IAEA Drafts Agreement on Transboundary Movement of Scrap Metal. Government experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are intent on finalising the draft "Code of Conduct on the transboundary movement of scrap metal and semi-finished products of the metal recycling and production Industries that may inadvertently contain radioactive material". Scrapmonster

Other Nuclear News

Federal Regulators Approve Two Nuclear Reactors in Georgia. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 4 to 1 on Thursday to grant a license to build and operate two reactors at a nuclear plant in Georgia, a crucial threshold for an industry that has not had a new start since 1978. NYT / AP / / WNN

Canada Allows Exports of Uranium to China. Canada said it will allow the sale to China of uranium for use in nuclear-energy generation, clearing the way for Canadian producers to compete with China’s current suppliers in Kazakhstan, Australia and Russia. WSJ

Creation of Training Framework for Decontamination Workers Urgently Sought. Safety education and training for tens of thousands of workers are now an issue in preparation for decontamination operations associated with radioactivity dispersed from the Fukushima I nuclear power station. Through a regulation which came into effect on January 1, Japanese government now mandates “special training” for all the workers in the areas where the government directly carries out decontamination operations. Denki Shimbun

EU Asks India To Pressure Iran Over Nuclear Programme – Report. The European Union will ask for India’s help in convincing Iran to abandon its nuclear programme and return to the negotiating table, EU President Herman Van Rompuy said in a newspaper interview published on Thursday. Reuters

Federal Government Tests Private Interest in Chalk River Labs. At least two business consortiums are expected to begin circling Atomic Energy Canada Ltd., after the federal government called on Thursday for expressions of interest for a public-private partnership to run Canada’s largest scientific establishment at Chalk River, Ont. Ottawa Citizen / Toronto Star

Russia Commits Safety for Vietnam’s First Nuclear Power Plant. Petr G. Shchedrovitsky, advisor of the General Director of Russia’s state-owned Rosatom atomic energy group, said that the design of reactor of the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant satisfies the highest safety standards. VNEconomy News

Vietnam Starts Seismic Surveys for First Nuclear Power Plant. Nearly 100 workers and engineers Thursday started seismic surveys at the location of Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant in the central province of Ninh Thuan, a local news website reported the same day. Thanh Nien

Sarkozy Refuses To Close Aging Nuclear Plant Despite Growing Resistance. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is refusing to shut down an aging nuclear plant that has become a symbol of growing resistance to nuclear energy in France. WP

Hungary Source of Elevated Radioactive Iodine Levels in Finland. The Finnish radiation safety watchdog, STUK, says an isotope manufacturer in Budapest is the source of small amounts of radioactive iodine (I-131) found in outdoor air samples in Finland last month. YLE

Opinion and Analysis

How to Engage Iran Foreign Affairs

New Nuclear Plants Under Cost, Deadline Scrutiny AOL Energy

Power Politics: A Troubled Utility Is To Be As Good As Nationalised Economist

RSA agreement signed between the Kingdom of Bahrain and IAEA The Kingdom of Bahrain has signed a revised supplementary agreement (RSA) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the provision of technical assistance to the government of Bahrain from the Agency. Bahrain News Agency

Professor Nyarko appointed new Director-General of GAEC Professor Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert and consultant has been appointed Director-General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC). Vibe Ghana

Other Nuclear News

Japan Nuclear Watchdog Reviews Reactor Safety Test Results Japan’s main nuclear regulator on Wednesday wrapped up discussions on the results of safety checks at a nuclear plant in western Japan, as moves to restart the country’s dozens of idled reactors continue in the face of anti-nuclear protests. WSJ / Kyodo / Reuters

Reactor 2 temperatures said trending lower The temperature at the bottom of the reactor 2 pressure vessel at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant appears to be lowering but still needs close monitoring, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday. Japan Times

Cold snap forces Germany to restart nuclear reactors: report The cold snap gripping Europe has forced Germany, which decided last year to abandon nuclear power, to bring several reactors back on line. AFP

Namibia: Country in Nuclear Plant Trade-Off With France Government has bargained with Areva to realise its dreams of nuclear energy: tax incentives for the French state-owned giant’s Trekkopje project in exchange for a feasibility study on generating nuclear power in Namibia, informed sources have told The Namibian. Namibian

Czechs to curb nuclear expansion plans Czech nuclear expansion should be much more moderate than originally thought, including only an enlargement of one of the two existing nuclear plants and extending the life of the other, Industry and Trade Minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Reuters

Imminent construction of Baltic nuclear power plant Engineers are preparing to pour the concrete foundation of the Baltic nuclear power plant in Kaliningrad. Once underway, it will be the ninth power reactor under construction in Europe. WNN

Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Denmark to join nuclear security summit in Seoul Azerbaijan, Lithuania and Denmark have agreed to take part in a global summit aimed at bolstering international safeguards and preventing nuclear terrorism to be held in March in South Korea, organizers said Thursday. Korea Herald

CTR Program Eliminates Nine Nuclear Warheads The U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction Program in November supported elimination of nine nuclear warheads and nine mobile ICBM launchers, Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) announced on Tuesday. GSN

Canberra dangles $10m nuclear waste dump carrot The Federal Government has made an agreement with the Opposition that will pave the way for Australia’s first national radioactive waste dump.The Radioactive Waste Management Bill is listed for debate in the Senate today. ABC

Opinion and Analysis

U.S. inertia on N. Korea invites 3rd nuclear test: expert Yonhap

Nobel Winner Oe Urges Japan to Decommission Nuclear Reactors Bloomberg

IAEA says Iran visit now Feb 20-21 The UN atomic agency said Tuesday that a high-ranking visit to Iran will take place on February 20-21, beginning a day earlier than had been announced. AFP

Salehi: Iran-IAEA disagreements lessen The Iranian foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the recent meeting between the country’s officials and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delegation was held in a positive atmosphere. Fars

Kazakhstan Sees Nuclear Fuel Bank in 2013 Kazakhstan believes the international community’s first nuclear fuel bank can be up and running on Kazakh soil by late next year, potentially supporting the Obama administration’s broader efforts to combat the spread of nuclear weapons. … Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov said his government hopes consultations with the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, on the future fuel bank’s location can be completed by this spring. WSJ

Nigeria: FG Moves to Radically Reduce Cervical, Liver Cancer Government is to incorporate vaccine for human papilloma virus into the National Programme on Immunisation in efforts to cut down the burden of cancer. … Nigeria has also paid $9 million in counterpart funding in a technical partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency to upgrade radiotherapy and nuclear medicine facilities in ten teaching hospitals around the country by 2015, according to the health minister. Daily Trust / Vanguard

Fed: Gov pushes ahead with NT waste dump The federal government is pushing ahead with plans to set up a nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory despite a legal challenge by indigenous people who have laid claim to the land. … Waste will be carried in special containers approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Trading Room

Other Nuclear News

Iran Decries ‘Psychological Warfare’ as Israel Hails U.S. Bank Sanctions Iran dismissed the latest U.S. sanctions against its financial institutions as “psychological warfare” and said the Islamic Republic was open to “meaningful talks” on its nuclear program. Bloomberg

Fukushima No. 2 reactor cools slightly after increased water injection Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that the temperature of the No. 2 reactor at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has dropped slightly from a high of 73.3 C the previous day after it increased the amount of water injected into the reactor. Kyodo

Govt eyeing restart of Oi reactors in April The government has set a goal of restarting the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.’s (KEPCO) Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture in around April, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. Yomiuri / Reuters

Government cautious about April reactor restarts Japan’s trade minister Yukio Edano, who holds the energy portfolio as well, denied press reports which said the government decided to restart two nuclear reactors by April. Tokyo Times

Power firms to install vent facilities in all domestic nuclear plants The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan said Tuesday it will install vent facilities in all nuclear power plants in Japan to enhance the safety of them by releasing vapor from reactor containment vessels when pressure inside rises in the event of an accident. Kyodo / Bloomberg

France declares level 2 nuclear event at Cattenom France’s nuclear safety authority (ASN) said on Monday it had identified a problem with water pipes at one of EDF’s nuclear plants and rated it a level two event out of a maximum seven on the international nuclear event scale (INES). Reuters

EU nuclear group invites views on deep geological waste disposal An EU nuclear expert group is calling for public feedback by February 13 on how best to manage deep geological disposal of nuclear waste, the European Commission said Monday. Platts

Opinion and Analysis

Turkey turns to coal and nuclear power FT

We’re Having the Wrong Conversation About Iran The Atlantic

IAEA begins support of national plan of respond to radiological incidents The State Agency on Nuclear and Radiological Activity under the Ministry for Emergency Situations (MES) is launching a joint project with the IAEA. ABC

Other Nuclear News

Obama Imposes Freeze on Iran Property in U.S. The White House moved to enforce tightened sanctions against Iran on Monday because of the country’s suspect nuclear program, freezing all property of the Central Bank of Iran, other Iranian financial institutions and the Iranian government in the United States. NYT / AP / Bloomberg

Russia, U.S. Each Complete 18 New START Audits The United States and Russia have each conducted 18 audits of the other nation’s nuclear sites under a bilateral strategic arms control treaty that took effect one year ago, the highest quantity the pact permits over a 12-month period, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. GSN

Russia May Boost Nuclear Potential – Deputy Defense Minister Russia may have to boost its nuclear potential in future amid emerging nuclear proliferation threats, Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s deputy defense minister and a negotiator on the European missile shield, said on Monday. RIA

Fire at Moscow nuclear institute, Russia says no risk There was no risk of a radiation leak after a fire broke out at a Moscow nuclear research centre housing a non-operational 60-year-old atomic reactor on Sunday, said officials, but Greenpeace Russia expressed serious concern about the incident. Reuters

Radioisotope Recipe Lacks One Ingredient: Cash For years, scientists and policy makers have been trying to address two improbably linked problems that hinge on a single radioactive isotope: how to reduce the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation, and how to assure supplies of a material used in thousands of heart, kidney and breast procedures a year. NYT

Fission power back on NASA’s agenda Michael Houts wants astronauts to ride a nuclear reactor to Mars. He is convinced that small amounts of uranium-235 – which has an energy density one million times greater than that of liquid fuels – could power rockets efficiently, using the heat of fission to accelerate small stores of lightweight hydrogen propellant. Nature

Opinion and Analysis

America’s Top Spy: We Don’t Know Whether Iran Is Even Trying to Build a Bomb The Atlantic

Questions over stress tests Japan Times

Megatons to megawatts: rising to the challenge of nuclear security Seattle Times

IAEA, OFID help Viet Nam fight cancer The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) have agreed to assist Viet Nam in cancer control through the IAEA’s Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT). VNA

Overdosed cancer patients assessed Almost three years after a radiation therapy overdose incident at the Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre (BLCTC), a medical team from the Response and Assistance Network (RANET) of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has conducted a week-long medical evaluation of about ten per cent of the 223 affected patients. Trinidad Express

IAEA should comment on Iran’s activities not 5+1: Salehi Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said that commenting on Iran’s nuclear activities falls with the ambit of the International Atomic Energy Agency and not the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany). Tehran Times

Diplomat: Iran to Keep Cooperating With Nuclear Agency Iran will continue cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency and could still reach an understanding over its nuclear program, a top diplomat said Friday. WSJ

No definite plans for nuclear power plant There are no definite plans in place to build a nuclear power plant and no site has been identified for the management of the waste that would originate from such a plant, says Lydia Amutenya, spokesperson of the Ministry of Mines and Energy. She says the participants encouraged the ministry to develop the policy in line with international laws and in consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to develop the necessary “critical mass to drive the process in future.” Namibia Economist

Reference radioactive materials finally arrive in Japan Research institutions in Japan have started a joint program with the International Atomic Energy Agency to enhance the accuracy of radioactivity measurements to meet international standards, the University of Tsukuba said Feb. 3. Asahi

Other Nuclear News

Call to scale back nuclear weapons in Europe The US and Russia should pledge to scale back the deployment of their tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, moving them from combat bases across the continent to deep storage facilities where they would be more secure, the leading international movement for nuclear arms control argued on Friday. FT / BBC

Khamenei dismisses pressure on Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has dismissed rising international pressure on the country and insisted that Tehran will never retreat over its nuclear programme. FT

Khamenei: Iran will back ‘any nations, any groups’ fighting Israel successful Iranian satellite launch, added to growing global tensions Friday, as Israel warned that it might mount a preemptive strike against the Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities despite U.S. objections. WT

Japan plans to join pact on nuclear compensations Japan’s government decided to join an international pact led by the U.S. in order to diminish the risks of high compensations costs in the event of nuclear accidents. Other three countries – Morocco, Romania and Argentina – have already joined the agreement, which is called the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. Tokyo Times

Most Japanese towns undecided on nuclear stress tests – survey Japan’s government decided to join an international pact led by the U.S. in order to diminish the risks of high compensations costs Reuters

1.5-fold rise eyed for nuke plant operators’ payments to damages fund The government has decided on a plan to require that Japan’s 12 nuclear power plant operators contribute a total of 150 billion yen annually from fiscal 2012 to a state-backed facility to help Tokyo Electric Power Co. meet huge compensation payments over the crisis at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, one and a half times the initially planned amount, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday. US and Spain discuss cleanup of nuclear radiation. Kyodo

Preparations for Nuclear Security Summit in full swing With 50 days to go, preparations for the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul are in full swing at various levels of government, society and industry, organizers said Sunday. Yonhap News

Netherlands asked to host Nuclear Security Summit 2014 The US and South Korea have asked the Netherlands to host the Nuclear Security Summit in 2014. The summit, an initiative of President Obama, works at the highest political level to combat nuclear terrorism and the smuggling of nuclear material. News Europe / Dutch News

US and Spain discuss cleanup of nuclear radiation The United States is offering technical assistance to Spain to clean up land contaminated by radiation from undetonated nuclear bombs that accidentally fell on the area in 1966, the US State Department announced Saturday. AFP / AP

Korea on Track for Nuclear, FTA Deals with Turkey President Lee Myung-bak and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday agreed to resume cooperation on nuclear power projects worth US$20 billion Chosun

Opinion and Analysis

Shall We Call It the ‘Bronze Standard’? NYT

Don’t ignore the threat of nuclear terrorism Ottawa Citizen

A fine balance in the Middle East The Age

Revitalizing Japan: Building a disaster-resistant nation Yomiuri Shimbun

Little new in IAEA-Iran talks – diplomats U.N. nuclear experts’ talks in Iran appear to have made little concrete progress, diplomats said on Thursday, setting the stage for a crucial second round this month over Western fears Tehran may aim to build atomic weapons. Reuters/ WSJ/ AFP

Iran Atomic Tensions Get Respite After IAEA Books Tehran Return Tension over Iran’s alleged atomic-weapons work may ease in the next month after United Nations inspectors said they would return for more talks in Tehran and Israel committed to evaluate the effect of sanctions. Bloomberg

Japan asks IAEA nuclear crisis support network to add new category Japan has proposed that an international support network for cooperation in responding to nuclear emergencies add the category of bringing an accident under control, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday Mainichi

10 teaching hospitals to get cancer treatment facilities Ten teaching hospitals in Nigeria are to benefit from a N1.44 billion ($9 million) project supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to procure cancer-treating equipment. Guardian

Kazakhstan 2011 Uranium Production Grows Moderately by 7% Kazakhstan, the world’s leader in uranium production, reported production grew 19,000 tonnes in 2011, a 6.72% increase from the 17,803 tonnes made in 2010. Meanwhile, in a report titled ‘Analysis of Uranium Supply to 2050, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said certain medium economic growth and ecologically driven energy policies will prompt the world’s future demand of uranium to exceed actual supply. Nasdaq

Input from scrap experts on radiation code Government experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been working towards finalising the draft ‘Code of Conduct on the Transboundary Movement of Scrap Metal and Semi-finished Products of the Metal Recycling and Production Industries that may inadvertently contain radioactive material’, reports the BIR world recycling body. Recycling international

Other Nuclear News

Nuclear accidents pose little risk to health: NRC The risk to public health from a severe nuclear power plant accident in the United States is “very small” because reactor operators should have time to prevent core damage and reduce the release of radioactive materials, U.S. nuclear regulators said in a study on Wednesday. Reuters

Exelon to update earthquake risk at nuclear plants Nuclear plants throughout the central and eastern United States must be reassessed within four years to determine how well they might withstand earthquakes, including plants in Illinois and Iowa where new geological data suggest earthquakes could be more frequent and intense than previously believed, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. AP

Japan governor wants nuclear safety pledge in writing Japanese governor Tokihiro Nakamura believes nuclear power is vital for the resource-poor land, but even he says the central government must put safety pledges in writing before he’ll agree to restart off-line reactors — a sign of the tough battle ahead to repair tattered public trust after the Fukushima crisis. Reuters

Opinion and Analysis

The latest Iran frenzy FP
The Choice National Journal

IAEA, Iran see more talks ahead on nuclear issue The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it had held “good” talks in Iran about suspicions Tehran was seeking atomic weapons but more discussions were needed. Reuters / DPA / AP / BBC

IAEA experts did not visit, inspect any nuclear site in Iran: state media International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts did not visit or inspect any nuclear site in Iran during their three-day visit to the country, an unnamed source told the official IRNA news agency on Tuesday. Xinhua / RUVR / RFE RL

Iran, IAEA Delegation Wrap Up Constructive Talks in Tehran The three-day constructive negotiations between Iran and a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were ended here in Tehran on Tuesday. The two sides agreed on more talks and media reports said that talks were held in a “positive and constructive” atmosphere. Fars / Trend

NISA OK on stress tests but gets poor PR grade The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has been overseeing reactor stress tests in a proper manner but needs to communicate better with the people living near such facilities, an International Atomic Energy Agency official said Tuesday. JapanTimes / NYTimes

IAEA Says Fukushima Office Still Under Consideration The International Atomic Energy Agency said it is “giving careful consideration” to Japan’s request to open an office in Fukushima Prefecture but that it has not decided on any details, dismissing reports which it said have misquoted its chief Yukiya Amano. QNA

Other Nuclear News

US Intel Chiefs Assess Iranian Threat America’s top intelligence official says Iran is increasingly willing to conduct attacks in the United States or against U.S. interests overseas, but does not appear to have decided to build a nuclear weapon. VOA / Reuters / AFP

