Iran
IRAN’S supreme leader is considering a change of policy on the country’s nuclear programme in an effort to defuse growing tension with the West, according to senior sources in Tehran. Alarmed by mounting US pressure and United Nations sanctions, officials close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei favour the appointment of a more moderate team for international negotiations on the supervision of its nuclear facilities.
Sunday Times 21st Jan 2007
A renewed diplomatic offensive is needed on Iran, the Conservatives said last night, amid evidence of plans by Teheran to fuel the insurgency in Afghanistan. Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, said a “carrot and stick” approach was needed to warn Iran of the consequences of such action, but also to reward it if it pulled back. Dr Fox called for urgent talks.
Sunday Telegraph 21st Jan 2007
Submarines
A RUSTING Russian nuclear submarine that sank in the Barents Sea with the loss of nine crewmen may be raised from the ocean bed next summer with the help of British experts.
Sunday Times 21st Jan 2007
Trident
AN SNP-LED Scottish Executive would openly challenge the government’s decision to renew Trident by imposing a £1 million toll on every warhead transported in nuclear convoys. SNP leader Alex Salmond says the levy will be the centrepiece of his attempt to prevent a new generation of nuclear weapons being based on the Clyde. He believes the “Trident toll” will raise £85m and comes as the SNP leads Labour in the latest opinion polls for Holyrood’s May election.
Sunday Herald 21st Jan 2007
Dounreay
THE £3 billion clean-up of the defunct nuclear complex at Dounreay in Caithness is facing prolonged delays and the loss of up to 500 jobs because of a government financial crisis. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the agency that funds the dismantling of all the UK’s nuclear plants, has a shortfall of £450 million. As a result, Dounreay could see its budget cut by £40 million in 2007-08, drastically reducing the sum available for spending on decommissioning. That would mean the postponement of a series of projects vital for making Dounreay safe, including the emptying of the shoreline radioactive waste shaft which exploded in 1977. Officials fear the date for finishing the site clean-up – 2033 – may be pushed back “several years”.
Sunday Herald 21st Jan 2007
RobEdwards.com 21st January 2007
Nuclear Waste
Opinion piece on nuclear waste disposal in Canada: “The question is not just finding communities willing to accept nuclear waste disposal sites in their midst, but also whether Canadians are willing to accept the transport of nuclear waste through their communities to the final destination”.
Globe and Mail 19th Jan 2007
