Russia
The Russian Parliament has approved a new Bill to consolidate all of Russia’s nuclear fuel production and export companies into a single state-owned holding company, called Atomprom.
Times 22nd Jan 2007
China
There is one obvious point to make about China shooting down a satellite. It might have been a shock. It should not have been a surprise. A few weeks ago, the US and India signed a deal on nuclear technology. Commentators interpreted this as American acknowledgement that China was not the only regional superpower in East Asia. A weapons test of this nature will have been planned long in advance. To put it mildly, however, the India-US agreement would not have encouraged the Chinese to hesitate for fear of upsetting their neighbours. They were happy to remind the world who they were.
Independent 22nd Jan 2007
Iran
The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, defied his domestic critics yesterday by vowing not to retreat from his nuclear and economic policies despite growing pressure.
Guardian 22nd Jan 2007
Czech Republic
New coalition government includes the Greens who oppose nuclear power.
FT 22nd Jan 2007
Emergency Planning
Letter from Prof Edward: Protection from radiation is a major problem, and in any case it would be better if exposure was restricted to volunteers among retired police, who are less likely to breed or to survive long enough to develop cancer. They should be equipped with basic devices to record dosage. The use of young recruits was a major and inexcusable error after Chernobyl.
Telegraph 22nd Jan 2007