California Nuclear plant shuts down reactor as precaution One of two reactors at the San Onofre nuclear power station in Southern California was shut down on Tuesday after a small leak was detected in a steam generator tube, but the incident posed no risk to the public or plant workers, the facility operator said. Reuters

Japan’s Nuclear Plant Safety Tests Ignore Fukushima Lessons Japan’s so-called stress tests to review nuclear plant safety don’t include lessons from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi disaster, effectively ignoring the reason for running the checks, two government advisers said. Bloomberg

New plan for ditching America’s nuclear waste Tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste should begin their exodus from San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and scores of similar reactors nationwide to secure interim storage sites, and then head for permanent disposal deep below the Earth’s surface, according to a long-awaited report from The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. OrangeCountryRegister

Opinion and Analysis

On Iranian nuclear issue, mixed signals proliferate JTA

Impact of IAEA visit on current Iran situation CNTV

Nuclear crisis bolsters Japan push for utilities reform Reuters

Japan’s nuclear stress tests deemed consistent with IAEA standards An International Atomic Energy Agency fact-finding team said Tuesday that Japan’s nuclear stress tests, a key step for restarting reactors following the Fukushima nuclear crisis, are “generally consistent” with IAEA safety standards. Kyodo / DPA / CNN

Iran Offers to Extend Inspection by U.N. Team Iran’s foreign minister offered on Monday to extend a three-day visit to his country by United Nations inspectors in what seemed to be a further attempt to lower the strident tone of a crisis with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program after the imposition of new economic sanctions. NYTimes / NavhindTimes / GSN

Other Nuclear News

Japan Cabinet OKs bill to cap nuke reactor life Japan’s Cabinet approved bills Tuesday aimed at bolstering nuclear safety regulations following last year’s Fukushima disaster, including one that would put a 40-year cap on the operational life of nuclear reactors. AP

Senators unveil tough penalties on Iran Determined to weaken Iran economically, a top Senate Democrat and Republican on Monday unveiled a bill to impose sweeping new penalties on Tehran and thwart its nuclear ambitions. AP

Germany’s green energy sector: can it grow without subsidies? Generous subsidies for Germany’s green energy sector have been so successful at fostering growth that the government is now asking if the industry can survive without them. CSM

Opinion and Analysis

Fingers Itch For A War On Iran EurasiaReview

‘War in Iran would mean WWIII’ RT

Recorded Incidents Regarding Nuclear Accident, Smuggling – Analysis EurasiaReview

IAEA Team in Iran for Talks as Lawmakers Draft Oil Bill International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors arrived in Tehran today for talks on Iran’s nuclear program while lawmakers drafted a ban on oil sales to Europe. Bloomberg / AFP / DPA / BBC

UN nuclear team hopes for progess on probing alleged Iranian arms program The head of a U.N. nuclear team traveling to Iran on Saturday urged the country to work with his mission on probing Tehran’s alleged attempts to develop an atomic arms program, adding such cooperation is long overdue. AP / Reuters / NPR

UN atomic agency urges Iran to cooperate The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog urged Iran Friday to engage constructively with a team of inspectors heading to Tehran, after a damning report on Iran’s nuclear programme. AFP

Iran vows to give nuclear answers Iran’s foreign minister expressed optimism Sunday that a visit by U.N. inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities would produce an understanding, despite world concerns that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. AP / TehranTimes / UPI

Iran’s envoy to IAEA is hopeful on eve of nuclear watchdog visit Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday he is hopeful that the recent planned visit by representatives of the nuclear watchdog will “resolve any ambiguity and show (our) transparency and cooperation with the agency.” CNN

Panetta: Iran is one year away from producing nuclear weapon U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Sunday that Iran is only one year away from producing a nuclear weapon.
In an interview on the CBS show “60 Minutes,” Panetta said that the consensus is that, if they decided to do it, it would probably take them about a year to be able to produce a bomb and then possibly another one to two years in order to put it on a deliverable vehicle of some sort in order to deliver that weapon. Haaretz

Other Nuclear News

Israel warns time is running out before it launches strike on Iran Economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States can only be allowed a limited time period to prevent Iran from attempting to acquire a nuclear arsenal before a military strike must be contemplated, Israeli leaders have declared. Independent

Japan Post-Fukushima Reactor Checks ‘Insufficient,’ Advisers Say The hulking system that once guided Japan’s pro-nuclear-power stance worked just fine when everybody moved in lock step. But in the wake of a nuclear accident that changed the way this country thinks about energy, the system has proved ill-suited for resolving conflict. Bloomberg

Japan to Seek Investors to Renew Thermal Plants, Mainichi Says Japan’s government will look for investments from oil and gas companies to renew some thermal power-generating plants as a part of its plan to reorganize Tokyo Electric Power Co., the Mainichi newspaper reported. Bloomberg

Govt failed to keep records of key nuke meetings Japan’s deputy prime minister acknowledged Friday that the government failed to take minutes of 10 meetings last year on the response to the country’s disasters and nuclear crisis and called for officials to compile reports on the meetings retroactively. AP

Atomic-Free Japan by April Roils Debate on Economic Risks Japan will lose its last nuclear- generated power in April at the current rate of shutting down reactors for safety checks, cheering opponents of the industry after the Fukushima disaster while adding to concern about potential blackouts and factory shutdowns. Bloomberg / Reuters / Science-AAAS

Radiation testing on school lunches differs Municipalities are carrying out tests for radioactive substances on ingredients used in school lunches, but parents are worried whether their children are adequately protected as the tests are conducted in various ways. Yomiuri

Drive-by Scanning: Officials Expand Radiation Dose for Security Screening U.S. law enforcement agencies are exposing people to radiation in more settings and in increasing doses to screen for explosives, weapons and drugs. In addition to the controversial airport body scanners, which are now deployed for routine screening, various X-ray devices have proliferated at the border, in prisons and on the streets of New York. Boise Weekly

Nuclear science week inspires students, answers questions Most nuclear science lectures don’t involve costume changes. But Eric Loewen’s presentation Wednesday at the Illinois Institute of Technology was anything but ordinary. Medill

What Sweden can teach us about nuclear waste In 2010, the Energy Department set up a commission to figure out what to do with the country’s nuclear waste, after a planned repository at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain was nixed. WP

Is Spent Nuclear Fuel Really Waste? When the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future was established two years ago, after the Obama administration killed a proposed repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, one of the items on its agenda was to determine whether spent nuclear fuel was in fact waste. NYTimes

Opinion and Analysis

Will Israel Attack Iran? NYTimes

Move to strike Iran lacks rationale GulfNews

IAEA talks in Tehran to test Iran’s nuclear defiance A rare visit by senior U.N. nuclear inspectors next week raises pressure on Iran to address suspicions it is trying to develop atomic weapons, though Western powers that are piling on sanctions expect no significant breakthrough. Reuters

Japan’s TEPCO to be nationalized amid IAEA inspection An IAEA team is in Japan for nuclear safety inspection. Most of the country’s reactors are currently off the grid and might stay off as scepticism grows. Meanwhile, TEPCO is one step away from being nationalized. Deutsche Welle

IAEA lauds Kuwait contribution to nuclear fuel bank project Kuwait has signed here Friday an agreement in which it will contribute a sum of USD 10 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) nuclear fuel bank, a step lauded by the agency. KUNA

Other Nuclear News

Iran is ready to return to nuclear talks Iran is ready to revive talks with the U.S. and other world powers, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday, but suggested that Tehran’s foes will have to make compromises to prevent negotiations from again collapsing in stalemate. AP/ Telegraph

Iran nuclear stance rings alarm bells at Davos One of the first sessions to be booked out at the World Economic Forum was “What if Iran Develops a Nuclear Weapon?” FT

Residents of Japan’s ‘Nuclear Alley’ conflicted on restart of reactors, as IAEA checks safety International inspectors are visiting a rugged Japanese bay region so thick with reactors it is dubbed “Nuclear Alley,” where residents remain deeply conflicted as Japan moves to restart plants idled after the Fukushima disaster AP/ Reuters

Japan warned of mass rescue in nuclear crisis The Japanese government’s worst-case scenario at the height of the nuclear crisis last year warned that tens of millions of people, including Tokyo residents, would need to leave their homes, according to a report obtained by the Associated Press. SMH

Revamped Search Urged for a Nuclear Waste Site A commission appointed to find alternatives to a failed plan to store nuclear waste in the Nevada desert declared on Thursday that the United States would have to develop a “consent-based approach” for choosing a site because leaving the decision to Congress had failed. NYT/ Forbes

Indo-Pak civil nuclear cooperation possible Secretary General Mushahid Hussain Sayed said after the nuclear tests in 1998, there was a view that Pakistan and India should cooperate in the nuclear field. Daily Times

Opinion and Analysis

Israel and the US Perspectives on Iran at Odds American Thinker
Diplomats flex their economic options and Iran gets squeezed Seattle Times

IAEA Checks Japan Reactor Pending Safety Approval Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday began their first inspection of a Japanese nuclear power plant that has undergone official “stress tests” – a key step required to restart dozens of nuclear plants idled in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. AP / DPA / Kyodo

Iran won’t build nuclear weapon in 2012, says draft Isis report Iran is unlikely to move towards building a nuclear weapon in 2012 because it cannot yet produce enough weapon-grade uranium and is being deterred by sanctions and the prospect of an Israeli attack, according to a draft report by the Institute for Science and International Security (Isis). Guardian / Reuters

Method that can validate nuclear collision models benefits IAEA Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed nuclear-reaction analytical methods that are used to study oxygen behavior in solid samples. The methods can be used to investigate ceramic oxide materials that have great potential for applications in future nuclear energy systems, nuclear waste forms, security devices, and space vehicles. Physorg

Other Nuclear News

Iran calls out Harper as Gulf tensions rise As the United States’ navy flexes its muscles in the Persian Gulf, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s statement that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program is being called “uninformed” and “inflammatory” by the Iranian Embassy while security and disarmament analysts say the truth is more complex than either side is letting on. Embassy

UN Chief Urges Iran Not to Block Strait of Hormuz UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Wednesday urged Iran not to take any steps to block the Strait of Hormuz, which sees 20 percent of the world’s oil flows annually, saying that this is important for international trade and commerce. Xinhua / Reuters

AP Interview: Saudi royal warns that Mideast could face nuclear arms race An influential member of the Saudi royal family warned Wednesday that unless the Middle East becomes a nuclear weapon-free zone, a nuclear arms race is inevitable and could include his own country, Iraq, Egypt and even Turkey. AP/ Antiwar.com

Top Aussies call for nuclear weapons ban More than 700 prominent Australians have called on the government to show leadership on outlawing nuclear weapons, saying the need is urgent. AAP

Nuclear reactors staying idle Of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors, four are in operation, generating 8 percent of nuclear-power capacity. WashingtonPost

Japan’s stricken nuclear operator set for $13 bln bailout Japan is set to launch a $13 billion bail-out of the owner of its stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant after the utility dropped resistance to a public fund injection, sources said on Thursday, as the country debates the future of nuclear power. Reuters

After earthquake, Japan can’t agree on the future of nuclear power The hulking system that once guided Japan’s pro-nuclear-power stance worked just fine when everybody moved in lock step. But in the wake of a nuclear accident that changed the way this country thinks about energy, the system has proved ill-suited for resolving conflict. WP

The Legal Aftershocks of Fukushima To observers from more litigious societies, the fact that the catastrophe at Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has yet to spawn a massive lawsuit has been well-nigh impossible to comprehend. Law

Nuclear power boosters used climate change to ride to energy supremacy In 1997, in the midst of the international negotiations that would eventually result in the Kyoto Protocol, the Japanese delegation was pondering whether it could realistically accept the protocol’s main point: a commitment to a 6 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels. They were also grappling with what such a commitment would mean for Japan’s energy supplies. Mainichi

Nuclear fusion a step closer The quest to create nuclear fusion may have come a step closer when scientists heated solid matter to two million degrees with the world’s most powerful X-ray laser, a study reported. News24

Opinion and Analysis

Spectre of a fourth Gulf conflict Gulfnews

Stopping the rush to war against Iran Illiniostimes

Allow unfettered access Financial Times

Crisis continues in Fukushima FinancialChronicle

IAEA aims to resolve “substantive issues” in Iran The U.N. nuclear watchdog Monday confirmed plans for a January 29-31 visit to Iran and said its main objective was to “resolve all outstanding substantive issues,” referring to suspicions of military dimensions to the Iranian atomic energy program. Reuters

US asks Iran to cooperate with IAEA The US has asked Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency when their inspectors visit the country, even as Tehran threatened to close down the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation of oil sanctions. PTI

Iran slams EU oil embargo, warns could hit U.S. Iran accused Europeans on Monday of waging “psychological warfare” after the EU banned imports of Iranian oil, and President Barack Obama said Washington would impose more sanctions to address the “serious threat presented by Iran’s nuclear program.” SINA

Japan Reviews Disaster Plan Amid New Quake Concerns The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday began a mission to help identify gaps in Japan’s safety-check procedure for nuclear plants, to boost reactor resilience to natural disasters, as Tokyo began drawing up emergency plans with local governments. WSJ/ Reuters/ Kyodo

Japan seeks UN atomic agency presence in Fukushima Japan is asking the UN’s nuclear agency to set up a permanent office in Fukushima to monitor its efforts to contain the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. AFP

Other Nuclear News

Europe, U.S. impose new Iran sanctions but repeat offer for talks Even as they tightened the financial screws on Iran with new sanctions on Monday, the United States and its European allies reiterated their readiness to resume talks with Tehran on curbing what they suspect is a secret nuclear weapons development program. BBC/ McClatchy Newspapers

Israel’s deputy PM welcomes China’s Middle East policy Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said on Monday that he welcomes China’s policy on the Iranian nuclear issue and Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying that Beijing is contributing to the stability of the Middle East and the world order Xinhua

US carrier in Gulf after passing Strait of Hormuz The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and is now in the Gulf, the Pentagon said, after Tehran threatened to close the strategic shipping route. AFP

Another nuclear reactor going offline Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to shut down a reactor in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, for a regular inspection on Wednesday NHK

Largest Solar Radiation Storm in Six Years Headed Toward Earth The Earth will be bombarded today by the strongest solar radiation storm in six years, with a limited potential to affect satellites and power grids, officials say. Businessweek

China’s Climate Report Spurs Nuclear Energy China’s climate change report likely to strengthen support for renewables and nuclear energy. ETF

Opinion and Analysis

Sabotage, bombings, sanctions: A growing web of pressure over Iran CNN

Foreign Policy: Stop The Madness NPR

Iran nuclear weapons threat escalates Jakarta Post

Bid for Iran nuclear talks confronts old snags AP

IAEA team holds 1st meeting with Japan nuclear agency over safety tests A delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency tasked with reviewing the adequacy of Japan’s safety tests for nuclear power plants held its first meeting Monday with Tokyo’s nuclear safety agency Kyodo / VOA

Japan seeks UN nuclear agency presence in Fukushima Japan is asking the United Nations (UN) nuclear agency to set up a permanent office in Fukushima to monitor its efforts to contain the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, officials said on Monday. AAP / DPA

Seeking solutions for global burnout in Davos The sovereign debt crisis is set to cast its shadow over the Alpine slopes of Davos this year, where world leaders are meeting from Wednesday to discuss the future of the global economy….The participant list also includes British Premier David Cameron, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano. SAPA

Fukushima may host international conference on nuclear safety: Gemba Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Sunday that the Japanese government may pick Fukushima as the host prefecture for an international conference on nuclear safety to be co-hosted by Japan and the International Atomic Energy Agency later this year. Kyodo

IAEA rejects Iran accusation over scientist’s killing The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it did not know an Iranian scientist who was killed last week, rejecting Tehran’s suggestions it may have been partly to blame for his death by leaking information about him. Reuters / CNTV.CN

Other Nuclear News

Major powers open to serious talks with Iran Major powers signaled on Friday their willingness to reopen talks about curbing Iran’s suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons but said Tehran must show it is serious about any negotiations. Reuters

Ohio nuclear plant woes in middle of US House race The debate over a nuclear plant where small cracks were discovered in a concrete shell is revealing another split between two Democrats who are veteran members of Congress and opponents in the March 6 primary. AP

Energy iQ Releases the Survey Result on Key Challenges Surrounding Nuclear New Build In preparation of Nuclear New Build Summit 2012, a new survey conducted by the Energy IQ asked nuclear professionals to present their views on key challenges surrounding nuclear new build. PRNewsWire

Chinese nuclear firm eyes Extract A Chinese nuclear company has moved a step closer to bidding for Australian uranium explorer Extract Resources but the target says it is still seeking alternative suitors. State-owned China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPC) is pursuing Extract because of its rights to the Husab uranium deposits in Namibia, reputedly the fourth-largest in the world. Daily Mail

Gov’t not adding up nuclear workers’ radiation doses when not at work The health ministry has not added up the radiation doses received by workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant while they were evacuated or are not at work, ministry officials and supporters of the workers said Saturday, prompting concerns about adequacy of the current radiation control. Kyodo

Lynas halts trading ahead of new funding deal Australian miner Lynas Corp is expected to receive A$100 million (RM325 million) in fresh funds today to keep operations going while awaiting clearance to fire up its controversial RM2.5 billion rare earth plant in Kuantan. Malaysia Insider

Opinion and Analysis

The Bomb: Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan Tribune
A nuclear Iran is no existential threat The Daily Star
Bomb-Bomb-Bomb, Bomb-Bomb-Iran? NYTimes

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe 20 January 2012 IAEA Daily Press Review IAEA in the News Radioactive material said stolen from Egyptian plant Radioactive material has been stolen from a nuclear power station on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast that was the scene of violent protests last week, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported on Thursday. Reuters /dpa Other Nuclear News Turkey Seeks Steps to Facilitate Iran Talks Turkey’s foreign minister has pushed for immediate talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme, saying both Iran and major world powers were willing to resume negotiations. Al Jazeera /Reuters U.S. Open to Diplomacy With Iran Officials in Washington expressed readiness for diplomatic discussions with Iran, if the country is willing to disclose the extent of its nuclear program. UPI Britain and France Set to Push Through EU Oil Embargo on Iran as Pressure Ratchets Up Over Tehran’s Nuclear Programme Britain and France are expected to push through a EU oil embargo against Iran and a freeze on the assets of its central bank as pressure is increased on Tehran to stop its controversial nuclear programme. Daily Mail Olympus Endoscope Scrutinizes Leaking Nuclear Reactor The operators of Japan’s quake-crippled nuclear power plant looked inside one of the ruined reactors for the first time Thursday using an endoscope. Reuters /AP /Japan Times Fears Over Radioactive Gravel From Fukushima An estimated 5,280 tons of gravel from the quarry, in the town of Namie, was sold to more than 200 construction companies across the country in the six weeks between the reactors being crippled by the magnitude-9 earthquake and the tsunami that it triggered and the government legally enforcing the no-go zone. The Telegraph Radioactive Cesium Content Higher in Fukushima Fruits, Mushrooms Households that consumed relatively large quantities of fruits and mushrooms produced in Fukushima Prefecture tended to ingest more radioactive cesium in their food than those who did not, according to a joint study by The Asahi Shimbun and Kyoto University. Asahi Court Rules Entergy Can Keep Operating Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant A U.S. district court ruled Thursday that Entergy Corp. can continue operating the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, despite state laws that aimed to close the plant. Dow Jones /USA Today Opinion and Analysis Israel May Have Taken a Step Back From Bombing Iran – But for How Long?The Guardian Why We Should Look at Things From Iran’s SideThe Ottawa Citizen Meltdown at Hamaoka Plant Certain if Power Supply Knocked Out for Three DaysAsahi © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5868 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IaeaDailyPressReview/~3/EODkpZylMp8/ http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/images/nothumb_160x120.jpg Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:49:12 +0000 http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5866 IAEA in the News

UN to Probe ‘Military Angle’ to Iran Nuclear Drive A high-level IAEA delegation visiting Iran January 29-31 aims to verify if Tehran’s nuclear programme has a military dimension, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said in an interview to be published Thursday. AFP /FTD

Tehran’s Envoy Writes to IAEA Board Over Assassinations In a recent interview with ISNA, the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA announced that he had sent a letter to Gianni Ghisi, the chair of the IAEA Board of Governors, calling for the assassinations of nuclear scientists to be condemned. Tehran Times

Other Nuclear News

Radioactive Material Said Stolen From Egypt Plant Radioactive material has been stolen from a nuclear power station on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast that was the site of violent protests last week, state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported on Thursday. Reuters

Iran’s Salehi Visits Turkey for Nuclear Talks Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi arrived in Turkey on Wednesday for talks with Turkish leaders expected to focus on Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme, an embassy spokesman said. AFP /Al Jazeera

Iran Says in Touch With Powers on New Talks, U.S. Denies Iran said it was in touch with world powers to reopen talks soon on its nuclear programme, but Washington and the European Union denied this and said they were still waiting for Tehran to show it was ready for serious negotiations. Reuters /AP

Iran Still Has Path to End Nuclear Dispute Iran still has a way out of the growing confrontation over its nuclear program, the White House said on Wednesday, but a spokesman would not confirm reports that President Barack Obama wrote to Iranian leaders expressing a readiness to talk. Reuters

Israel: Any Attack on Iran ‘Very Far Off’ Israel moved to calm the increasingly tense discourse over Iran’s nuclear program on Wednesday, with Israel’s defense minister saying any decision on a possible pre-emptive military strike on Iranian targets was “very far off.” NYT

Support for Nuclear Power ‘Back Up’ Public support for nuclear power appears to have bounced back in the UK after falling sharply in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, a survey suggests. MSN

China to Monitor Radiation in Water Around Nuclear Plants China’s health authorities have been told to check for radiation in drinking water around the country’s nuclear power plants. IANS

Lack of Backup Systems Evident at Fukushima Nuclear Plants A momentary voltage drop on Jan. 17 stopped the cooling equipment for storage pools containing spent fuel at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants, Tokyo Electric Power Co. officials said. Asahi

Opinion and Analysis

Incidents Involving Iran’s Nuclear Work Reuters
Not-So-Covert Iran War Buys Time but Raises Tension Reuters
Former Israeli Intelligence Chief Says Iran Can Build Bomb Now if it Wants AP
Talks With Iran a ‘Foolish Waste of Time’: US Lawmaker AFP
Japan ‘Betrayed Citizens’ Over Radiation Danger ABC

IAEA to Visit Iran January 29-31 A high-level IAEA delegation is to visit Iran January 29-31 to discuss issues it has over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran’s envoy to the UN atomic watchdog said Tuesday according to the Fars news agency. AFP /FARS

Other Nuclear News

U.S., Allies Say North Korea Welcome to Resume Nuclear Talks The United States, Japan and South Korea agree that “a path is open” for North Korea to return to stalled six-party talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear program, the State Department said on Tuesday. Reuters

Iran Boosts Security For All in Nuclear Field Iran has boosted security for all its nuclear workers after one of its scientists was assassinated last week, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said Tuesday. AFP

After Nuke Scientist’s Murder, Iranian Students Switch Majors to Nuclear Sciences Approximately 1,300 Iranian university students have applied to switch their majors to the field of nuclear sciences following the assassination of a top nuclear expert in Iran, a government official reportedly said late Monday. ABC News

Siemens Puts Cost of Nuclear Exit at 1.7 Trillion Euros Germany’s exit from nuclear power could cost the country as much as 1.7 trillion euros by 2030, or two thirds of the country’s GDP in 2011, according to Siemens, which built all of Germany’s 17 nuclear plants. Reuters

Negotiators Agree to Minimize Civilian Use of HEU Ahead of Nuclear Summit Negotiators from about 50 nations scheduled to participate in March’s nuclear security summit in South Korea have reached an agreement “in principle” to minimize the civilian use of HEU, Seoul officials said Wednesday. Yonhap

China May Resume Approving Nuke Plants in H1 China may resume approvals for new nuclear power projects in the first half of this year after suspending them for nearly a year following the Fukushima disaster in Japan last March, China media reported on Wednesday. Reuters

France’s Hollande Softens Nuclear Closure Stance French Socialist presidential hopeful Francois Hollande will only shut France’s oldest nuclear power plant in eastern France during his 5-year term, if elected in May, one of the candidate’s spokesmen told Reuters on Tuesday. Reuters

India Rejects US Think Tank Report on Nuclear Safety Strongly rejecting the findings of a US-based think tank which poorly rated India on nuclear safty index, New Delhi today said the findings were based on “faulty methodology” and it used “unreliable information”. PTI

Japan to Set Reactor Lifespan at 60 Years Despite Fukushima Japan will allow nuclear reactors to operate for up to 60 years in revised regulations on power plant operators, the government said on Wednesday, even as it looks to shift gradually away from atomic power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Reuters

Opinion and Analysis

Military Action Against Iran? Don’t Miscalculate USA Today
The Flawed Logic of Striking Iran Foreign Affairs
US Must Remain Leader in Nuclear Enrichment The Hill
Kremlin Walks a High Wire on Iran’s Nuclear Program Voice of America

Atomic Experts to Visit Japan to Evaluate Stress Tests A team of experts from the IAEA will visit Japan next week to examine stress tests on suspended nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, the government said Tuesday. Deutsche Presse-Agentur /Reuters

Other Nuclear News

Suspects Arrested Over Iran Nuke Scientist Death Iran has made arrests over a scientist’s assassination last week that was blamed on Israel and the US, parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on Monday, vowing his country would avenge the death using “non-terrorist” tactics. AFP

Niger to Pursue Nuclear Plans Despite Fukushima Niger will push ahead with a plan to develop civilian nuclear energy in partnership with other West African peers despite recent accidents including Fukushima, the country’s president said on Monday. Reuters

Saudi Arabia, China Sign Nuclear Cooperation Pact Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia said Monday it inked an agreement with China to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the development and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. WSJ

Japan Delayed Release of Radiation Details A Japanese government official has admitted information about the spread of radiation from Fukushima was provided to the United States more than a week before it was given to the Japanese public. ABC

High Radiation Found in Condos Miles From Fukushima Plant Four families are being moved out of a new condominium complex about 20 miles from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant because high levels of radiation were detected in concrete used in its construction, according to reports out of Japan. USA Today

Japan’s First Reactor Stress Tests at Fukushima Reach Key Stage Japan’s panel of experts is due to review the nuclear watchdog’s first report on reactor stress tests on Wednesday in an important step in efforts to rebuild public trust shattered by the Fukushima crisis and restart idled reactors. Reuters

11 Hot-Zone Holdouts Refuse to Leave Fukushima Homes Eleven people are still ignoring radiation hazards in the 20-km exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and refuse to budge. Kyodo

Opinion and Analysis

Iran’s Nuclear Scientists Are Not Being Assassinated. They Are Being Murdered The Guardian
Iran Doesn’t Deserve Any More Chances International Business Times
Iran’s Bomb and Pakistan Express Tribune
Who is Responsible for U.S.-Iran Tensions? Al Jazeera

Workshop on Nuclear Law for Govt Entities The UAE’s nuclear regulator, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, and the IAEA have jointly organised the workshop on the ‘Legal infrastructure supporting the development of a Nuclear energy programme.’ Khaleej Times

Vietnam Determined to Obtain Nuclear Energy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has reaffirmed Vietnam’s determination to build a nuclear power plant because the country is due to experience serious power shortages in the next decade…According to Dung, the legal documents are being drafted with references from other countries and assistance from the IAEA. Thanh Nien News

Other Nuclear News

Iran Sends Rare Letter to U.S. Over Killed Scientist Iran said on Saturday it had evidence Washington was behind the latest killing of one of its nuclear scientists, state television reported, at a time when tensions over the country’s nuclear program have escalated to their highest level ever. Reuters

West Skeptical of Iranian Nuclear Cooperation Iran will need to show genuine readiness to address mounting suspicions about its nuclear program at rare talks with senior U.N. officials this month to convince a skeptical West that it is not just stalling. Reuters

U.S. Says No Nuclear Link With North Korea Food Talks The U.S. envoy for North Korean policy said on Thursday Washington was making no linkage between talks between the two countries on food aid and trying to get the reclusive nation back to the table to discuss its nuclear program. Reuters

Power Loss Shuts Down Kansas Nuclear Plant The operators of the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant say a loss of off-site power prompted an automatic shutdown at the northeast Kansas facility. AP

China AP1000 Nuclear Plant On Track After Delay China’s first third-generation nuclear power plant will come online as scheduled in 2013, a nuclear power executive said, despite delays caused by redesigning after a devastating tsumani in Japan in March. Reuters

Decontamination Work Hinges on Citizen Cooperation When fears of radiation hot spots spread around the nation’s capital, the city of Nagareyama in Chiba Prefecture sprang into action and quickly drew up a decontamination plan. Asahi

Nuclear Watchdog Relies Too Much on Plant Makers Japan’s nuclear power plant watchdog relies too much on information from manufacturers when assessing plants’ safety and faces an age crisis among its inspectors, according to a third-party report published Jan. 12. Asahi

Shareholders to Sue Tepco Directors Forty-two Tepco shareholders who in November asked its in-house auditors to file a negligence suit against 60 of the utility’s board members seeking 5.5 trillion Yen in damages over the Fukushima nuclear crisis, may sue the directors on their own after the utility declined to pursue legal action, sources said Thursday. Kyodo

Anti-Nuclear Meeting on Energy, Radiation After Fukushima More than 10,000 people gathered at an anti-nuclear conference in Japan Saturday to discuss future energy, radioactive contamination and anti-nuclear movements in Asia in the wake of the world’s worst atomic accident in 25 years. Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Radioactive Tissue Holders Pulled From Stores Metal tissue holders contaminated with low levels of radioactive material may have been distributed to Bed, Bath & Beyond stores in more than 20 states including New York, federal regulators said Thursday. AP

Opinion and Analysis

Obama’s Olive Branch to Iran Turned Into Sanctions Hammer Reuters
Accidental Hormuz Clash is Bigger Risk Than Closure Bloomberg
For the Sake of Avoiding All-Out War With Iran, Give Tehran Another Peek at a Different Future Bloomberg
Can the World Phase Out Nuclear Power? Deutsche Presse-Agentur

On 16 December 2011, Japan announced that the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station had achieved a “cold shutdown condition” and are in a stable state. Beginning Monday, 16 January, the Daily Press Review will no longer include this section focussing on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, but will continue to highlight key news coverage on this important topic in the Other Nuclear News section.

Fukushima city says radiation dose level unlikely to harm health The average radiation exposure of some 37,000 residents in Fukushima city following the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant came to 0.26 millisieverts during the three-month period from September, the municipal government said Thursday. Kyodo

300 tons of tainted water found near No. 3 unit at Fukushima plant Around 300 tons of water contaminated with relatively high amounts of radioactive substances has been found in an underground tunnel near the No. 3 unit at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the plant’s operator said Thursday. Kyodo

Louvre to send artworks to Japan’s Fukushima France’s Louvre museum plans to send more than 20 artworks to Japan, including Fukushima prefecture, near the stricken nuclear plant, in order to show solidarity with the disaster-hit country. AFP

IAEA in the News

Senior U.N. team to visit Iran this month: sources Senior U.N. nuclear officials are set to travel to Tehran later this month for a rare visit to discuss their growing concerns that Iran may be seeking to develop atomic arms capability, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. Reuters / WSJ / AP

Iran Says Scientist’s Murder Reveals Global Terror Campaign The Iranian government said in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that a civilian nuclear scientist who was killed by a bomb yesterday was the latest victim of a foreign terror campaign. Bloomberg

Iran says it wants serious nuclear talks Ali Larijani told a news conference after meeting Turkish leaders in Ankara that Tehran supports the idea of holding further talks in Turkey. Saeed Jalili, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, recently said he had called on six powers, the U.S, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, to resume talks. AP

Costa Rica to sterilize fruit flies with X-rays The Costa Rican State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) aims to sterilize fruit flies with X-ray technology in a bid to reduce crop damages, website Laestrella.com.pa reported.
The SFE acquired the US$220,000 technology with the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which donated half the cost. FreshFruitPortal

Other Nuclear News

Livermore Lab makes plastic that detects nuclear material Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed a plastic that can detect neutrons, something previously thought impossible. The material, they think, might be used in cheap ways to detect terrorist bombs. SanFranciscoBusinessTimes

India to hold global Nuclear meet Amid concerns over nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of terror groups in the neighbourhood, India is holding a preparatory meeting of the ‘Sherpas’ here on January 16-17 in the run up to the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in March that is aimed at an action plan against nuclear terrorism. IndiaToday

Ghana Atomic Energy Commission vows to demolish all unauthorised structures on its lands The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) on Thursday vowed not to compromise Ghana’s nuclear safety and security, warning encroachers on the Commission’s land to relocate their investments or have them demolished. GNA

NKorea signals it’s open to US disarmament deal At first glance, it seems like business as usual: North Korea issues an indignant statement taking aim at the United States over a proposal to donate food in return for nuclear disarmament.
But between the lines are glimmers of conciliation. In its diatribe this week questioning Washington’s generosity and earnestness, North Korea suggests it remains open to suspending a uranium enrichment program if it can get the food it wants. AP

Report on nuclear safety questioned SA’s nuclear power industry has dismissed a report that calls the safety of its nuclear operations into question. Businessday

Lynas says met requirements, can start in March Lynas Malaysia said today its application for a temporary operating licence meets requirements and if approved by the government at the end of the month, it can fire up its controversial RM2.5 billion rare earth plant in Kuantan in six weeks. The Malaysian

Obama Team Reveals Nuclear Trade, Nonproliferation Decision on Capitol Hill The Obama administration told key lawmakers by letter on Tuesday how it intends to pursue upcoming nuclear trade agreements with one or more partner states, and the decision was believed to shed light on whether such pacts would contain specific conditions aimed at discouraging the spread of nuclear weapons, Global Security Newswire has learned. GSN

U.S. Nuclear Trade Talks with Vietnam, Jordan Moving Forward The United States is moving ahead with negotiations on bilateral civil nuclear trade agreements with both Vietnam and Jordan, a senior Obama administration official said on Thursday. GSN

New nuclear reactor construction suspended in Armenia The state of building a new nuclear reactor in Armenia is still open, director of the Institute of Radiation Problems of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), IAEA coordinator on nuclear sciences Adil Garibov told Trend today.
He said that the reason for the suspended reactor construction is that Armenia cannot find the necessary funds. McClatchy

Opinion and Analysis

Costs of killing Iran’s nuclear scientists New Scientist
Nuclear risks and ranks FP
Iran is a year from bomb material – Former Inspector Reuters

On 16 December 2011, Japan announced that the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station had achieved a “cold shutdown condition” and are in a stable state. Beginning Monday, 16 January, the Daily Press Review will no longer include this section focussing on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, but will continue to highlight key news coverage on this important topic in the Other Nuclear News section.

Fukushima Eyes Checking Radiation in Breast Milk for 10,000 Mothers Fukushima Prefecture plans to test for radioactive contamination in breast milk samples from about 10,000 mothers residing in the prefecture, home to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, prefectural officials said Thursday. Kyodo

Gov’t Tells TEPCO to Prepare Repair Plan for Fukushima Daini Equipment The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Wednesday to prepare a report by the end of January on how to repair equipment at its Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, a senior agency official said. Kyodo

Fearful Residents Give Up On Fukushima Pref. In Okuma Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is located and residents have been forced to evacuate, the amount by which the exodus of residents outnumbered newcomers reached about 500 during March to November last year. Yomiuri

IAEA in the News

China Calls for Cooperation Between Iran and IAEA China on Wednesday called on Iran and the UN atomic watchdog to cooperate over a new uranium enrichment plant, amid mounting international tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme. AFP

Other Nuclear News

New Study Ranks Countries on Security of Materials that Fuel Nuclear Arms The 32 nations with materials that can fuel atom bombs are typically mum on security, which looks to the public like a closed world of barbed wire and armed guards. Behind the scenes, atomic insiders have long told horror stories of risky practices and security flaws that might let the crucial ingredients for nuclear weapons fall into the wrong hands. NYT /AFP

Bomb Kills Iran Nuclear Scientist as Crisis Mounts An Iranian nuclear scientist was blown up in his car by a motorbike hitman on Wednesday, prompting Tehran to blame Israeli and U.S. agents but insist the killing would not derail a nuclear program that has raised fears of war and threatened world oil supplies. Reuters /FARS /NYT /AP

Russia Opposes Oil Sanctions Against Iran Russia opposes U.S. and possible European oil sanctions against Iran, even if Tehran presses ahead with uranium enrichment which Western powers say serves military goals, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday. Reuters

Pakistani Jailed for 3 Years in US on Nuclear Charges A Pakistani citizen who pleaded guilty last year to attempting to export nuclear-related material to his homeland was sentenced by a US court Friday to 37 months in prison, the Department of Justice said. AFP

Nuclear Monitoring System Failed at the End of 2011 The government’s monitoring system for nuclear power plants broke down on Dec. 30 and 31, sources said Jan. 11. Asahi

Plan for New Navy Wharf Fires Up Nuke Debate The Cold War ended in 1991. But you might not know it to look at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor in Washington state. The base’s eight nuclear submarines typically sail on patrol three times a year for up to 100 days at a stretch, much as they did before the Soviet Union disintegrated. The Seattle Times

Child Leukaemia Doubles Near French Nuclear Plants The incidence of leukemia is twice as high in children living close to French nuclear power plants as in those living elsewhere in the country, a study by French health and nuclear safety experts has found. Reuters

Vietnam to Use Japan Model / Tokio Marine to Help Hanoi Make Nuclear Plant Insurance Plan Vietnam plans to introduce a casualty insurance plan with the help of a Japanese insurer for nuclear power plants it plans to jointly build with Japan and start operating by 2020, it has been learned. Yomiuri

Opinion and Analysis

Iran’s Nuclear Power: The World Must Prepare for the Inevitable to Happen The Telegraph
Bringing Kim in From the Cold Japan Times
Who’s Killing Iranian Nuclear Scientists? CNN

TEPCO Reports 10-Liter Radioactive Water Leakage at Fukushima Plant Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it found that about 10 liters of water had leaked from a water processing facility inside the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but the liquid containing radioactive strontium did not flow into the Pacific Ocean. Kyodo

Food Exports Plunged Due to Nuclear Crisis The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has affected the exports of farm and marine products from eastern Japan. Yomiuri

Japan to Host Int’l Meeting on Renewable Energy in Fukushima Japan will host an international conference in the city of Fukushima on March 2 to discuss ways to create a society based on renewable energy, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Tuesday. Kyodo

IAEA in the News

UN Nuclear Inspectors to Visit Iran ‘Soon,’ IAEA Official Says Senior UN nuclear inspectors are expected to visit Iran “quite soon” to discuss their growing concerns about possible military aspects to its nuclear program, an International Atomic Energy Agency official said on Tuesday. Reuters

Iran Should Work Within IAEA’s Parameters: SM Krishna As IAEA again confirmed Iran’s enrichment of uranium at an underground location for its nuclear weapons programme, India on Tuesday reiterated its position that while Tehran was free to pursue civil nuclear energy, it had to work within the UN watchdog’s “basic framework meant to address technical issues.” Times of India

Other Nuclear News

Russia Regrets Iran’s Uranium Enrichment, Urges Further Talks Russia said it regrets the start of uranium enrichment by Iran and urged negotiations on the nation’s nuclear program. Bloomberg

Clinton Slams Iran Nuclear Move, Urges Serious Talks Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday Iran’s decision to enrich uranium near the city of Qom was “especially troubling” and urged Tehran to return to serious talks with Western powers over its atomic program. Reuters

Geithner Holds Talks in Beijing on Iran Sanctions US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will hold talks Wednesday with Chinese leaders in Beijing to try to resolve differences with the resource-hungry Asian giant over oil imports from Iran. AFP /AP

EU Said to Weigh Iran Oil Embargo Exemptions for Member States European Union talks on an oil embargo on Iran are becoming bogged down over discussions on exemptions for existing supply contracts and the length of a planned phase-in period, according to four diplomats. Bloomberg

Nicaragua’s Ortega Urges Israel to Destroy Nuclear Arms Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega on Tuesday urged Israel to destroy its nuclear weapons to foster peace in the Middle East as he hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is touring Latin America. Reuters

Doomsday Clock Moves One Minute Closer to Midnight The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic gauge of nuclear danger, has moved one minute closer to midnight because of “inadequate progress” on nuclear and climate issues. BBC

Nuclear Reactor Safety Requires More Checks Switzerland’s five nuclear power plants must prove the containment buildings surrounding their reactors can withstand a major earthquake despite passing a European Union stress test. SwissInfo

Opinion and Analysis

Does Promise or Peril Await in North Korea? Japan Times
Could Impact of Iran Sanctions Prove Slippery? Reuters

Fukushima Nuclear Cleanup Could Create Its Own Environmental Disaster Decontaminating the Fukushima region to remove radioactive particles will not be possible without removing large amounts of soil, leaves and plants The Guardian

Noda Presses Fukushima to Accept Waste Storage Plan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday met with Fukushima Gov Yuhei Sato to discuss measures to rebuild the prefecture, including containing the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and disposal of soil and rubble tainted by radioactive materials. Japan Today

Banks to Discuss Lending 1 Trillion Yen More to Tepco Tepco’s main lenders will begin talks this week to decide conditions to lend an additional 1 trillion yen, at the government’s request. Reuters

Europe Atomic Stress Tests a Charade Stress tests being carried out on European nuclear power plants are a political charade designed to reassure the public that the reactors are fundamentally safe, a member of the European Parliament and a prominent Bulgarian atomic expert said Monday at a seminar in Osaka. Japan Times

IAEA in the News

IAEA Confirms Iran Started Nuclear Work in Bunker The United Nations nuclear watchdog confirmed on Monday that Iran has started enriching uranium at an underground site and said all atomic material there was under its surveillance. Reuters /AFP /AP

Other Nuclear News

Israel ‘Resigned to Nuclear Iran’ Israel is preparing for Iran to become a nuclear power and has accepted it may happen within a year, the London Times reported on Monday citing an Israeli security report. AFP

EU Considers Moving Iran Meeting to Jan. 23 The European Union is considering bringing forward a meeting of foreign ministers to Jan. 23, from Jan. 30, that will discuss a possible embargo on imports of Iranian oil, an EU diplomat said. Bloomberg

China Rejects Linking Trade and Iranian Nukes A top Chinese diplomat on Monday rejected linking Iran’s nuclear program to trade, adding to tensions with Washington on the eve of a visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to seek support for sanctions on Tehran’s oil industry. AP

U.S. Gov’t Says it Conducted 4th Plutonium Test Last Nov. The United States conducted a fourth experiment using plutonium to examine the capabilities of its nuclear arsenal last November, officials of the National Nuclear Security Administration said Friday. Kyodo

China, South Korea Hold Summit on North Korea The presidents of South Korea and China agreed Monday to work together to achieve peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, in their first summit since Kim Jong Il’s death opened the chance for major changes in North Korea. AP

NRC: Nuclear Technicians Surfed Web on the Job Nine technicians responsible for monitoring operations at a Louisiana nuclear power plant spent on-duty time surfing the Internet — visiting websites that included news, sports, fishing and retirement information — jeopardizing the safety of the plant, federal regulators say CNN

Ohio Lawmakers Plan Bill to Keep Uranium Plant Ohio’s two U.S. senators plan to introduce a bill authorizing $150 million in spending to help a uranium enrichment project in southern Ohio stay afloat, after money for the project was missing from a last-minute spending bill passed on Saturday. AP

Opinion and Analysis

Time to Ratify Nuclear Test Ban Treaty CNN
Despite Saber-Rattling, Military Action ‘Long Way Off’ for US and Iran Deutsche Welle
Why New Sanctions Raise Danger of Iran’s Building Nuclear Weapons Time

N-Zones May Keep 25,000 From Home The homes of about 25,000 evacuees from around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are expected to fall within zones where the government will prohibit residency for at least five years, according to government sources. Yomiuri

Fukushima Exposes Contradictions / Nuclear Crisis Prompts Govt to Rethink Private Companies’ Operation of Nuclear Plants The government’s moves to overhaul the state’s nuclear policy were prompted by serious contradictions discovered in that policy, as a result of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Yomiuri

Japan Govt Eyes Tepco Common Shares Japan’s government is preparing to take control of Tokyo Electric Power Co, operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, by buying a majority stake in its common shares, Jiji News Agency said. Reuters

Tiny Particles May Illuminate Reactor Cores The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned that a team of researchers from the university is developing technology to use elementary particles from space to see into the interiors of crippled reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Yomiuri

Fukushima Lays Bare Japanese Media’s Ties to Top Is the ongoing crisis surrounding the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant being accurately reported in the Japanese media? The Japan Times

IAEA in the News

Khalifa University Hosts the IAEA School on Nuclear Energy Management Khalifa University witnessed today the launch of the GCC Regional School on Nuclear Energy Management, which is hosted by the University and organized by the IAEA in co-operation with the Government of the UAE. Albawaba

Other Nuclear News

Iran Enriching Uranium at New Lab Iran has begun uranium enrichment at a new underground site built to withstand possible airstrikes, a leading hard-line newspaper reported Sunday in another show of defiance against Western pressure to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program. AP

Panetta: Iran Not Building Bombs Yet Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Iran is laying the groundwork for making nuclear weapons someday, but is not yet building a bomb and called for continued diplomatic and economic pressure to persuade Tehran not to take that step. AP

Iran: Nuke Plant to be Running For Feb. 1 Iran’s first nuclear plant will be at full production in time for the revolutionary anniversary on Feb. 1, the country’s atomic chief announced in Tehran. UPI

EU Iran Oil Sanctions Likely to be Phased In A European Union embargo on Iranian oil will probably be phased in to protect countries with the greatest reliance on imports from the country, according to an EU official familiar with the talks. Bloomberg

Iran Offers to Share Nuke Technology With Africa Iran’s nuclear chief says his country is willing to help what he called “friendly” African nations that have uranium reserves to set up facilities to process the ore into nuclear material. AP

Japan, Turkey Eye Nuclear Talks Japan and Turkey have agreed to work toward the resumption of negotiations on a bilateral nuclear cooperation pact, while Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said he hopes talks can begin on a bilateral free-trade deal. Kyodo

France to Tighten Security Around Nuclear Plants France will take new measures to tighten security around its 58 nuclear power plants, Interior Minister Claude Gueant told daily Le Parisien on Friday, after Greanpeace activists succeeded in entering two of them last month. Reuters

Opinion and Analysis

Fewer, Better Nuclear Weapons Can Make the U.S. Stronger Bloomberg
Guarding Nukes: How Moscow and Washington Avoided the Threat of Nuclear Doomsday After Soviet Breakup AP
Policy of Decommissioning Aged Nuclear Plants Too Abrupt Yomiuri
Slovakia’s Nuclear Schizophrenia – Shut Down, Continue as Usual, or Boldly Go – Where? International Business Times
Bulgaria Doesn’t Need More Nuclear Units Sofia News Agency

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe 06 January 2012 IAEA Daily Press Review Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Key Nuclear Liaison Office Opens in Fukushima The Environment Ministry has opened an office in the city of Fukushima to spearhead the effort to scrub buildings, soil and waste contaminated with radioactive materials in areas affected by the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. Kyodo Compensation for Fukushima Victims Sluggish, Gov’t to Step In Victims of Japan’s nuclear accident have been clamoring because of a delay of compensation payments by the Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Tokyo Times Domestic Robots Failed to Ride to Rescue After No. 1 Plant Blew After the March 11 tsunami slammed into the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and wrecked three reactors, many people expected the nation’s cutting-edge robotic technologies to ride to the rescue. Japan Times Other Nuclear News Iran Says Turkey Best Place for Further Talks With World Powers About Nuclear Program Iran’s foreign minister as said Thursday that Turkey is the best place for further talks with world powers about Iran’s nuclear program, according to a report carried by an Iranian news agency. AP Israeli and US Troops Gear Up for Major Missile Defense Drill After Iran Maneuvers The Israeli military is gearing up together with U.S. forces for a major missile defense exercise, the Israeli military announced Thursday, as tension between Iran and the international community escalates. AP U.K. Opposes Pre-Emptive Strike on Iran, Will Act if Strait of Hormuz Shut The U.K. doesn’t back a pre-emptive strike on Iran over its nuclear program, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said even as he warned that Britain may take military action if the Islamic republic carries out its threat to block the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg North Korea Vows to Reinforce Nuclear Program After South’s Offer North Korea responded to South Korean President Lee Myung Bak’s offer of “a window of opportunity” for inter-Korean dialog with a vow to “further reinforce” its status as a nuclear-weapons state. Bloomberg Regulators to Hold Meeting on Nebraska Nuclear Plant Federal regulators will hold a public meeting about their plan to oversee Nebraska’s Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant, which remains shut down because of flood damage. AP Bulgaria Says Nuclear Plant Ready for Emergencies Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant, Kozloduy, is ready to take action in case of natural disasters, technical failure or a combination of both, a report by the country’s Nuclear Regulation Agency showed on Thursday. Reuters Bulgaria Seeks to Raise Capacity of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant Bulgaria wants to increase the output capacity of its 2,000-megawatt Kozloduy plant on the Danube by 120 megawatts. Bloomberg Opinion and Analysis Can Japan do Better Than Chernobyl?ABC Iran Sanctions Push is Test for West DiplomacyReuters Can Iran Close Down the Strait of Hormuz?The Telegraph © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5842 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IaeaDailyPressReview/~3/itEbgHMzatk/ http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/images/nothumb_160x120.jpg Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:00:27 +0000 http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5840

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe 05 January 2012 IAEA Daily Press Review Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Fukushima to Conduct Blanket Screening of Rice to be Harvested in Fall The Fukushima prefectural government plans to conduct blanket screening of rice to be harvested this fall to ensure product safety, following the detection of excessive levels of radioactive cesium in last year’s crop in the prefecture hit by a major nuclear crisis, Fukushima officials said Thursday. Kyodo Farmers in Fukushima Count the Cost A few weeks after Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant plunged into crisis on March 11, the Saitos were told their carefully cultivated spinach had been contaminated by radiation. CNBC 2012: Rebuilding Disaster-Hit Areas / Mayors, Town Officials Stress Working Together to Recover From March 11 The year’s first catch delighted fisheries cooperative association members, while mayors of municipal governments called on officials for concerted efforts to rebuild their hometowns. Yomiuri Other Nuclear News South Korea, US Want Nuclear Talks With North Korea to Restart Soon The United States hopes for an early resumption of multilateral nuclear talks with North Korea, but it is more important for the hermetic nation’s new leadership to choose a path toward peace and cooperation with the outside world, Seoul’s top envoy here said Wednesday. Yonhap China Repeats Opposition to Unilateral Sanctions on Iran China on Wednesday restated its opposition to the U.S.-led push for unilateral sanctions on Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program and said the crisis should be resolved through diplomacy, as Iran lashed out with threats against Washington. Reuters Iran Says Has Way to Work Around EU Oil Ban Threat Iran has alternatives in place to let it cope with a threatened European Union embargo on its oil and increased U.S. pressure, and plans to keep up exports of some 2.3 million barrels per day this year, a senior Iranian oil official said. Reuters US Regulators Downgrade Palisades Nuclear Plant Federal regulators have downgraded a nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan, requiring it to undergo an additional inspection because of a water pump shutdown last year. AP U.K. Regulator Says No Fundamental Weaknesses at Nuclear Sites Safety checks at U.K. nuclear power plants have identified “no fundamental weaknesses” in design and resilience, the national regulator said today. Bloomberg Areva Signs $500 Million U.S. Fuel Supply Contract French nuclear company Areva has signed a $500 million contract with Xcel Energy in the United States to supply its Monticello nuclear power plant with fuel and services. Reuters Japan, Ukraine to Make Pact on Nuclear Accidents The government has decided to sign a pact with Ukraine to share information on measures against nuclear accidents such as the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe experienced by the former Soviet Union republic, according to government sources. Yomiuri Opinion and Analysis Nuclear Fuel Test Won’t Hasten Iran BombReuters The Ultimate Nuclear Terrorist Threat To The United StatesForbes © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5840 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IaeaDailyPressReview/~3/zgF1aZuBYa4/ http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/images/nothumb_160x120.jpg Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:21:18 +0000 http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5836

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe 04 January 2012 IAEA Daily Press Review Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Different Radiation Standards Add to Confusion Different standards used by municipal governments are exacerbating the confusion among residents over safety levels of radioactive fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and how to deal with possible dangerous areas. Asahi Japan PM Vows Fukushima Rebirth Japan’s prime minister has pledged in his traditional new year’s press conference to bring “rebirth” to the area around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. AP Japan Earthquake 2012: Fukushima Okay, but Government Urges State Control of Nuclear Plant In the wake of a strong Japan Earthquake 2012 that shook much of the country on New Year’s Day, the statement government is telling the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant damaged in the severe 2011 Japan earthquake to consider accepting temporary state control in return for public funds. International Business Times Other Nuclear News France Urges Stricter European Sanctions on Iran France’s foreign minister says Europe must agree on stricter sanctions against Iran by the end of January because of its controversial nuclear program. AP /AP Turkey’s Davutoglu Visits Iran, Talk on Nuke, Syria Turkey’s foreign minister will visit Tehran on Wednesday for talks with his Iranian counterpart on Iran’s nuclear programme and developments in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said late on Tuesday. Reuters Israel to Shut Down Dimona Nuclear Reactor Should War Break Out IDF and the IAEC prepared for possibility of an attempted attack on the reactors during a conflict with Iran, Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon or Hamas and other Palestinian organizations in Gaza. Haaretz Nuclear Watchdog Urges French Plants to Boost Safety A French nuclear watchdog on Tuesday called for the country’s plants to beef up safety to cope with natural disasters under a programme likely to cost tens of billions of euros (dollars), but said none faced any immediate shutdown. AFP Austria and Czech Republic Divided Over Nuclear Power Austria, which has long been anti-nuclear, has called for the continent to abandon nuclear power altogether, but its neighbour, the Czech Republic, is pushing ahead with plans to increase dramatically its production of atomic energy. BBC Changjiang Nuclear Power Project Completes Dome Installation On Dec. 28, the dome installation of the No.1 power unit of the Hainan Changjiang Nuclear Power Project was completed 28 days ahead of schedule, indicating the civil construction stage of the nuclear island of the No.1 power unit has come to an end and the project has entered the stage of comprehensive installation. Huang Xiaohui Tissue from Sick Seals to be Tested for Radiation: Scientist Says Link to Japan Plant Unlikely Tissue samples from Alaska’s sickened ringed seals will be analyzed for evidence of radiation, but the scientist preparing to do so says he doubts there’s a connection to the Japanese nuclear plant damaged by a tsunami last year. AP Opinion and Analysis Iran Nuclear Program Threatens Balance of PowerCNBC Why is Britain Ramping up Sanctions Against Iran?The Guardian China a Key Player in Getting North Korea Back into NegotiationsThe Scotsman © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5836 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IaeaDailyPressReview/~3/viC_IIUA9So/ http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/images/nothumb_160x120.jpg Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:47:33 +0000 http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5830

