Trident
New Labour may have a reputation for telling its MPs what to say – but now it seems the tendency has gone nuclear. Party chiefs have drawn up a draft letter for MPs to send out to constituents in support of replacing the UK’s ageing Trident nuclear weapon system. The letter purports to be “a message from your MP” and is written in the first person – but Parliamentarians only need to fill in their name, the constituent and their area in the space provided.
Newcastle Journal 10th Feb 2007
Iran
Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has left Tehran to attend a conference in Munich where he plans to meet European officials, state television reported on Saturday. U.N. officials have said they hoped the planned meeting would allow some breathing space in the standoff between Iran and the West over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Reuters 10th Feb 2007
A senior U.S. official said on Friday that Iran is “digging a hole deeper and deeper for itself” in the international dispute over its atomic energy program.
Reuters 9th Feb 2007
North Korea
Negotiators at the North Korea nuclear talks haggled Friday over details of initial steps to disarm the communist country, but the main U.S. envoy said he was encouraged by agreements on broad principles.
Guardian website 10th Feb 2007
Six-way talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear programme resumed on Saturday with a dim promise of progress, but envoys remained cautious after many false dawns and at least one stumbling block across their path.
Reuters 10th Feb 2007
Envoys to international talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme struggled to find a compromise as differences emerged over a Chinese proposal on how to begin disarmament.
Times 10th Feb 2007
Uranium
Cleanup of radioactive sludge near the Colorado River — a major source of drinking water across the West — may be pushed back by 16 years, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said. In 2005, when the government said it would haul the uranium tailings to a lined pit, the job was supposed to be done by 2012. At a House committee hearing Thursday, Bodman said the schedule now calls for the later timetable.
Interactive Investor 9th Feb 2007
Nuclear Industry
Suzlon Energy of India yesterday sought to scupper a French bid for German turbine maker Repower with a €1.02bn ($1.32bn) counter-offer. If successful, Suzlon’s bid would be India’s second-largest private-sector foreign takeover after Tata’s acquisition of Anglo-Dutch Corus last week. However, it was far from clear that Suzlon’s €126 a share offer, trumping a €105 bid from Areva, the French nuclear group, would be left unchallenged. Although Areva was criticised for offering a high price when it launched its cash bid last month, the group said yesterday it was considering its options.
FT 10th Feb 2007
British Energy
British Energy, the nuclear power generator, remained in the doldrums yesterday as the FTSE 100 reached six-year high. While shares have fallen 23 per cent this year amid fears that boiler repairs at its Hinkley Point and Hunterston facilities are taking longer than expected, yesterday’s bearish story was of a different nature. Instead, there were rumours that the UK government could dispose of a chunk of its shareholding after British Energy releases figures on Tuesday. The government has a right to almost 65 per cent of British Energy’s net cash flow, which can be converted into an equivalent equity stake at any time.
FT 10th Feb 2007
