Below, a look at every movement of the Doomsday clock since it was introduced in 1947 and the reason the hands moved: 1947: Seven minutes to midnight

The clock first appears as a symbol of nuclear danger.

1949: Three minutes to midnight
The Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb.

1953: Two minutes to midnight
The United States and the Soviet Union test thermonuclear devices within nine months of one another……. 2012: Five minutes to midnight.

Global failure to take action against climate change, mounting nuclear tensions and an increasing tendency to reject science are cited as reasons for moving the clock.  http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/10/as-iran-ramps-up-its-nuclear-program-a-look-at-every-movement-of-the-doomsday-clock/

January 11, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA does not need 5000 nuclear weapons

U.S. Has No Need for 5,000 Nuclear Weapons To Counter Threats From Iran and North Korea Ottawa Citizen 8 Jan 12, Philip Taubman questions why the U.S. is spending billions of dollars on its nuclear arsenal. Cutting back could save tens of billions of dollars a year. Here is part of what he writes:

“There is no national security rationale for maintaining an arsenal of some 5,000 warheads, with nearly 2,000 arms ready to use on short notice and the rest in reserve. We don’t need thousands of warheads, or even hundreds, to counter threats from countries like Iran or North Korea.

The only conceivable use of so many weapons would be a full-scale nuclear war with Russia, which has more warheads than the United States. But two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, even Vladimir V. Putin, with his authoritarian bent, is not about to put Russia on a collision course with the United States that leads to nuclear war. China, equally unlikely to escalate tensions to the nuclear brink, probably has fewer than 400 warheads and a policy to
use them only in self-defense. Pakistan has roughly 100, North Korea fewer than 10 and Iran, so far, zero.
The United States could live quite securely with fewer than 1,500
warheads, half in reserve.”

Philip Taubman is a former New York Times bureau chief in Moscow and Washington and the author of “The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and
Their Quest to Ban the Bomb.” Full story here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/reducing-the-nuclear-arsenal.html?_r=1&ref=philiptaubman
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/01/08/u-s-has-no-need-for-5000-nuclear-weapons-to-counter-threats-from-iran-and-north-korea/

January 10, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Tamil Nadu protestors keep nuclear power plant at a standstill

India Says Work at Russia-Built Nuclear Plant Remains Stalled Bloomberg, By Rakteem Katakey – Jan 8, 2012 1Nuclear Power Corp. of India said work at its plant at Kudankulam in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, being built with Russia’s help, remains at a standstill following continuing protests by villagers near the site. The protesters have asked the government to shut the plant, demanding that more be done to ensure the safety, livelihood and security of the people.

January 10, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Protect our grandchildren- close down New York’s nuclear plants

demand that New York state devise a plan to phase out all nuclear power and replace it with a combination of energy conservation and wind, solar and geothermal energy! That way we could all feel a lot safer, and protect generations of American children.

It’s time to close the facilities in New York Syracuse.com, Rick Olanoff, January 06, 2012 Did you know that Germany is planning to phase out its nuclear power plants?

Did you read that German children living near nuclear power plants are twice as likely to develop leukemia as those who live elsewhere? (And there have been no nuclear disasters in Germany that would greatly increase these risks.) Continue reading →

January 7, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Renewable energy growing worldwide

Did renewables overtake nuclear power in 2011? Sort of. Washington Post,  by Brad Plumer , 01/06/2012   Ken Bossong notices an interesting bit embedded in the latest monthly report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). In 2011, for the first time in decades, the United States got more of its energy from renewable sources than it did from nuclear power. Not only that, but renewables are growing much faster than any other energy source…..  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/did-renewables-overtake-nuclear-power-in-2011-sort-of/2012/01/06/gIQA7rMOfP_blog.html

January 7, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Castro on the dangers of nuclear war and climate change

Fidel Castro warns of climate change, nuclear threat, Google News, (AFP) – 6 Jan 12  HAVANA — Cuba’s iconic revolutionary Fidel Castro warned that the world was on an “inexorable” march into the abyss this year because of climate change and the threat of nuclear war.

In an article published Thursday — Castro’s first since November 2011 — the 85-year-old retired leader also took aim at the United States and at gas shale “fracking,” a new source of fossil fuels condemned by environmentalists…… http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i_y93QiOm5GRI2TIBTAKZ8r3eRNA?docId=CNG.6b217e0cf63dc2e031ada8d2d55d50de.c1

January 7, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety (GRAMMES) not confident about nuclear wastes

GRAMMES is skeptical that the NRC has waste confidence and will start building more nuclear plants.

NRC Seeks Public Comment on Nuclear Fuel Storage Barnegat OceanAcresPatch, 6 Jan 12,  The federal agency analyzes the effects of storing spent fuel from nuclear power plants for as long as 200 years The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking public comment on a report that will analyze the effects of storing spent fuel from nuclear power plants, including Oyster Creek Generation Station, for as long as 200 years.

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will serve as an update to the NRC’s Waste Confidence Decision and Rule, the agency announced in a news release on Tuesday. The report was last updated in 2010. Continue reading →

January 6, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

China wants dialogue with Iran, not sanctions

China Criticizes “Unilateral” US Sanctions Against Iran, Voice of America, , January 4th, 2012  China on Wednesday strongly criticized the United States for imposing fresh sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters in Beijing that dialogue and negotiations – not sanctions – are the bestway to ease tensions and resolve the dispute.
“China is against one country putting their domestic laws above international law and placing unilateral sanctions on another country.”
Hong acknowledged that China has what he called “regular, open and transparent economic and energy interactions with Iran” that do not violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and will not impair third party interests. Therefore, he said, such interactions should not be
affected by the latest sanctions.
Last week, the United States imposed a new round of sanctions against financial institutions that deal with Iran’s central bank. The movecould affect Iran’s ability to sell oil on international markets….. http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/04/china-criticizes-unilateral-us-sanctions-against-iran/

January 6, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Anti nuclear groups challenge NRC on planned Calvert Cliffs new reactor

Calvert Cliffs reactor challenge to be aired, Atomic Licensing Board to hear from anti-nuclear groups By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Baltimore Sun, January 5, 2012 Federal regulators plan a hearing Jan. 26 on a challenge to a French company’s bid to build a third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, and will take public comments the day before.

The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will air contentions by four anti-nuclear groups that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has not adequately weighed alternatives to building the facility. The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Albright Building, 205 Main St. in
Prince Frederick.

Two separate sessions for the public to comment on UniStar’s application will be held at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Calvert Marine Museum 14150 Solomons Island Road in Solomons.
Pre-registration is required to speak there. For details, see
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2012/12-002.pdf
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-md-calvert-cliffs-20120105,0,236951.story

January 6, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA helped Japan in the criminal sources of its nuclear industry

The criminal roots of Japan’s nuclear industry as facilitated by the United States of America  Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 5 Jan 12   http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/japans-nuclear-history-perspective-eisenhower-and-atoms-war-and-peace

Japan’s nuclear history in perspective: Eisenhower and atoms for war and peace….. http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/the-criminal-roots-of-japans-nuclear-industry-as-facilitated-by-the-united-states-of-america/

January 5, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Britain’s nuclear veterans continue their fight against Ministry of Defence, for compensation

Nuclear veterans hope for new year legal win By TERRY KELLY Shields Gazette 2 January 2012 NUCLEAR test veterans on South Tyneside could hear within weeks if they have won the latest round in their battle for compensation.

Men who claim they have suffered numerous medical problems as a result of being exposed to damaging radiation during allied atom bomb tests in the 1950s have spent years fighting for justice.

The result of the latest stage in their long legal fight is expected later this month. South Tyneside A-bomb test veterans John Taylor, Bede McGurk and Bob Redman are also involved in the legal wrangle.

A Supreme Court appeal hearing in London was adjourned in November, after judges had earlier found in favour of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which has rejected the veterans’ claims….. Mr Taylor and fellow veterans are angry that compensation has already been paid to other nuclear test veterans in Australia, Russia and the Isle Of Man. http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/local-news/nuclear_veterans_hope_for_new_year_legal_win_1_4105721

January 3, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Not a happy New Year for Japan’s nuclear refugees

New Year despair for nuclear refugees Oman Daily Observer, 31 December 2011 By Shingo Ito – AS most of Japan prepares to ring in the New Year at the end of a traumatic 2011, refugees from the country’s nuclear crisis relocated far from home say they have nothing to celebrate. All over the country families will gather for a midnight trip to a shrine, many donning traditional kimono for the centrepiece of several days of celebration during one of Japan’s most important festivals.

But for the many tens of thousands of people forced to flee when reactors at Fukushima Daiichi began spewing radiation, festivities are a long way from their thoughts. Many of the 1,000 or so refugees holed-up in a 36-storey Tokyo tower block say their mood will be altogether downbeat, after a devastating year which saw their hometowns engulfed by the worst nuclear crisis.
“I can’t say a Happy New Year this year as I don’t feel happiness,” said Yuji Takahashi, who has been in the block since April. Takahashi was one of tens of thousands of people ordered to leave their homes after the 9 magnitude earthquake of March 11 sent a huge tsunami crashing into Fukushima Daiichi…….

Japan has said decommissioning the tsunami-wrecked reactors at Fukushima could take as long as 40 years, and some areas around the plant could be uninhabitable for decades……

Many families have also already decided that the unknown health risks of returning to their homes are not worth taking. ….http://main.omanobserver.om/node/77456

December 31, 2011 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Energy experts urge Tamil Nadu to implement renewable energy

Nuke experts urge CM to tap renewable energy sources Times of India | Dec 31, 2011, MADURAI: People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) has written to chief minister J Jayalalithaa to implement schemes for generation of electricity using renewable energy sources on a war footing.

“We would also like to request implementation of the distributed renewable energy system and institution of proper policies as was done for grid-connected renewable energy generation. Tamil Nadu has got a greater potential for solar energy(25-30MW per sqkm) and 300 cloud free days,” PMANE representatives said in the letter to Jayalalithaa, sent after a meeting of energy experts in Kanyakumari on Friday. Continue reading →

December 31, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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