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe 03 January 2012 IAEA Daily Press Review Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update TEPCO Says Water Level in Tank at Fukushima Nuclear Dropped Due to Quake TEPCO said on Jan. 2 that the level of water in a tank for the No. 4 reactor at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant dropped “abnormally” after an earthquake measuring up to 4 on the Japanese scale of 7 struck the Kanto and Tohoku regions on New Year’s Day. Mainichi Fukushima Rice Farmers Asking ‘Until When Will This Continue?’ With the government announcing a possible ban on future rice planting in areas where contaminated rice was detected, farmers in Fukushima Prefecture are on the verge of losing the little hope that has kept them going amidst months of torture. Mainichi Expert Groups to Probe Fukushima Nuclear Plant Disaster Again Four groups of independent experts will conduct another probe into the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the NHK TV channel said. The Times of India Fukushima Hospitals Face Financial Crisis Hospitals in Japan’s Fukushima prefecture have reported financial strain in the wake of Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant disaster. UPI IAEA in the News HMC Teams Up With IAEA to Host Regional Workshop Hamad Medical Corporation together with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has hosted for the first time in Qatar a regional workshop to train medical physicists on the correct patient assessment and dose management in diagnostic and interventional radiology. Gulf Times IAEA Director General Predicted Increase in Nuclear Plants to Remain Strong IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano delivered a speech December 19 in Tokyo and presented a forecast that the number of nuclear power plants would increase by 90 to 350 units in the world between now and 2030. The Denki Shimbun Other Nuclear News Iran Says it Made Nuclear Fuel Rod, Offers to Resume Talks Iran produced its first nuclear fuel rod, state-run news agencies reported, as the country offered to restart international talks over its atomic program. Bloomberg The Washington Post Top U.S. Diplomat in China to Discuss North Korea A top U.S. diplomat will arrive in Beijing on Tuesday at the start of a tour around Northeast Asia, which is still adapting to the change of leadership in North Korea following the death of Kim Jong Il last month. CNN South Korea Says ‘New Era’ Possible for Koreas South Korea’s president is urging rival North Korea to use the transition of leadership after Kim Jong Il’s death to usher in a new era of peace on the tense Korean peninsula, even as he warned the North against any provocations. AP Massachusetts Nuke Plant Goes Online After Shutdown Entergy Corp. says its Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Mass., has resumed generating electricity after a small leak of radioactive steam in a safety relief valve forced officials to shut it down. AP India Asks Pakistan to Join FMCT Talks While emphasising restraint and responsibility in the management of nuclear weapons, India has expressed the hope that Pakistan would begin talks on joining the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty at the next Conference on Disarmament session expected to start in the third week of January. The Hindu Finnish Nuclear Plants Get Clean Bill of Health Finland’s nuclear safety regulator Friday gave the country’s four nuclear reactors a clean bill of health after stress tests commissioned by the European Council. AFP Spain Ageing Nuclear Plant May Stay Open Spain’s incoming centre-right government may allow an ageing nuclear plant to stay open beyond a 2013 deadline for closing set by its Socialist predecessors, a newspaper report said on Monday. Reuters Opinion and Analysis N.Korea’s Missile-Maker Seen in Key Role in New RegimeReuters U.S. Hopes New Iran Sanctions More Scalpel Than AxeReutersFrance 24 Fukushima Meltdowns Set Nuclear Energy Debate on its EarJapan Times © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5830 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IaeaDailyPressReview/~3/_5pyRQmT1cs/ http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/images/nothumb_160x120.jpg Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:48:27 +0000 http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5820

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe Dear Reader, Today’s Daily Press Review will be the last of 2011, please look for the next edition on 3 January 2012. Happy New Year, The IAEA Press Team 22 December 2011 IAEA Daily Press Review Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Local Mayors Discontent With Plan to Reclassify No-Entry Zones Municipal leaders in areas affected by the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s plan to reclassify no-entry and expanded evacuation zones into three categories based on annual radiation exposure. Yomiuri Radioactive Water Floods Tunnel at Fukushima Plant Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Dec. 19 released a photo showing about 230 tons of radioactive water that had accumulated in an underground tunnel at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Asahi Government Muddle, Tepco Missteps Cited by Fukushima Panel Poor communication at the top level of government may have delayed the evacuation of residents threatened by radiation leaks from the Fukushima nuclear plant, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday, citing a panel investigating the crisis. Reuters Muttonbirds in Radiation Study New Zealand muttonbirds are being studied to see if they were affected by radiation from Japan’s damaged nuclear power plant. Timaru Herald IAEA in the News Iran Says UN Nuclear Agency Could Visit in January A team of senior U.N. nuclear officials could visit Iran in January, the Islamic state’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency has told Reuters. Reuters IAEA to Help Japan Decommission Fukushima Reactors The IAEA is ready to help Japan decommission reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, visiting IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said Wednesday. Jiji Press Other Nuclear News U.S. Joins EU in Push for Iran Oil Embargo in Effort to Stop Nuclear Plans The Obama administration and European governments are seeking help from Arab and Asian allies to reduce Iran’s oil revenue in the dispute over its nuclear program, while trying to avoid causing a surge in prices that may threaten the global economic recovery. Bloomberg Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 Reactor Delayed to August ‘14 Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor will not be ready for electricity production until August 2014, utility Teollisuuden Voima said on Wednesday, confirming the latest delay for the controversial reactor site. Reuters Bulgaria’s Sole Nuclear Plant Sets Production Record Bulgaria’s sole Nuclear Power Plant, Kozloduy, set a record Tuesday with its two working units, producing the highest quantity of electricity in their history. Sofia News Agency Hitachi, Lithuania to sign Preliminary Nuclear Deal Japan’s Hitachi is expected to sign a preliminary deal with Lithuania later this week on investing in a new nuclear plant in the Baltic state, officials said on Wednesday. Reuters Opinion and Analysis Nuclear Power Remains Key To America’s Energy FutureInvestor’s Business Daily Why the US is Talking Tough on IranThe Jerusalem Post The Cold War is Long Gone, but the Nuclear Threat is Still HereThe Atlantic © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5820 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IaeaDailyPressReview/~3/X4Jc3DlOd-E/ http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/images/nothumb_160x120.jpg Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:05:31 +0000 http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5816 Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update

Japan to Take Over Two Thirds Stake in Tepco The Japanese government plans to take a stake of more than two-thirds in Tokyo Electric Power Co in a de facto nationalisation of the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, the Yomiuri newspaper said on Wednesday. Reuters

Decommission of Fukushima to Take 30-40 Years Japan said on Wednesday it aims to decommission the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant over 30-40 years, as it unveiled the next phase in its cleanup plan for the complex. Reuters

US Nuke Chief Supports Japan Nuke Plant Stability The U.S. nuclear safety chief said Tuesday that he is comfortable with Japan’s announcement that its tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant has reached stable conditions, brushing off skepticism raised by experts. AP

IAEA in the News

Iran Invites IAEA to Visit Iran has invited the U.N. nuclear watchdog to visit for talks, a senior Western diplomat said on Tuesday, but it was not clear whether the IAEA would accept without a commitment from Tehran to address suspicions it is seeking atomic weapons. Reuters

Adhering to IAEA Recommendations Will Make Lynas Rare Earth Plant Safe Lynas Corporation Ltd’’s rare earth plant in Gebeng, Pahang, will be safe and harmless if the company follows the recommendations of the IAEA on the project, according to two Malaysian professional bodies. Bernama

How Old is Water? Krypton Analysis Helps Scientists Unravel H20’s Life Story How old is the water in your drinking glass? What about the ice cubes floating in it? Any answer is bound to make reference to the water cycle… The lab is currently testing samples from Brazil in partnership with the Isotope Hydrology Section of the IAEA. Science 2.0

Other Nuclear News

Rome Meeting Analyses Iran Oil Embargo Diplomats from a so-called ‘group of like-minded nations’ met in Rome on Tuesday to discuss further sanctions against Iran, diplomatic sources said. Reuters /Bloomberg

U.S. Timeline on Iran Bomb Narrows, But Barely How long would Iran need to develop a nuclear weapon if its leaders decided to build one? U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta thinks it could take just under a year, an ever so slightly more narrow timeline than the one-year minimum his predecessor, Robert Gates, put forward. Reuters

1000 MW Nuclear Power Joins Iran National Grid by March 1000 megawatts nuclear power would join Iranian national grid by March 20, said Iranian Energy Minister Majid Namjou. ISNA

New Nuke Agency to Have 500 Staff, 50 Billion Yen Budget The new nuclear safety agency to be launched in April under the Environment Ministry will consist of about 500 staff members and is expected to secure some 50 billion yen in the fiscal 2012 budget, Environment Minister Goshi Hosono said Tuesday. Kyodo

Nuclear Nations Wrestle With Problem of Permanent Waste Storage With more than 400 nuclear power plants in 32 countries, nuclear waste disposal is no longer an afterthought. A global nuclear waste race is underway. Ottawa Citizen

Opinion and Analysis

Nuclear Arsenal Key to North Korea’s New Regime Guardian News
Pyongyang’s Proliferation TIME

Fukushima to Ask SDF on Tuesday to End Relief Ops After Cold Shutdown The Fukushima prefectural government said Monday it will ask the Self-Defense Forces on Tuesday to end their disaster relief activities in the prefecture and withdraw troops, following the central government’s announcement last week that the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been stabilized. Kyodo

High School in Minami-Soma to Close Due to Nuclear Crisis Shoei High School in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, has told the prefectural government it will be closed for an extended period, making it the first school to formally announce it will close due to the nuclear crisis, sources have said. Yomiuri

IAEA in the News

IAEA Chief Says Too Early to Talk About Impact of Kim’s Death International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said Monday that it is too early to speak about the impact of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on regional security in Asia, while stressing the importance of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s role in pushing for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Kyodo

To Respect Japan’s Judgment on Fukushima Nuclear Plant Conditions: IAEA Chief IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said Monday the IAEA respects the Japanese government’s determination that reactors of Tokyo Electric Power Co. stricken Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant have been brought into stable conditions. Jiji Press

Pakistan Looks to IAEA for Dengue Eradication Faced with the prospect of another outbreak of the deadly dengue epidemic, Pakistan has sought scientific support from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Express Tribune

Other Nuclear News

Kim’s Death Stalls Deal to Freeze Uranium Enrichment A possible exchange of U.S. nutritional aid to North Korea for a halt to Pyongyang’s uranium enrichment program has stalled with the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, U.S. and South Korean officials said Monday. CNN

Iran Admits the Pain of Sanctions Western sanctions have taken such a toll on Iran over the past 18 months that now — as the screw is about to be tightened yet further — Tehran’s studied insouciance is slipping, with officials admitting the economic damage being felt. AFP /NYT

Panetta: Iran Will Not be Allowed Nukes The U.S. Secretary of Defense said Monday night that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. In an interview, Leon Panetta, said despite the efforts to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program, the Iranians have reached a point where they can assemble a bomb in a year or potentially less. CBS News

A FISST-ful of Danger Somewhere inside the Chalk River nuclear complex, a 24,000-litre tank of highly enriched weapons-grade uranium is under constant surveillance for any hint of an accidental atomic chain reaction. Postmedia News

Students Sensitised on Nuclear Plant Safety Students of American College in the city were on Monday sensitised about safety measures at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, though protests have intensified in Kudankulam and surrounding regions after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the commissioning of the plant in a few week’s time. TNN /TNN

Why Iranian Student Had Radioactive Metal in his Bag Ears prick up around the world at any news involving radioactivity and Iran. The most recent story broke on Friday, when Russia’s customs service announced that it had stopped an Iranian man bound for the Iranian capital, Tehran, with 18 pieces of radioactive metal packed in steel pencil cases in his luggage. New Scientist

Opinion and Analysis

Experts Warn Nuclear Talks in Limbo After Kim’s Death DPA
An Iran Intent on Nuclear War is Not What its Opponents Fear The Guardian
Iran is Too Rational to Attack Israel Haaretz
Will Pyongyang Stick With Six-Party Talks? Al Jazeera

Evacuees From No-Entry Zone May Return Home in Spring Evacuees from parts of the no-entry zone within a 20-kilometer radius of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will be allowed to return to their homes permanently as early as next spring. Asahi

Few Believe Assertion That Fukushima Crisis is Over In a rush to fulfill a pledge to the international community to bring the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant under control, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda may have jumped the gun in his announcement on Dec. 16 declaring the crisis is over. Asahi

Nuclear Plant Procedure Ignored? / Workers ‘Didn’t Check’ Reactor Pressure Day Before Explosion A government panel has found that workers at the No. 3 reactor of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant stopped operation of a high-pressure core cooling system without checking if a substitute pumping system would work on March 13, one day before a hydrogen explosion occurred there, sources said. Yomiuri

Nuclear Crisis – 9 Months On / Focus on Radiation Screenings Ended Up Claiming Patients’ Lives This is the second and last installment in a two-part series that looks into problems facing the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, among other issues, and what is needed for a new “nuclear safety agency” to be established in April. Yomiuri

IAEA in the News

IAEA and Azerbaijan to Sign Agreement Azerbaijan and the IAEA will sign an agreement on purchase of sterilization equipment on December 21. APA

IAEA to Send Team to Check Japan’s Nuclear Station Stress Tests The IAEA will send a team to Japan early next year to review the status of the country’s stress tests on idled nuclear reactors. Bloomberg

Other Nuclear News

Russia seizes Iran-bound radioactive material Russia’s customs service said Friday it had seized radioactive sodium-22, an isotope that is used in medical equipment but has no weapons use, from the luggage of a passenger planning to fly from Moscow to Tehran. Reuters /AP /ABC News

Russia, India Agree on Loan for Nuclear Reactors Amid Protests Russia and India agreed on the loan terms for two additional nuclear reactors at the Kudankulam power plant as villagers protest the site on the Asian nation’s southern tip over safety concerns. Bloomberg

Nuke Plants Face Stricter Regulations Nine months after the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, Japan is ready to tighten laws and regulations on atomic power plants so their operators will be obliged to comply with the latest safety requirements, government sources said Sunday. Kyodo

Turkey’s Akkuyu First Nuclear Unit Seen Complete 2019 Construction of the first unit of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant is expected to be completed in mid-2019, and the global financial crisis will not hit costs of the project, the Russian contractor company said on Friday Reuters reported Trend

Turkish Nuclear Plants to Reduce Russia Dependence, Cut Gas Cost Turkey will reduce its dependence on natural gas imports from Russia, its biggest fuel provider, and cut energy costs with the construction of two nuclear plants, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said. Bloomberg

Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Protests: Government Suspects Foreign Hand, Launches Probe Suspecting foreign hand behind protests against Kudankulam nuclear plant, the government has launched a probe into functioning of six NGOs in Tamil Nadu and a notice has been issued to them seeking explanation of utilisation of funds received from abroad. Times of India

Ohio Lawmakers Plan Bill to Keep Uranium Plant Ohio’s two U.S. senators plan on introducing a bill to authorize $150 million in spending to help a uranium enrichment project in southern Ohio stay afloat, after money for the project was missing from a last-minute spending bill passed on Saturday. AP

Politics Takes Glow Out of Uranium Uranium explorer Greg Hall, who heads up Toro Energy, was not popping champagne corks last week, despite the federal Labor Party doing an about face on its longstanding objections to all things nuclear. Herald Sun

Opinion and Analysis

Kim Death Complicates Obama’s North Korea Nuclear Quandary Reuters
Fukushima Crisis is Not Over yet by a Long Shot Asahi
Small May Be Beautiful for Nuclear Power Discovery News

Japan Says Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Cold Shutdown Japan declared its tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant to be in cold shutdown on Friday, in a major step toward resolving the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years. Reuters /AP /Washington Post /NHK World

Hatoyama Says Fukushima Plant Should be Nationalized The crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant should be placed in government hands to ensure a proper account of the disaster is given, says former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Asahi

Nuclear Crisis – Nine Months On / Govt Pressure on Nuclear Agency Cast Doubt on Meltdown Nine months have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake triggered the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Yomiuri

IAEA in the News

UN Nuclear Watchdog Wants to Visit Myanmar The United Nations nuclear watchdog is seeking to gain access to sites in Myanmar, which rejected allegations by an exile group last year it was trying to develop atomic weapons, a diplomat familiar with the issue said. Reuters

Other Nuclear News

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Denies Building New Nuclear Site Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization in a statement on Thursday denied a lawmaker’s statement about construction of new nuclear site in Iran. IRNA /FARS

Spain Nuclear Plant Dismantling Half-Way Through A Spanish nuclear plant is now halfway through a rare project to completely dismantle a commercial reactor, in what may become a common move in Europe after Japan’s Fukushima disaster. Reuters

Hungary Targeting Expansion of Nuclear Energy Use As some European countries phase out their reliance on nuclear energy, Hungary says it hopes to produce even more electricity at its nuclear plant. AP

Confusion Over Ministry’s Unclear Remark on Radiation Local education and school officials have been perplexed by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry’s announcement of its own criteria limiting radioactive substances in the food and drink served in school meals to 40 becquerels per kilogram. Yomiuri

Ambassador: No ‘Magic Answer’ on North Korea The U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Thursday there is nothing his country could have done differently to make North Korea give up its nuclear program. UPI

EDF Seeks Maryland’s Help for Unprofitable New Nuclear Reactor Electricite de France SA’s plan to build a nuclear reactor in Maryland is unprofitable at current power prices, so the company is asking state officials for help, Chief Financial Officer Thomas Piquemal said. Bloomberg

Talking Geiger Counter Developed for Blind Visually impaired people can soon start taking readings of radiation levels in Japan with a Geiger counter that announces its readings with a computer voice. CNet

Opinion and Analysis

Unprincipled Nuclear Power Policy Japan Times
Wishful Thinking About a Nuclear-Armed Iran The Washington Post
Leadership Divisions Hamper Iran’s Moves to a Charm Offensive The Scotsman

Radiation Doses Vary With Evacuation Patterns –Evacuation patterns affected the differing levels of external radiation to which residents of Fukushima Prefecture were exposed in the first four months of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to the prefectural government. Yomiuri

Biggest Radiation Dose Outside Fukushima Zone Residents outside the Fukushima exclusion zone were likely most exposed to radiation in the four months after the nuclear plant was wrecked by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the local government said on Tuesday. Reuters

IAEA in the News

Japan, IAEA Discussing Large Amount of Unaccounted-For Nuclear Materials Japan has started backstage talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the discovery of unaccounted-for or unreported enriched uranium and plutonium in large quantities of nuclear waste disposed of by Japanese facilities, hoping to ward off international criticism with an early report to the IAEA, senior government officials said Wednesday. Kyodo

IAEA Urges UAE to Conclude Nuclear Waste Policy The U.N. nuclear watchdog urged the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to quickly draw up a plan for radioactive waste management as the major oil exporter prepares to build four nuclear reactors. Reuters /Bloomberg /The National

Other Nuclear News

Iran Ready to Start Nuclear Work in Bunker Iran could soon begin sensitive atomic activities in an underground facility deep inside a mountain, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday, a move that would up the ante in a stand-off with big powers demanding Tehran curb such work. Reuters

Leader of Nuclear Agency Hears Litany of Objections In exchanges that ranged from merely testy to caustic, four members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told a House committee on Wednesday that their chairman had withheld information from them, berated the agency’s professional staff, reduced female employees to tears with abusive comments and created a ‘chilled’ atmosphere that was hurting the agency’s ability to function. NYT /AP /Bloomberg

Nuke Summit to Discuss Everyday Radioactivity The upcoming 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit’s agenda will include how to ensure the safety and security of radioactive materials widely used in people’s daily lives, a government official said Tuesday. Korea Herald

Iran Says ‘Not Concerned’ Over Possible Oil Sanctions Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi dismissed again Wednesday the possibility of sanctions on his country’s energy sector despite market fears of crude oil shortages that have kept prices high. AFP

All Back to Normal After Spill at New Brunswick Nuclear Plant New Brunswick Energy Minister Craig Leonard said Wednesday work is back to normal at Point Lepreau nuclear power plant following Tuesday’s evacuation of the reactor building. Postmedia News The Canadian Press

India, Russia Talks on Reactors for Protest-Hit Plant Continue India said it is still negotiating with Russia terms for two more reactors for a nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu state, signaling an agreement is unlikely to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow this week. Bloomberg

Opinion and Analysis

‘We Still Have Time’ to Prevent Iran’s Nuclear Program Washington Post
Can the World Live With a Near-Nuclear Iran? CNN

Interim Storage Facilities Planned for Near Nuclear Plant The Environment Ministry plans to build interim facilities to store soil and ash contaminated with radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, in the prefecture’s Futaba county, sources said Tuesday. Yomiuri

Japan’s Post-Tsunami Revival Plan Reaches Tipping Point Nine months after a historic magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a deadly tsunami that wreaked havoc across Japan’s northeast, the nation, armed with $155 billion in funding, is entering a critical stage of the rebuilding effort. Reuters

Evacuations Too Late Outside No-Go Zone Some residents near the Fukushima No. 1 plant might have been exposed to up to 19 millisieverts of radiation during the first four months of the nuclear crisis, the Fukushima Prefectural Government said Tuesday. Kyodo

IAEA in the News

UN Agency Tackles Potential Nuclear Threat at European Soccer Championships With over one million fans expected to descend on the two countries during the tournament, the Vienna-based IAEA will provide first-hand experience in training authorities in Poland and Ukraine to quickly detect, identify, and deal with a potential atomic threat. UN News Centre /AFP

Other Nuclear News

Nuclear Smugglers Who Aided AQ Khan Face Trial in Switzerland Switzerland has charged three members of the same family for their role in the Abdul Qadeer Khan nuclear smuggling network after a plea deal which will mean that their claims of collaboration with the CIA will not be examined in court. The Guardian /Reuters /DPA

More Pressure on Iran in the Works It appears the international community will usher in the new year with new pressure points in the campaign against Iran’s developing nuclear program. CNN

US Lauds ROC’s IAEA Contributions The United States supports Taiwan’s participation in the IAEA to contribute to nuclear safety and security issues globally, a visiting high-ranking U.S. official said yesterday. The China Post

No Funding for Monju Reactor Test Run The government will not earmark funding for a test run of the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in the fiscal 2012 budget following a Diet panel’s call to cut spending on the project and its nuclear fuel cycle program, Masaharu Nakagawa, the science minister, said Tuesday. Kyodo

Activists Seek Tokyo, Osaka Nuke Plebiscites A citizens’ group began a signature drive over the weekend in Tokyo and Osaka to hold public plebiscites on the future of nuclear power in both cities. Japan Times

More Issues Found at Nebraska Nuke Plant Several new problems have been found at a Nebraska power plant that suffered flood damage earlier this year, federal regulators said Tuesday, so inspectors will be watching the plant north of Omaha even more closely as repairs from flooding are made. AP

Nuke Group Areva Trims Ambitions Post-Fukushima French state-controlled nuclear reactor maker Areva is trying to talk up its future even as it announced plans to cut jobs, rein in investments and sell assets. Euro News

Tauron Eyes Nuclear Plant Construction With PGE Poland’s No.2 utility Tauron may cooperate with its larger local rival PGE in the construction of a nuclear power plant, Tauron’s chief executive said on Tuesday. Reuters

Persistent Drought in Romania Threatens Danube’s Power Drop in the level of the river’s waters means that nuclear reactor may have to close down. The Guardian

Opinion and Analysis

All Nuclear Bets Are Off The Age
Outlawing Diplomacy With Iran Comes With Dangerous Repercussions The Hill

Residents Exposed to High Doses of Radiation A Fukushima prefectural government survey on residents’ external radiation exposure showed those in government-set evacuation zones were likely exposed to annualized radiation doses of up to 14 millisieverts, government sources said Friday. Yomiuri

Nuclear Crisis Panel Must Calmly Find the Truth A neutral and scientific verification of the facts is the vital mission of the new Diet panel charged with investigating the Fukushima nuclear crisis. Yomiuri

Nuclear Utilities Face 50 Billion Yen Disaster Fee Nuclear power utilities might be ordered to chuck about 50 billion Yen into the entity that’s financing Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s compensation payments for the Fukushima disaster, government sources said Monday. Kyodo

Wild Monkeys to Measure Radiation Levels in Fukushima Wild monkeys in nuclear-hit Fukushima are to be fitted with special radiation-reading monitors in order to measure contamination levels in forests. Telegraph /RT

Other Nuclear News

Israel Calls for “Paralyzing” Sanctions on Iran Iran’s ruling clerics could use nuclear weapons to strengthen their grip on power and the world must urgently impose crippling sanctions to prevent them from building such arms, Israel’s defense minister said on Sunday. Reuters

House-Senate Panel Agrees New Sanctions on Iran Leaders of a U.S. House and Senate negotiating panel on Monday said they had agreed to compromise legislation imposing new sanctions that target Iran’s central bank, despite Obama administration misgivings over the measure. They said they hoped to pass it this week. Reuters

West has No Evidence of Iran Atomic Bomb Program, Senior Turkish Diplomat Says Head of Organization of Islamic Cooperation tells Haaretz at Doha conference that Tehran has right to peaceful nuclear program, rejects military intervention. Haaretz

Nuclear Summit Could Pressure North Korea to Halt Uranium Enrichment The Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul next year could put “considerable pressure” on North Korea to halt its uranium enrichment program (UEP) if other nations declare an end to their use of highly enriched uranium, South Korea’s foreign minister said Monday. Yonhap

Putin Heralds Russian Atomic Energy ‘Renaissance’ Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended the launch of a new nuclear power reactor Monday, calling it part of a “renaissance” of atomic energy. AP

Germany’s Planned Nuclear Phaseout Sparks Job Loss Talks Germany’s two biggest energy companies could axe as many as 14,000 jobs in the country as they seek ways to slash costs following the government’s decision to phase out nuclear power by 2022. Energy

France to strengthen nuclear security after break-ins France will beef up security at its nuclear plants after Greenpeace activists broke into two facilities, the head of energy firm EDF said on Friday, denouncing the stunt as “stupid”. AFP

Opinion and Analysis

Japan’s Nuke Meltdown Shouldn’t Close U.S. Plants USA Today
Tighter Sanctions on Iran: An Alternative to War – or a Road to War? Time
Czechs Should Boost Uranium Mining Reuters

Governments Nuclear Cleanup Work has to Wait at Least Until Late March The Environment Ministry said Sunday that full-fledged efforts to decontaminate areas highly polluted by radioactive matter from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster cannot begin until late March or later. Kyodo

Fukushima Government Given Details of Recovery Bill Tatsuo Hirano, state minister for reconstruction, explained the gist of a bill on the special measures law on Fukushima Prefecture’s restoration and revitalization in a meeting with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato at the Fukushima prefectural government office on Saturday morning. Yomiuri

Quake Exceeded TEPCO’s “Once in 10,000 Years” Scenario The movement of the bedrock under the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant during the Great East Japan Earthquake was larger than pre-quake estimates used by the plant’s operator in its disaster planning, according to government simulations. Asahi

Crippled Nuke Plant Stable by Year’s End The prime minister says Japan plans to declare a tsunami-hit nuclear power plant is stable by the end of the year as planned. AP

IAEA in the News

Six New Seismic Stations Could be Built Around Armenia’s Nuclear Power Plant The IAEA will study the proposal to build six new seismic stations around Armenia’s Nuclear Power Plant. News AZ

Other Nuclear News

Department of State: U.S. Thinks About Diplomacy, Rather Than War With Iran The U.S. policy toward Iran is conducted in two directions, spokesman for the U.S. State Department Alan Eyre said in an interview with Trend today. Turkish Weekly

US House to Take Up Iran Sanctions Next Week The US House of Representatives next week will vote on imposing tough new sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to freeze what the West charges is a nuclear weapons program, its leaders said Friday. AFP

Terrain Altered Near Iran Nuclear Site Satellite images show buildings have been razed and bulldozers were at work at an underground structure near a site where Iran processes uranium, a U.S.-based think tank said on Friday, without offering an explanation. Reuters

Villagers Lay Siege to Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Around 1,500 villagers Saturday laid siege to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu to demand immediate cessation of all work at the site, said an activist. India Gazette

Tourist Town Bids to Host 48,000 Tonnes of Nuclear Waste The picturesque community of Saugeen Shores, Ont., has announced it is entering the running to become the permanent home for 48,000 tonnes of Canadian nuclear waste. National Post

Private Spat Within U.S. Nuclear Agency Laid Bare Deep-seated infighting within the five-member U.S. nuclear safety regulator was exposed on Friday after Democrats and Republicans in Congress separately released complaints about misconduct at the highest levels of the agency. Reuters

PGE Steps Away From Projects With Russia, Lithuania Poland’s top utility PGE will not take part in building a planned nuclear power plant in Lithuania and is no longer in talks with Russia’s Rosatom on energy imports from Kaliningrad, the company said on Friday. Reuters

Opinion and Analysis

Why Our Bomb may be Unsafe The Express Tribune
North Korea’s Missiles: Meet the Challenge Pittsburgh Tribune
Could Irradiation Kill Anthrax? ABC News

Fukushima Fuel Worries Were Justified The top U.S. nuclear official in Japan said Thursday that his team warned higher-ups that a spent fuel pool at a malfunctioning nuclear plant could be at risk of running dry, an issue that created a political controversy between U.S. officials and their Japanese counterparts. AP

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Scraps Plan to Dump Water into Sea Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant said Friday it has scrapped a plan to dump water it treated for radiation contamination into the sea following fierce protests from fishing groups. Reuters

Other Nuclear News

EU Summit Draft Calls for More Iran Sanctions, Oil Not Mentioned A European Union summit draft leaked early Friday called for more sanctions on Tehran in response to its continuing nuclear programme, but did not raise the possibility of ceasing to buy Iranian oil. DPA

Obama: U.S. Won’t Allow Iran to Develop Nuclear Weapons U.S. President says Iran could end its growing isolation by acting ‘responsibly’ and foreswearing the development of nuclear weapons, which would still allow them to pursue peaceful nuclear power. Haaretz

Fear, Speculation in Iran Over Military Strike The threat of military strikes on Iran has upturned the quiet and comfortable lives once enjoyed by many Iranians, ushering in a new era of struggle and fear Reuters

Security and Defense: Preparing for Nuclear Terrorism Israel will hold a civil defense drill that for the first time will simulate the response to an attack by a dirty bomb. The Jerusalem Post

Slovakia and US to Cooperate Against Nuclear Trafficking Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Mikula Dzurinda and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a common action plan between the two countries in Brussels aimed at
fighting illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials and related technologies, the SITA newswire reported. SITA

Nuclear Restart Ahead Westinghouse Electric Co. says it expects to restart negotiations with China early next year to further deploy its latest-model nuclear reactor, nine months after talks were mothballed when Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi disaster raised widespread safety concerns in China. WSJ

TEPCO Head Plans to Sell Thermal Power Plants Tokyo Electric Power Co. President Toshio Nishizawa admitted in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun that the company is considering selling thermal power plants as part of its business restructuring measures. He also said TEPCO is considering using more independent power producers (IPPs) in procuring electricity. Nishizawa emphasized that TEPCO will implement thorough corporate restructuring before raising power utility bills Yomiuri

Metsamor Reprieved: Power Plant Likely to not be Decommissioned as Scheduled In the opening speech at the 12th sitting of the Atomic Energy Security Council on Tuesday President Serzh Sargsyan made implications that the Armenian government will likely delay the decommissioning of Metsamor nuclear power plant that was originally expected to start by 2017. Armenia Now

Need to Have More Interaction With Locals at Nuclear Power Plant: Govt The government on Thursday said there was a need to have more interaction with local communities at the site of nuclear power plants to allay their fears about nuclear energy. TNN

Opinion and Analysis

Risk of Israel/U.S. Strike on Iran has Tripled – Barcap Reuters
Did Conficker Help Sabotage Iran Program Reuters
History Knows Only Fools From the West Rush in to Iran Australian

Up to 1 Million People Could get Fukushima Compensation Up to 1 million residents of municipalities within 50 kilometers of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will be eligible for nuclear accident compensation, a government committee decided on Dec. 5. Asahi

Japan Fujimura: Govt Not Talking About Nationalising Tepco Japan’s government is not currently in talks to nationalise Tokyo Electric, the operator of a crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima, the government’s top spokesman said on Thurs day . Reuters

Fukushima Sets ‘No Cesium’ Goal for Farm Products Fukushima prefectural government officials plan to remove radioactive materials from farmlands and forests until no radioactive cesium is detected from agricultural, livestock and forestry products. Asahi

IAEA in the News

Sharjah Ruler Gives Patronage to Conference on the use of X-Ray Techniques in Cultural Heritage Leading academics and prominent industry leaders from around the world convened at American University of Sharjah on Wednesday at a conference held to discuss the use of x-ray techniques in advancing knowledge of art and cultural heritage. WAM

Other Nuclear News

US Republicans Urge Covert Ops Against Iran, Syria Republican US presidential candidates have redoubled their public calls for “covert” operations against Iran and Syria, including sabotage, assassination and aid to opposition forces. AFP

Nervous Gulf Stresses Unity Amid Iran Tensions It was a remark designed to send chills through Washington and its allies: an influential member of the Saudi royal family suggesting the kingdom could someday consider making its own atomic weapons if stuck between nuclear arsenals in Iran and Israel. AP

US Envoy Hopes for More Talks With North Korea The new U.S. envoy on North Korean affairs says he hopes for another round of talks between Washington and Pyongyang. AP

Russia, Czech Republic to Set Up Joint Nuclear Energy Venture Russia and the Czech Republic will sign an agreement on setting up a joint venture to exchange advanced technologies in civilian nuclear power sector during the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Prague on December 7-8. Ria Novosti

U.S. and South Korea Renew Talks on Nuclear Technology United States and South Korean negotiators on Tuesday resumed their low-key but highly sensitive talks on whether South Korea should be allowed to do what Washington has tried to stop North Korea from doing: enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel. NYT

Bill Gates Developing Nuclear Reactor With China Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates says he is in discussions with China to jointly develop a new kind of nuclear reactor. AP

U.S. Atomic Industry Must Heed Lesson of Japan: NRC Chief The official responsible for nuclear safety in the United States said Tuesday he is worried that U.S. nuclear plant operators have become complacent just nine months after the nuclear disaster in Japan AP

Could Small Nukes be the Energy Answer? Scrambling to shrink their carbon footprints, federal agencies in Hampton Roads and beyond are eyeing a proven yet controversial source of energy: nuclear power. Newport News

Opinion and Analysis

Israel’s Iran Strategy: Bombs? Bluff? Both? Reuters
The Gulf Between Washington and Jerusalem Over Iran The Atlantic
Politics, Bureaucracy, and the Proliferation of Nuclear Knowledge Bulletin of the Atomic Sciences

Japan Split on Hope for Vast Radiation Cleanup Futaba is a modern-day ghost town – not a boomtown gone bust, not even entirely a victim of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that leveled other parts of Japan’s northeast coast. NYT

Cesium in Baby Milk Shows Risk for Japan Food Radioactive cesium was found in milk powder in Japan made by a Meiji Holdings Co. unit, raising concern that nuclear radiation is contaminating baby food. Bloomberg

Tepco Plans $1.3 Billion in Additional Cost Cuts Tokyo Electric Power plans an additional $1.3 billion in cost cuts and is considering selling a thermal power plant to help cover compensation and cleanup costs at its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, domestic media said on Wednesday. Reuters

Fukushima Pets to be Rescued From No-Go zone Abandoned pets running wild around the 12-mile exclusion zone surrounding Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant may soon be rescued. The Telegraph

IAEA in the News

UAE, IAEA Sign Cooperation Agreement The UAE has signed a cooperation agreement with the IAEA, it was announced here Tuesday. IANS

Other Nuclear News

Indonesia Ratifies Global Ban on Nuclear Tests Indonesia ratified Tuesday a global treaty banning nuclear test explosions, a move welcomed by the United States. AP

Israel’s Warnings on Iran Get Quiet Nods in Gulf Among the many alliances of convenience in the Middle East, one is so unusual that the partners can barely hint about it publicly: Israel and the Gulf Arab states linked by shared fears over Iran’s nuclear program. AP

Dubai Ruler Believes Iran Won’t Get Nuclear Arms Dubai’s ruler said he does not believe Iran will get nuclear weapons, despite Western suspicions that it is trying to develop them, saying the Islamic republic would face devastation if it ever used an atomic bomb against its arch-enemy Israel. Reuters

Argentina Flirts With Iran as West Watches Nervously Argentina is quietly reaching out to Iran, worrying key Western powers and Israel as they try to tighten Tehran’s international isolation over its nuclear program, U.N. diplomats told Reuters. Reuters

U.S. Launches ‘Virtual’ Embassy for Iran More than three decades after the bricks-and-mortar U.S. Embassy in Tehran was shuttered and diplomatic relations with Iran were severed following the Islamic revolution and hostage crisis, the Obama administration has opened a virtual embassy for Iran to encourage dialogue with the Iranian people. AP

Hezbollah Head Says Building Up Weapons, Backs Syria The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, whose backers Syria and Iran are at the centre of heightened regional tension, made a rare public appearance on Tuesday marking the Shi’ite Muslim festival of Ashura and said his group was building up its arsenal. Reuters

Stress Tests of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant will be Ready in Second Quarter of 2012 The results of the stress tests of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant will be ready in the second quarter of 2012, President Serzh Sargsyan said Tuesday at the opening of the 12th meeting of the Nuclear Energy Safety Advisory Group under the Armenian president. Arka

Study Faults Partial Radiation Treatment for Breast Cancer A faster form of radiation therapy that is becoming increasingly popular for women with early stage breast cancer might not be as effective and safe as conventional radiation treatment, according to a study being presented today. NYT

Opinion and Analysis

After Burma, Could Hillary Clinton Visit North Korea? The Atlantic
Prepare for War: The Insane Plan to Outlaw Diplomacy with Iran The Atlantic
Why Are Burmese Scientists Studying Missile Technology in Moscow? Time
Cold War Returns to Mideast Winnipeg Free Press

Model Decontamination Starts / Project to Test Effectiveness of Various Methods Before Full-Scale Work An experimental decontamination project is now under way in parts of Fukushima Prefecture, including the town of Okumamachi, which is located within the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Yomiuri / Asahi

Govt Must Aim for Smooth Transition to Nuclear Safety System The government has drawn up an outline of the organization and functions of what is tentatively being called the nuclear safety agency, a new body to be set up next year. Yomiuri

Scientists Call for Dumping Radioactive Soil into Sea Scientists have proposed dumping soil contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the deep sea, an idea certain to meet opposition both at home and abroad. The Asahi Shimbun

Other Nuclear News

Saudi May Join Nuclear Arms Race Saudi Arabia may consider acquiring nuclear weapons to match regional rivals Israel and Iran, its former intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal said on Monday. AFP

US Envoys on N. Korea to Head to Asia The US team handling North Korea will head this week for talks in China, Japan and South Korea in the wake of Pyongyang’s boast of progress on uranium production, the State Department said Monday. AFP

US Envoy Urges Allies to Expand Sanctions on Iran A senior US official on Monday urged South Korea and other allies to expand sanctions on imports from Iran for its suspected nuclear weapons programme, calling the Islamic country “a pariah state”. AFP

The Nuclear Alternative Given the routine power outages and the chugging diesel generators that characterize Nigeria’s cities, it is unsurprising that the country is still looking for drastic solutions to a power problem that successive governments have failed to address. WSJ

SC Steers Clear of PIL on Nuclear Liability The Supreme Court on Monday said it was not an expert in the nuclear field to issue a direction to the government on the nuclear liability issue and told the PIL petitioner’s counsel Prashant Bhushan not to equate the independent nuclear regulator and the Lokpal as both were very different from each other. Times of India

Greenpeace France Nuclear Action Prompts Security Alert Environmental activists have broken into a French nuclear power station, to highlight the “vulnerability” of atomic sites in France. BBC

Opinion and Analysis

We Need to Talk About Sellafield, and a Nuclear Solution that Ticks All Our Boxes The Guardian
U.S. Ramps Up Warnings on Iran Strike Risks Reuters
Make No Mistake, the Iranians Will Have Their Nuclear Way Sydney Morning Herald
Sabotage Talk Surrounds Iran’s Weapons Programs Seattle Times

Fukushima Pref. to Ask TEPCO to Shut Nuclear Reactors The Fukushima prefectural government will ask Tokyo Electric Power Co. to decommission all 10 reactors of its nuclear power plants in the prefecture, prefectural officials have said. Yomiuri

State Aid for Road Repairs to Flow to Fukushima The government plans to give prefectures and municipalities help repairing infrastructure in areas near the Fukushima no-go zone that lifted their voluntary evacuation advisories, sources said. Kyodo

IAEA in the News

IAEA Happy with Dhaka’s Progress on Nuclear Power Plant The IAEA has praised Bangladesh’s progress towards implementing the country’s first nuclear power plant to meet the mounting electricity demand. Financial Express

Other Nuclear News

Iran Nuclear Sanctions Push Fails to Win EU Consensus European Union foreign ministers have failed to agree to impose an embargo on Iranian oil, but have applied sanctions on 180 other people and companies. The Guardian

U.S. Senate Approve Sanctions Against Iran Central Bank, Despite Obama Objection The Senate unanimously approved tougher sanctions against Iran on Thursday, voting to penalize foreign financial institutions that do business with Iran’s central bank, the main conduit for its oil revenues. Reuters

Israelis Support Nuclear-Free Mideast A strong majority of Israeli Jews support a Middle East where neither Iran nor Israel nor any other country has nuclear weapons, according to a poll published on Thursday. AFP

Brazil’s Nuclear Plans Stir Up Debate Brazil’s nuclear program, including its ambitious moves to develop a nuclear-powered submarine with French help, is stirring debate that puts focus on the Latin American country’s long-term aims in the field. UPI

Toshiba Ships Nuclear Equipment to U.S. Toshiba Corp. announced Thursday that the company had shipped its first major turbine equipment for a nuclear energy project in the United States, where construction of nuclear reactors is expected to resume for the first time in 34 years. Yomiuri

France’s Election Heats Up Over Nuclear Power For decades the French political elite has agreed that nuclear energy is the best way to power the nation, and today France gets nearly three-quarters of its electricity from its 58 reactors – a far greater share than any other country. Bloomberg

Opinion and Analysis

Iran Faces Tightening Web of Sanctions Reuters
The Nuclear Bombs to Nowhere FP

Nuclear Inspectors Agree on Early Notification System Japan, China and South Korea’s nuclear energy authorities agreed to establish an early notification system to share information on accidents at nuclear power plants. Asahi Shimbun

Retailers Won’t Shy Away from Fukushima Produce Trying to help Fukushima farmers overcome negative publicity from the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, some major retailing chains are proudly and confidently selling produce and rice from that prefecture. Asahi Shimbun

Diet Set to Give Green Light for Nuclear Exports Despite the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis, lawmakers are expected to ratify accords in the current Diet session giving the green light to exports of Japan’s nuclear technology. Asahi Shimbun

Other Nuclear News

North Korea Claims Progress in Uranium Enrichment, Light-Water Reactor, Raising Nuclear Bomb Worry North Korea said Wednesday that it is making rapid progress on work to enrich uranium and build a light-water nuclear power plant, increasing worries that the country is developing another way to make atomic weapons. AP

Clinton Calls on DPRK to Take Steps Toward Denuclearization U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday renewed the call on the DPRK to rid itself of its nuclear program, shortly after Pyongyang announced progress in enriched uranium production. Xinhua

European Union Wants Post-Soviet Members Nuclear Reactors Permanently Offline On 24 November the European Commission proposed to provide further EU assistance worth $662 million to support the final closure after earlier decommissioning of Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant, Lithuania’s Ignalina facility and Slovakia’s Bohunice nuclear station. Oilprice

NRC Denies Mass. Effort to Stop Nuke Relicensing A three-judge panel at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission denied a filing by Massachusetts to stop the relicensing of Entergy’s 685-megawatt Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Massachusetts. Reuters

Pressure Growing for Drug Testing of Nuclear Plant Staff Canada’s nuclear safety watchdog is developing policies that would require employees at power plants to be tested for drugs and alcohol. The Globe

Students Interact on Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy is a clean and pollution-free means to generate electricity and India must actively encourage its use to keep pace with the rising energy demand. Times of India

UK Withdraws Diplomatic Staff from Iran After Attack Britain is withdrawing its diplomats from Iran following the attack on its embassy in the capital, Tehran, on Tuesday, diplomatic sources say BBC

Opinion and Analysis

Storming of UK embassy Complicates Nuclear Issue Reuters
Rio Tinto Faces New Hurdles on Canadian Uranium Reuters
For Iran Regime, Sanctions and Isolation Over Nuclear Program May Be Price Worth Paying Reuters
Three Smart Things About Food Irradiation Wired
Want To Be Carbon-Free? Bring On The Nukes Investors

Rebuilding Schedules for Fishing Ports, Coastal Districts Set in Disaster Recovery Plan Eight fishing ports devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami will be fully rebuilt by the end of fiscal 2015 under a revised government disaster reconstruction schedule set for release on Nov. 29. Mainichi

Only Specialist Firms Should Clean Up Areas with High Radiation, Say Health Experts Only businesses specializing in radiation should be allowed to be engaged in the decontamination of areas where annual external exposure to radiation is over 1 millisievert, experts recommend. Mainichi

Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities to be Subjected to Stress Tests All the nuclear fuel cycle facilities in Japan will be subjected to stress tests for safety verification. Denki Shimbun

IAEA in the News

IAEA Stands Ready to Send Inspectors Back to N. Korea: Deputy Chief The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog is always on standby to send its inspectors back to North Korea, despite the continued defiance of the communist country, the agency’s deputy chief said. Yonhap

Qatar: Al Amal’s Oncology Department Gets Highest IAEA Rating IAEA has declared the Department of Radiation Oncology at Al Amal Hospital as a Centre of Competence under its Quality Assurance in Radiation Oncology Programme. The Peninsula

Other Nuclear News

North Korea Supplying Syria, Iran with Prohibited Nuclear Technology, Report Says North Korea has supplied Syria and Iran with a special kind of steel used to upgrading missiles and building centrifuges for uranium enrichment, the German newspaper Die Welt reported over the weekend. Haaretz

Iran: Explosion in Isfahan Reported Conflicting reports have emerged from Iran over an explosion heard in the central city of Isfahan, close to the country’s sensitive nuclear facilities. Guardian / Haaretz

Va Nuke Plant at Full Power After Quake Shutdown Dominion Virginia Power’s North Anna Power Station was back at full power on Monday. It’s been offline since the Aug. 23 earthquake that shook the East Coast. AP

Bahrain Crown Prince, German FM Discuss Iran’s Nuclear Prog., Syrian Conflict Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa held talks in Berlin Monday with German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle on the Iranian nuclear program, situation in Syria and bilateral ties. Kuwait News Agency

German Envoy Urges Japan to Abandon Nuclear Power German Ambassador to Japan Volker Stanzel said Monday that Japan should eliminate its dependence on nuclear power and invest more on renewable energy as a matter of national policy. Kyodo

Lee Expects Nuclear Summit to Contribute to Preventing Nuclear Terrorism President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday he hopes next year’s Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul will contribute to international efforts to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists. Yonhap / Yonhap

Poland Plans its First Atomic Power Plant on Baltic Poland’s first nuclear power plant, due to come on line by 2020, is set to be located near the Baltic Sea, Polish energy group PGE said on Friday. AFP

World on Track for Nearly 11-Degree Temperature Rise, Energy Expert Says The chief economist for the International Energy Agency said Monday that current global energy consumption levels put the Earth on a trajectory to warm by 6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100, an outcome he called “a catastrophe for all of us.” WP

Opinion and Analysis

Daniel Yergin: Clock Ticking on Iran’s Nuclear Program CNBC
In Iran, a Series of Mysterious Incidents Raises Sabotage Suspicions Globe and Mail
Fundamental Questions Being Avoided About Monju Must be Asked Mainichi
Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons Are Not Safe: Former Foreign Minister Daily News and Analysis
A New Urgency to the Problem of Storing Nuclear Waste NY Times
Southeast Asian Nations Look at Nuclear Power NY Times

Cesium Levels Hit Tens of Billions of Becquerels at River Mouth Researchers have sounded the alarm over river water containing cesium levels at tens of billions of becquerels a day flowing into the sea near Fukushima Prefecture, site of the crippled nuclear power plant. Asahi

Stress Tests to Start for Nuke Storage, Reprocessing Sites The government will subject nuclear fuel reprocessing and storage facilities to its safety checks introduced in connection with the Fukushima crisis, in addition to reactors now undergoing stress tests, trade minister Yukio Edano said Friday. Kyodo

More Cesium in Fukushima Rice The Fukushima prefectural government has announced that radioactive cesium beyond the provisional regulatory limit was detected in unmilled rice harvested at five farms in the Onami district of Fukushima Prefecture. Daily Yomiuri

IAEA in the News

‘Iran Will Remain IAEA Member’ An Iranian lawmaker says Majlis has decided that Tehran should remain a member of the IAEA in order to export nuclear services to other countries. Press TV

Other Nuclear News

Iran Expels Britain’s Ambassador Over Nuclear Sanctions A majority of 179 lawmakers voted in favour of reducing diplomatic relations to the more junior level of charge d’affaires within two weeks and paring economic relations with Britain to a minimum, according to a live broadcast on state radio. Telegraph / Reuters

We’ll Hit NATO Shield in Turkey if Threatened: Iran Iran will target NATO’s missile shield in neighbouring Turkey if it is threatened by military action, the commander of the aerospace division of the Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday. AFP / Daily Mail / Jerusalem Post

New Partner for Future Floating Plants Rosenergoatom and the Kirov Factory have signed a memorandum of cooperation on marine nuclear energy infrastructure projects, including the construction of floating nuclear power plants. WNN

China’s Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in Safe Operation for 20 Years China’s first-ever nuclear power plant, Qinshan nuclear power plant has maintained safe and stable operation for 20 years, according to a symposium held by China National Nuclear Corporation on Saturday. Xinhua

France Still Plans to Build 60th Nuclear Reactor France will go ahead with a controversial project to build a 60th next-generation nuclear reactor, President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday, as he stepped into a heated pre-election debate over France’s dependence on atomic power. Reuters

South Africa’s Eskom Eyes New Power Stations South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom wants to greatly expand its grid beyond its borders, bringing energy security to fast emerging southern Africa by building lines and plants and tapping the region’s vast green energy sources. Reuters

Nuclear Waste Train Reaches German Terminus A rail convoy taking radioactive waste from a French reprocessing centre to storage in northern Germany, completed the rail stage of its journey Monday, after days of fierce protests. AFP

Opinion and Analysis

India: Nuke Body’s ‘Propaganda’ Irks Locals Times of India
Rigging Opinions on Nuclear Power Japan Times
A Nuclear Blast in Space Would Wipe Out Satellites WSJ
Nuclear Power Goes Rogue Daily Beast

New Agency to Handle Residents’ Well-Being, Not Just Reactors A new nuclear safety agency to be established in April will deal with health problems caused by radioactive materials released from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, it has been learned. Daily Yomiuri

Radioactive Strontium in Yokohama Apparently Unrelated to Fukushima The science ministry said Thursday that radioactive strontium detected in sediment in Yokohama appears to be unconnected to the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Kyodo

Stress Tests on Nuclear Power Facilities to be Expanded The government will subject nuclear fuel reprocessing and storage facilities to its safety checks introduced in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, in addition to nuclear reactors now undergoing the so-called stress tests, industry minister Yukio Edano said Friday. Kyodo

Researchers Say Pond Plant May Help Clean Fukushima A plant that grows abundantly in irrigation waterways and ponds may be the seed for solving the problem of radioactive fallout in rice paddies contaminated by the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to researchers. Asahi

IAEA in the News

U.N. Atomic Chief Boosts Efforts to Inspect Iran The United Nations’ nuclear chief, Yukiya Amano, is stepping up efforts to gain access to Iranian scientists, secret documents and military sites, even as Tehran unleashes new attacks against his credibility and mandate. WSJ

Oil Price Could Strangle Economic Recovery Hopes: IEA The IEA’s Fatih Birol said the world economy was in a more fragile state now than during the crisis of 2008-2009, when oil prices were lower.”I believe oil prices are well-positioned today to strangle the economic recovery efforts,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of a seminar with the U.N. nuclear agency in Vienna. Reuters

Top IAEA Official to Visit S. Korea Herman Nackaerts, head of nuclear inspections worldwide at the IAEA, is scheduled to visit South Korea on Sunday to discuss nuclear safety, the foreign ministry here said Friday. Xinhua

Kuwait to Host IAEA Regional Meeting on Nuke Safety Nov. 27 Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research announced Thursday that Kuwait will host the IAEA’s regional meeting which will be held in the period Nov 27-Dec 1. Kuwait News Agency

Other Nuclear News

Iran ‘Arrests 12 CIA Spies’ Accused of Targeting Nuclear Programme An influential Iran parliamentarian has said that the country has arrested 12 agents of the American Central Intelligence Agency, the country’s official IRNA news agency reported. Telegraph / FARS News

Iran to Offer Nuclear Products, Services The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization has announced that the Islamic Republic would be exporting nuclear energy-related services and products in the near future. Press TV

