Terror
THERE are now so many terror suspects in Britain that the police and security services are unable to monitor them all, counter-terrorist officials have warned.
The Scotsman has learned that anti-terrorism police and MI5 have identified as many as 900 people in Britain whom they suspect could be linked to potential terrorist plots. The figure has more than trebled in the past five years, and represents a dramatic increase on a previously reported estimate which put the number of suspected extremists at 400.
Scotsman (Front Page) 11th May 2006
Politics
The new Environment Secretary David Miliband has said he is “open-minded” on the issue of nuclear power. He said no option should be taken off the table when looking at ways to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
BBC 12th May 2006
David Miliband has said he is not opposed to a new generation of civil nuclear power stations.
ePpolitix 12th May 2006
Reuters 12th May 2006
BNG & New Nukes
With the UK government poised to give the green light to plans to build a new fleet of nuclear power plants, US company Washington Group International has confirmed its desire to win a mandate for such new projects and to purchase the UK government-owned British Nuclear Group.
Energy Business Review 11th May 2006
Despite some news reports to the contrary, the Washington Group has made no decision on whether to bid to purchase British Nuclear Group. A final decision will be dependent on many factors including the procurement process, associated liabilities and risks, and terms and conditions, which have yet to be announced by the seller. The company has decided to pursue the contract to operate the Drigg low-level waste facility where it would leverage its site knowledge and experience working at Drigg the past five years as well as its expertise in operating the only deep geological waste repository in the United States. As to reported comments about importing U.S. nuclear material into the United Kingdom for reprocessing, Washington Group is not advocating any such action. Washington Group International, with headquarters in Boise, Idaho, provides the talent, innovation, and proven performance to deliver integrated engineering, construction, and management solutions for businesses and governments worldwide. Its long history of successful DOE operations includes management and operation contracts at the Savannah River Site, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and West Valley Demonstration Project. It also is the lead contractor at Hanford River Corridor Closure Project; is part of the management teams at the Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Idaho Cleanup Project, and Miamisburg Closure Project; and provides technical support and consulting at Lawrence Livermore, Sandia National Laboratories, DOE’s Hanford Site, the Pantex Plant, and the Oak Ridge complex.
PR Newswire 11th May 2006
Sellafield
NEW warning systems are being introduced to protect the public and workforce if there is a serious radiation incident at Sellafield. A lower-level siren will sound if nuclear workers have to take shelter on the site, and a telephone hotline will be launched later this year which the public can call to find out what is happening. The county’s emergency planning officer, David Humphreys, also thinks that another warning system should be investigated: firing maroons (a form of explosive device) or distress rockets across the site to warn of an incident which has caused radioactivity to spread into the local community.
Carlisle News and Star 12th May 2006
Women at a nuclear plant claim that they are being discriminated against – over their underwear. Scores of female staff at the Sellafield site in Cumbria go in and out of potentially radioactive areas. But while those employed by British Nuclear Group are entitled to an annual underwear allowance of £70, those brought in by agencies are not. At the same time, under a 30-year-old union deal, every man at the plant is entitled to both boxer-style briefs and vests.
Telegraph 12th May 2006
NDA
Fears are growing that local small- and medium-sized (SMEs) contractors could be squeezed out of millions of pounds of nuclear decommissioning works under proposed changes by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), reports Contract Journal.
Government Opportunities 12th May 2006
Iran
Iran warned on Thursday that proposals being prepared by European governments to resolve the nuclear dispute must allow Tehran to continue uranium enrichment for “research and development“. In the first official reaction to world powers’ decision to draw up a set of incentives to persuade Tehran to curb its nuclear programme, a senior Iranian official underlined that this small scale enrichment, conducted at a pilot plant in Natanz, was a red line.
FT 12th May 2006
Iran has pressed Russia to speed up work and quickly finish constructing the Bushehr nuclear reactor that it is building in the south of the Islamic republic, a top nuclear official said today.
Interactive Investor 12th May 2006
The United States will not hold direct contacts with Iran and insists that sanctions must be part of a new carrots-and-sticks offer being drawn up by major powers to curb Iran’s nuclear activities, a senior administration official said.
Reuters 12th May 2006
THE president of Iran said yesterday he was ready to hold talks with the US and its allies over his country’s nuclear ambitions, but warned that threatening economic sanctions or military action against Tehran could backfire.
Scottish Herald 12th May 2006
UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei said he is “optimistic” about the fact Washington has given its European allies more time to seek a solution to the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.
Interactive Investor 11th May 2006
Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, on Thursday welcomed the U.N. Security Council’s holding off from imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. At a news conference in Amsterdam, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief urged compromise on both sides of the dispute.
Reuters 11th May 2006
WMD
NATO has hired a Welsh company to provide technology to protect Europe against nuclear, chemical and biological attack. Biotrace International, based in Bridgend, will supply three “field laboratories” for £1.2m which can be used in the event of a major attack.
Western Mail 12th May 2006
Finland
Construction of Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 reactor – Europe’s first nuclear power reactor in more than a decade – will be delayed by nine months due to supply-chain bottlenecks, plant construction manager Areva NP said Wednesday.
Bottlenecks in supplying the parts needed to construct the 1,630-megawatt reactor in Finland has delayed the construction of the first generation 3 European Pressurized Water Reactor, said Vincent Maurel, the Presidentand CEO of Areva NP, a joint venture between France’s nuclear plant builder Areva SA (427583.FR) and Germany’s Siemens AG (SI).
Dow Jones 11th May 2006
