Europe
The European Commission is poised to publish an energy review that will controversially back a new generation of nuclear power, while criticizing France and Germany for not ensuring that their markets reach EU standards for competition.
Energy Business Review 9th Jan 2007
Mr Barroso’s Commission will have to sell its ideas to EU leaders The European Commission is due to demand a new “Industrial Revolution” when it unveils a wide-ranging set of proposals on energy and climate issues.
BBC 10th Jan 2007
If the world’s self-styled “energy superpower” fails to understand its obligations, Europe should seek other power sources as a matter of urgency. Indeed, it should seize this chance to diversify out of environmentally damaging hydrocarbon imports altogether. Russian authoritarianism and global warming provide a strong incentive for a change in direction.
Independent 10th Jan 2007
Today sees the publication of the European Commission’s review of energy – a subject which has climbed remorselessly up the political agenda in recent years to the point where it has now assumed the same kind of importance to world well-being and security as international terrorism or global warming.
Independent 10th Jan 2007
Germany
GERMANY’S conservative-led coalition government is poised for a U-turn on a national commitment to phase out nuclear power within the next two decades. The reconsideration has come in the light of energy scares, most recently the ongoing disruption of oil supplies to Europe’s largest economy caused by the dispute between Russia and Belarus.
Scotsman 10th Jan 2007
Independent 10th Jan 2007
FT 10th Jan 2007
Trident
THE Prime Minister, senior civil servants and military commanders would all be imprisoned for threatening to use nuclear weapons under controversial new laws proposed at the Scottish Parliament yesterday. Michael Matheson, the SNP MSP, launched a bill that would make it illegal for anyone to prepare or command a nuclear attack under Scottish law. This would make it impossible for the Westminster government to maintain Trident, the arsenal of nuclear warheads currently based on the Clyde.
Scotsman 10th Jan 2007
Edinburgh Evening News 9th Jan 2007
BBC 9th Jan 2007
Caroline Lucas MEP: On Monday morning, I was arrested and carted off to the Glasgow cells for having behaved in a way that Clydebank police deemed likely “to cause a breach of the peace”. It was the day selected by organisers of Faslane 365 for MPs, MEPs and other elected representatives to join a peaceful blockade of the Trident nuclear submarine base at Faslane in Scotland – part of a year-long, continuous, peaceful demonstration at the base, with a different group taking on the task each day until October.
Guardian 10th Jan 2007
RONNIE Campbell, MP, has declared his opposition to government plans to renew the UK’s nuclear weapons. The Blyth Valley politician, speaking during a House of Commons debate, said he did not “believe in weapons of mass destruction” and or think they would ever be used.
Blyth and Wansbeck Post Leader 9th Jan 2007
Proliferation
Britain and Japan agreed on Tuesday to work together more closely to counter nuclear proliferation threats from North Korea and Iran.
Reuters 9th Jan 2007
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammed ElBaradei renewed a call on Tuesday for a nuclear weapons-free world, saying atom bombs and missiles held by nine nations could “end life as we know it”.
Peterborough Evening Telegraph 9th Jan 2007
The Baltic
The heads of the electricity companies in the three Baltic states held talks with their Polish counterpart on a project to build a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania, Poland’s PSE said. The heads of the four companies held talks on Tuesday.
Interactive Investor 9th Jan 2007
Sizewell
DETAILS of how radioactive water came to leak out of a special pond at the decommissioned Sizewell A power station will be made public, a spokesman said today. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has launched an inquiry into Sunday’s accident, which happened a week after the power station stopped generating electricity for the National Grid. An estimated 40,000 gallons of radioactive water, used to cool nuclear fuel before it is sent to Sellafield for reprocessing, escaped from a broken pipe.
Suffolk Evening Star 9th Jan 2007
Iran
Liam Fox, the shadow Defence Secretary, has backed hawks in the White House by calling for “nothing to be ruled out” to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Independent 10th Jan 2006
Waste Dumping
THE civic head of Caithness is calling on local people to make up their minds on whether they would support a national nuclear waste dump in their area. Councillor David Flear wants to trigger a debate which he hopes will lead to a rerun of a ballot carried out 15 years ago into proposals at that time to build a repository at Dounreay. Stressing that he is not canvassing support for such a development, Mr Flear says he believes the issue needs to be resolved once and for all.
John O’Groat Journal 22nd December 2006
Dounreay
Mystery surrounds a large piece of radioactive material discovered on a far north beach. Scientists at Dounreay nuclear power plant have been carrying out tests on the item, which was found on the beach at Sandside Estate, Reay, Caithness, last Friday. It is black, measures almost six inches by two inches and is believed to be plastic.
Aberdeen Press and Journal 21st December 2006
Scottish Politics
Rhona Brankin has been appointed as Commuinities Minister to replace Malcolm Chisholm who resigned after voting for an SNP motion against Trident. Sarah Boyack, who has been promoting a Bill on Microgeneration, has been appointed as Deputy Environment Minister to replace Rhona.
Herald 10th Jan 2007
Herald 10th Jan 2007