Burma Pursued Nuclear Weapons with North Korea, U.S. Senator Says The Senate Foreign Relations Committee received information roughly five years ago that the Burmese government intended to develop nuclear weapons with the help of North Korea, according to Sen. Richard G. Lugar. WP

Brussels Considers Nuclear Regulation Upgrade The European Commission is happy with the progress of stress tests so far, it said in an interim report to the European Council and Parliament, while it has begun to think about recommendations for a “new European nuclear safety architecture.” WNN

U.A.E.’s Nuclear Power Program Said to Cost $30 Billion The United Arab Emirates’ nuclear- power program, a joint venture between state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. and Korea Electric Power Corp., will cost about $30 billion, according to two people with knowledge of the project. Bloomberg

Nuclear Waste Train Halted at Franco-German Border A French train transporting 150 tonnes of radioactive waste was at a standstill near the German border for a planned halt on Thursday, waiting to resume its journey to a storage site in Germany, the French interior ministry said. Reuters

Opinion and Analysis

Nuclear Power ‘Gets Little Public Support Worldwide’ BBC
Nuke Accident-Linked Cancer May Be Impossible to Detect AP
Don’t Let Nuclear Go Into the Sunset The Engineer

Nuke Crisis Sends Hundreds of Tokyoites Fleeing to Okinawa Following the Fukushima nuclear crisis and fearing the spread of radiation, a number of Kanto residents fled to this southernmost prefecture and continue to live here despite the lack of personal connections. Asahi

Radioactive Water Reaches International Date Line Radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has reached the international date line, about 4,000 kilometers east of Japan in the Pacific Ocean, according to estimates. Asahi

New Third-Party Council Should Check Nuclear Regulation: Panel Draft A government panel discussing ways to enhance Japan’s nuclear safety regulation system said in a draft proposal unveiled Tuesday that the overall handling of nuclear affairs should be checked constantly by a new third-party council consisting of people with the latest scientific knowledge. Kyodo

IAEA in the News

A Rare Isotope Helps Track an Ancient Water Source The Nubian Aquifer, the font of fabled oases in Egypt and Libya, stretches languidly across 770,000 square miles of northern Africa…Pradeep Aggarwal, who runs the isotope hydrology section of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s water resources program, said that success in tracking older bodies of water had long been elusive. Carbon 14 dating, so useful in archaeology, reaches back just 50,000 years or so. NY Times

IAEA: Iranian No-Show at UN Mideast Nuclear Forum ‘Unhelpful’ Iran’s boycott of a rare UN atomic agency forum on creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons is “not helpful to their cause,” the chairman of the event said Tuesday. AFP

US, Russia, UK Back Israel at IAEA Mideast Meeting In a boost to Israel, Russia joined the US and Britain on Tuesday in backing the Jewish state’s view that the Middle East cannot be turned into a nuclear arms-free zone without progress on regional peace. AP

Other Nuclear News

US Targets Iran’s Central Bank as World Takes Aim at Iran’s Nuclear Program The United States on Monday took steps targeting Iran’s central bank and its energy sector, acting just days after the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog expressed “deep concern” about the military applications it has detected in Iran’s nuclear program. CSM / Reuters

Seoul Seeks to Become World’s Top 3 Nuclear Reactor Exporter South Korea on Wednesday unveiled a plan to become the world’s third largest exporter of nuclear reactors in 2030, seeking to create nearly 1 million jobs and earn 16 trillion won. Yonhap

Noda Weighs Public’s Nuclear Fears, Firms’ Export Ambitions Long dependent on domestic appetite, Japan’s nuclear technology companies are increasingly looking to overseas markets, hopeful that foreign governments still trust in the reliability and safety of their technologies after the Fukushima nuclear accident. WP

Mars Rover Gets ‘Engine’ Upgrade: Curiosity Fueled by Nuclear Power NASA’s most ambitious Mars exploration mission yet is set for launch on Saturday, and the rover has one hot energy source. CSM

Opinion and Analysis

Why Iran Sanctions are Pushing Up Oil Prices CSM
Nuclear Iran Risks Becoming a Pariah Nation Daily Star

Fukushima Still Looking for Effective Approaches to Decontamination National authorities are preparing for the start of full-scale decontamination operations in Fukushima Prefecture, the site of the stricken Fukushima I nuclear power station. Denki Shimbun

Radioactive Cesium Blankets 8% of Japan’s Land Area Some 8 percent of Japan’s land area, or more than 30,000 square kilometers, has been contaminated with radioactive cesium from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Asahi

Post-Fukushima ‘Anti-Radiation’ Pills Condemned by Scientists The Green party’s former science and technology spokesman is promoting anti-radiation pills to people in Japan affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, that leading scientists have condemned as “useless”. Guardian

IAEA in the News

Israel in Hot Seat at Middle East Nuclear Ban Conference Arab countries urged Israel to give up its nuclear arms as a precondition for a nuclear weapons ban in the Middle East, participants at an IAEA conference said Monday. DPA / AP

“Iran Absence in IAEA Nuke Free Confab, Objection to Report” Iran said its absence in the IAEA recent conference on Middle East free from Nuclear Weapons was its first reaction to the agency’s recent report and nuclear weapons of Zionist regime. ISNA

Other Nuclear News

Nations Coordinate Moves to Squeeze Iran The U.S., U.K. and Canada each took new steps to further isolate Iran’s financial sector, and France called for more such measures by the international community in the wake of a recent report that Tehran is working to develop nuclear weapons. WSJ / Reuters / Guardian / AP

Russia Says New US Sanctions on Iran Unacceptable Russia’s Foreign Ministry denounced new U.S. sanctions against Iran on Tuesday as “unacceptable and contradictory to international law,” Interfax news agency reported. Reuters

Alleged Iran Nuke Site Being Watched Satellite surveillance has shown an increase in activity at an Iranian site suspected of links to alleged secret work on nuclear weapons, officials tell The Associated Press. AP

US Restates N.Korea Nuclear Demands The United States will consider holding further talks with North Korea but Pyongyang must halt its uranium enrichment programme before full disarmament negotiations resume, a senior US official said Tuesday. AFP

S. Korea Delivers New Assurance on Safety of Nuclear Plants Despite this year’s nuclear reactor meltdowns in Japan, its neighbor South Korea is moving ahead with an expansion of its civilian nuclear industry. Not only is South Korea building more atomic power plants on its own, it is also increasing exports of its indigenous technology. VoA

Kazakhstan Is Now The World’s Largest Uranium Miner Kazakhstan’s international energy image is now that of one of the world’s rising oil exporters, an extraordinary feat given that, two decades ago its hydrocarbon output was beyond insignificant when the USSR collapsed. Business Insider

Russia to Lend Vietnam $9 Billion for First Nuclear Plant Russia agreed to lend Vietnam as much as $9 billion to fund the construction of the Southeast Asian nation’s first nuclear power plant as the countries deepen their economic ties. Bloomberg

Opinion and Analysis

UK ‘Complacent’ on Nuclear Future BBC
Japan: Fundamental Gov’t Review of Monju Reactor and Nuclear Policy Needed Mainichi
Sanctions Useless Against Iran? RT

N-Plant Cold Shutdown Possible This Year The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. have released a revised timetable for containing the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, saying cold shutdown of the reactors can be achieved by the end of the year. Daily Yomiuri

N-Fuel Conditions Unclear The latest timetable for bringing a nuclear fuel meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant under control shows the situation is no longer in the critical condition it was immediately following the accident, but many issues remain unsolved. Daily Yomiuri

Storing Radioactive Waste Eight months since disaster struck Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the cleanup of areas contaminated by radioactive substances and the safe storage of contaminated soil and waste are pressing issues. Japan Times / Asahi

IAEA in the News

IAEA Head Urges ‘Fresh Thinking’ at Mideast Talks The U.N. nuclear agency chief is urging Israel and Arab nations to come to the table with open minds at a meeting on ways to establish a nuclear-free zone in the Mideast. AP

Iranian No-Show at UN Mideast Atomic Forum Iran angrily stayed away Monday from a UN atomic agency forum on creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, amid growing tensions over Tehran’s suspected efforts to develop the bomb. AFP / DPA / Tehran Times

IAEA Move Only Strengthens Iran Determination: Envoy A U.N. atomic agency board resolution voicing growing concern about Iran’s nuclear work will only strengthen Tehran’s determination to press on with its disputed activities, a senior Iranian official said on Friday. Reuters / DPA / FARS News

Iran Parliament to Review Ties with U.N. Nuclear Body Iran’s parliament will review relations with the U.N. nuclear watchdog over its latest report that said the Islamic state’s nuclear activities appeared to have military dimensions, speaker Ali Larijani was quoted as saying on Sunday. Reuters / FARS News

Other Nuclear News

Officials Say Possible Cleanup Taking Place at Alleged Iranian Nuclear Site Officials say satellite surveillance has shown a recent increase in activity at an Iranian site suspected of secret work on nuclear weapons. AP

Iran Army Tests Defenses as Nuclear Tensions Rise The Iranian army is conducting a four-day training exercise to test its defenses, state TV reported on Saturday, amid rising international tensions over Iran’s nuclear program. Reuters

Iran Pressed to Resolve Discrepancy on Uranium The Obama administration pressed Iran to account for a discrepancy of nearly 20 kilograms in its reporting to the United Nations’ nuclear agency on how much natural uranium metal it has in its stockpile. WSJ

US Plans New Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Energy Sector The United States plans to impose sanctions targeting Iran’s petrochemical sector over the Islamic republic’s disputed nuclear programme, CNN quoted unnamed diplomatic sources as saying on Saturday. DPA

China Advocates Dialogue in Solving Iranian Nuclear Issue Dialogue and cooperation are the right way to solve the Iranian nuclear issue, said China’s permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna Cheng Jingye on Friday. Xinhua

Yingluck Backs Anti-Nuclear, Trade Calls Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the government would move towards endorsing the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which aims to stop the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems. Bangkok Post

Nuclear Giant Areva to ‘Cut 1,300 Jobs’ in Germany France’s nuclear giant Areva will cut 1,300 jobs in Germany and close down two of its sites after Berlin’s decision to abandon nuclear energy, news weekly Der Spiegel reported on Sunday. AFP

Opinion and Analysis

Iran and the I.A.E.A. New Yorker
Despite a Tougher IAEA Report, It’s Business as Usual on Iran’s Nuclear Program Time
Is Selling Uranium to India Right Or Wrong? Sunday Telegraph
Future Cancers from Fukushima Plant May Be Hidden AP

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe 18 November 2011 IAEA Daily Press Review Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Japan Bans Rice Grown Near Crippled Nuclear Plant After Detecting Excessive Radiation Japan has banned shipments of rice grown near a tsunami-hit nuclear power plant for the first time after detecting radiation exceeding the legal limit. AP / BBC Fukushima Plant Awaits Gov’t Judgment Over State of Cold Shutdown The government will declare that the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has achieved a cold shutdown once it confirms that the complex can maintain stability over the next several years even if it is hit by an earthquake or suffers malfunctions, nuclear disaster minister Goshi Hosono said Thursday. Kyodo Officials Dump Sender’s Radioactive Soil in Saitama Lot An anonymous sender earlier this month mailed a package to the Environment Ministry apparently containing dirt contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant that was later dumped in an empty lot near a ministry official’s home in Saitama Prefecture, Environment Minister Goshi Hosono revealed Thursday. Japan Times IAEA in the News Iran ‘Has a Case to Answer,’ Nuclear Watchdog Says Iran “has a case to answer” about its nuclear program following a critical report from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the agency’s director said Thursday. CNN / DPA / FT / Reuters / NY Times ‘Deep, Increasing Concern’ on Iran: IAEA Resolution World powers on Thursday put forward a resolution at the UN atomic watchdog expressing “deep and increasing concern” about Iran’s nuclear programme following a hard-hitting IAEA report last week. AFP / DPA / AFP / WP Iran to Respond to IAEA Report Soon Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced that Tehran will soon send a response to the IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear activities. FARS News Hungary Isotope Lab Likely Radioactive Source – IAEA Hungary has said the source of low levels of radioactive iodine detected in Europe over the past few weeks was probably an isotope maker in Budapest, the U.N. nuclear agency said on Thursday. Reuters / DPA Other Nuclear News Obama: US Will Act Vs NKorea Nuke Proliferation President Barack Obama said Thursday that the United States will act firmly against any nuclear proliferation activities by North Korea. AP China Calls for Strengthened Dialogue for Early Resumption of Six-Party Talks Relevant parties should strengthen dialogue to create favorable conditions for the early resumption of the stalled six-party talks, a senior Chinese diplomat said here on Thursday. Xinhua India PM Meets Obama Over Nuclear Law Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed his country’s contentious nuclear-liability laws with U.S. President Barack Obama during a meeting Friday on the sidelines of an Asian summit in Bali. WSJ / ANI Sarkozy Defends Nuclear Industry Against Opposition Plans French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged Thursday to defend and bolster France’s nuclear sector, and warned that an opposition-backed proposal to wind down nuclear power production would shut factories and damage the economy. WSJ Watchdog: France Needs to Improve Safety at Its Nuclear Plants France needs to improve safety norms at its nuclear facilities to protect against natural disasters, the country’s nuclear safety authority IRSN said in a report Thursday. DPA Opinion and Analysis Turkey May Be Key to Expanding Western Sanctions Against Iran VoA If you Lived in Iran, Wouldn’t You Want the Nuclear Bomb?Guardian Iran Nuclear Program: 5 Key SitesCSM Thorium: World’s Greatest Energy Breakthrough?CNN This Power Play Fails to Charm WA © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5687 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IaeaDailyPressReview/~3/WXzwLLDyc4s/ http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/images/nothumb_160x120.jpg Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:50:18 +0000 http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5648

Follow IAEA on… The objective of the DPR is to present a general overview of international, English-language, media coverage of the IAEA and nuclear issues, that does not purport to be exhaustive. The following articles are obtained from external news sources for whose content the IAEA takes no responsibility. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe 17 November 2011 IAEA Daily Press Review Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Half of Radioactive Materials from Fukushima Fallen into Sea More than half of the radioactive materials that were emitted into the atmosphere in the days after the Fukushima nuclear disaster have since fallen into the ocean, according to a recent simulation by a team of researchers. Kyodo / AFP Excessive Levels of Radioactive Cesium Found in Fukushima Rice Excessive levels of radioactive cesium have been found in rice harvested in the city of Fukushima, the Fukushima prefectural government said Wednesday, marking the first time such levels of the isotope have been detected in the national staple since the nuclear crisis erupted in March. Kyodo Gov’t Mulls Sending GSDF Troops for Advance Fukushima Cleanup The government on Wednesday started working out details for sending Ground Self-Defense Force troops next month to decontaminate some municipal buildings near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that will serve as command centers for a full decontamination operation starting in January, government sources said. Kyodo IAEA in the News Iran to Dominate UN Nuclear Agency Meet Iran’s nuclear programme was set to dominate a meeting of the UN atomic agency’s board from Thursday after a damning report from the Vienna-based body revealed deep differences between world powers. AFP Powers Close to Deal on IAEA Iran Resolution World powers look set to overcome their differences and agree on a U.N. atomic agency resolution aimed at putting diplomatic pressure on Iran to address mounting fears about its nuclear program, Western diplomats said on Wednesday. Reuters / AFP / WSJ / AP Israel, Arabs to Attend Scheduled Talks on Nuke Free Zone Despite Mideast Tensions Diplomats say a U.N.-supervised Arab-Israel meeting meant to spur discussions on a Mideast nuclear free zone will take place despite tensions in the region. AP / Reuters Low-level Radiation in Europe Still a Mystery: IAEA The source of low levels of radioactive iodine-131 detected in several European countries over the past few weeks is still unclear, the U.N. nuclear agency said on Wednesday. Reuters / International Business Times IAEA: Secure Permanent Waste Sites A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency submitted a final report to the Japanese government Tuesday, urging Tokyo to secure sites for the radioactive waste from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear crisis. Kyodo Other Nuclear News Obama Warns North Korea on Proliferation United States President Barack Obama has said that the US would take firm action to prevent North Korea proliferating nuclear material to other states or terror groups. AFP Indonesia Pushes for Nuclear-Weapon Free Southeast Asia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono used his opening speech at the Asean Summit in Bali on Friday to urge nuclear-weapon states the United States, France, China, Russian and the United Kingdom to immediately ratify the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone treaty. AP New Rules Give Some Relief to Nuclear Suppliers The government has finalised rules for the implementation of the country’s new nuclear liability that aim to meet the concern of American nuclear suppliers wary of being exposed to unlimited liability in the event of a Fukushima-type accident involving any of their reactors. Hindu Turkey: No Plans for Nuclear Cooperation with Iran Turkey has no plans for cooperation with Iran to build nuclear power plants, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Wednesday, a day after a senior Iranian official had floated the possibility. Reuters Brazil’s Nuclear Ambitions Attracting Contractors’ Interest With its vast hydro power, ethanol and oil resources, Brazil might not seem a likely next frontier for the world’s nuclear industry. But the country’s rapidly growing economy, changing demographics – with a growing middle class consuming more electricity – and the need for a diverse energy mix have led Brazil to announce an aggressive expansion of its nascent nuclear program. Source Japan Endorses Reactor Exports Even as it Debates Nuclear Policy at Home Long dependent on domestic appetite, Japan’s nuclear technology companies are increasingly looking to overseas markets, hopeful that foreign governments trust their reliability and safety claims in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi accident. WP Japan’s Kansai Elec Submits 2nd Nuclear Reactor Test Results Kansai Electric Power Co said on Thursday it had submitted the results of first-stage stress tests on a second nuclear reactor, part of an initial step in rebuilding public faith in atomic energy. Reuters Opinion and Analysis China Weakens Iran, North Korea Pressure: US ExpertsAFP A Long, Long Road to Recycling Nuclear FuelNY Times Danger of Trafficked Nuclear, Radiological Materials LingersGSN Nuclear Madness: Iran, Kuwait Or The IAEA?Eurasia Review © 2011 International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Telephone: (+431) 2600-21273, E-mail: press@iaea.org

]]> http://www.iaea.org/blog/feeds/?p=5648