Trident
Article by David Lowry: As the government attempts to renew Trident, it is worth revisiting the statements the UK made about nuclear disarmament in the 1960s.
Guardian 13th March 2007
Prime Minister Tony Blair could face one of the biggest rebellions by the Labour Party in a decade in power on Wednesday when parliament votes whether to renew Britain’s nuclear arsenal.
Reuters 13th March 2007
BBC 14th March 2007
Southampton’s MPs claim more research is needed before a decision is made today on plans for the next generation of nuclear submarines. Labour MPs Alan Whitehead and John Denham will propose an amendment in the House of Commons which would put off a final decision about the future of Trident until “further consideration of the strategic case, costs, and design of the system” is undertaken. Sixty MPs are expected to rebel in today’s vote and more than 100 MPs have already vowed to seek an open-ended delay to the decision.
Southern Daily Echo 14th March 2007
Dawn Furniss is living proof that Helensburgh is a navy town. The 35-year-old is one of many local people who want to see the nearby nuclear bases stay open to safeguard the area’s long-term future.
BBC 14th March 2007
Bruce Kent: Roy Hattersley is a welcome addition to the anti-Trident majority now in this country (My unilateral conversion, March 5). I fear, however, that he still lacks the humility required from a real convert.
Guardian 14th March 2007
Greenpeace activists have scaled a crane next to the House of Parliament and hung a huge banner from it declaring ