nuclear weapons « nuclear-news

USA misled workers on health risks from nuclear weapons plant

General Services Administration gave wrong or misleading responses to employee questions about environmental conditions, lacked a clear understanding of its responsibilities and failed to document possible health hazards.

U.S. faulted on nuclear parts plant health threat, KANSAS CITY Nov 8 (Reuters) – Federal workers were kept in the dark about possible health risks from a plant making parts for nuclear weapons next door to their Kansas City offices, Continue reading →

November 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Obama’s nuclear concessions to India, despite India not joining Nuclear non Proliferation Treaty

Both the Missile Technology Control Regime and the nuclear exporters group mandate that nations seeking membership join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. India has not done so

Obama Eases Nuclear Export Controls on India, Washington and New Delhi also inked a memorandum of understanding that outlines areas the United States can collaborate with India as the South Asian state establishes the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership, the White House announced, Global Security Newswire, Nov. 8, 2010 President Obama on Saturday declared the United States would ease some controls on high-tech trade with nuclear-armed India, restrictions originally put in place in response to the South Asian nation’s 1998 nuclear tests, Continue reading →

November 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, politics international, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear decommissioning, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

World at risk from 27.000 nuclear weapons

27,000 nuclear weapons threaten the world: Iran’s IAEA envoy, Tehran Times , 8 Nov 10, TEHRAN – Today the world is threatened by 27,000 nuclear weapons, Iran’s permanent envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said during a conference on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in Vienna on Monday.The bilateral agreements known as START 1 and START 2 distract attention from the need to immediately dismantle all nuclear weapons, Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh stated…….tehran times : 27,000 nuclear weapons threaten the world: Iran’s IAEA envoy

November 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste must not be exported to other countries: EU

to put a stop to the current practice where EU member states, which do not want to store spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste on their territory, can pay countries outside the bloc to do the job for them…….The facilities would have to deal with material that can stay radioactive for up to one million years.

EU: Nuclear waste cannot be outsourced, New Europe, 7 November 2010 The European Commission on 3 November unveiled new proposals, stating that EU governments will be banned from offloading their nuclear waste onto third countries. Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

No, Mr President, we can’t ‘restart’ the nuclear industry

A “commercial” nuclear reactor would cost upwards of 15 billion dollars to build in America today and require massive government subsidies which could be invested in, for example, offshore wind power and transmission lines instead.

A response to President Obama on nuclear industry, Media With Conscience , By Ace Hoffman, 8 Nov 10, During a press conference after the elections this week, President Obama made a short reference in vague support of nuclear energy. He said:”There’s been discussion about how we can restart our nuclear industry as a means of reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing greenhouse gases. Is that an area where we can move forward?” Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactors, renewable energy, renewables, uranium | Leave a comment

Biggest ever mass movement against nuclear waste transport

Largest mobilization ever against CASTOR nuclear transport, Greenpeace International, by Kumi Naidoo – November 7, 2010 Right now in Germany we are witnessing an unprecedented mass mobilization against radioactive waste and against the operational extension of 17 nuclear reactors in the country by an average of 12 years.

This anti-CASTOR (Cask for Storage and Transport of Radioactive material) mobilization is the largest Germany has seen, and includes both the young and the old, farmers and politicians, environmental and youth groups. It is truly a grassroots movement, united behind one goal: saying ‘Nein Danke’ -‘No thank you’ – to nuclear energy…..Largest mobilization ever against CASTOR nuclear transport | Greenpeace International

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, uranium | Leave a comment

UK military knew of dangers to soldiers in Australia’s nuclear bomb tests

Lawyers believe the papers could be the “smoking gun” that proves military chiefs knew they were sending servicemen to their deaths when they made them watch atomic blasts 50 years ago.

Release of secret documents that could bring justice to nuclear bomb veterans ordered – mirror.co.uk, By Susie Boniface 7/11/2010 A judge has ordered the release of top secret documents that could bring justice to Britain’s nuclear bomb veterans. Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, cancer, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

16 nuclear submarine crashes, admission by UK Ministry of Defence

The incident involving HMS Astute was clearly not a one-off, and the MoD must explain why previous groundings have not been made public,…….

Revealed: MoD admits to 16 nuclear submarine crashes – Herald Scotland Rob Edwards, 7 Nov 2010 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of a “catalogue of blunders” after admitting there have been 16 crashes involving British nuclear-powered submarines since 1988. Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, UK | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) a target for smuggling

the world should phase out the civilian use of HEU, which is still used to fuel more than 100 research reactors around the world, many with minimal security measures in place.

Nuclear smuggling: The expert view, Insider thieves are the new nuclear threat. Protect the materials and prevent the terrorism, Matthew Bunn, guardian.co.uk, 7 November 2 The dark netherworlds of nuclear smuggling still pose a terrible danger to us all. Terrorists are seeking nuclear weapons and the materials to make them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take a Manhattan Project to make a crude nuclear bomb – numerous government studies have warned that a sophisticated terrorist group might pull it off, if they could get enough nuclear material. Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

US nuclear missile systems are not proven effective

The authors conclude that the new US nuclear strategy is based on an alarming “technical myth” that GMD and SM-3 systems are proven and effective………

US nuclear safety claim is a ‘dangerous fantasy’, Eureka Alert, London, UK (November 1, 2010) – In April 2010, the US government adopted a new nuclear strategy that depends on the conclusion that the current missile defense systems will reliably protect the continental United States in the extreme circumstances of nuclear-armed combat. Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Secret trial reveals illicit trade in nuclear materials

The trial, which is being held in camera, has underlined how little about the illicit trade in nuclear smuggling is known.

Armenian smugglers tried to sell nuclear material to terrorists The former Soviet republic of Armenia has emerged as a potential flashpoint for nuclear smuggling after it was revealed that two Armenian nationals tried to sell highly enriched uranium to people they thought were terrorists in March. Telegraph By Andrew Osborn in Moscow 07 Nov 2010 Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Radioactive rabbit near highly radioactively contaminated Hanford

Radioactive rabbit caught near U.S. nuclear site English.news.cn 2010-11-06 SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) — The Washington State Department of Health workers have been searching for contaminated droppings after a radioactive rabbit was caught north of Richland in southeastern Washington, home to the Hanford nuclear site, local media reported Friday.
According to Tri-City Herald, the rabbit, which was highly contaminated with radioactive cesium, caught the health authorities’ attention because it was close enough to the nuclear site’s boundaries to potentially come in contact with the public…..Hanford currently is the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States and is the focus of the nation’s largest environmental cleanup. Last year, 33 contaminated animals or animal materials such as droppings were found on the site. Radioactive rabbit caught near U.S. nuclear site

November 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Sarkozy selling France’s nuclear rechnology to China

a slew of business deals including a $3.5 billion contract with energy firm Areva

France, China to form nuclear power partnership | Reuters -Areva signs three deals with China, eyes EPR sale China signs $20 bln of business contracts in France PARIS, Nov 4 (Reuters) – France and China have agreed to form a strategic partnership in civilian nuclear power that ranges from building reactors in common to exploiting uranium mines, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday. Continue reading →

November 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, France, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, reactors, uranium | 1 Comment

Australia’s new big role in USA’s military strategy

the Australian development is part of a new U.S. strategy to step up its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, after reviews of strategic policy concluded that the U.S. government’s attempts to project power from North America were not working.

Australia, U.S. agree to major escalation of military co-operation 06 November 2010 FOCUS News Agency Canberra. Australia has agreed to a major escalation of military co-operation with the U.S., Xinhua informed. According to The Weekend Australian newspaper, the move will include more visits by American ships, aircraft and troops and their forces exercising. Continue reading →

November 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, weapons and war | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

UK nuclear powered submarine ran into rescue vessel

U.K.’s Stricken Nuclear Submarine HMS Astute Collided With Rescue Vessel, Bloomberg, By Chris Spillane – Nov 5, 2010 HMS Astute, the British nuclear- powered submarine that ran aground off Scotland’s Isle of Skye last month, collided with one of the vessels charged with its rescue, the defense ministry said……Astute, which was commissioned into the Royal Navy on Aug. 27, is “the U.K.’s most powerful attack submarine,” the ministry said on its website. Built by BAE Systems Plc, it is quieter than other submarines in the fleet, even though it is 50 percent bigger, and can circumnavigate the world without surfacing…… U.K.’s Stricken Nuclear Submarine HMS Astute Collided With Rescue Vessel – Bloomberg

November 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, UK | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment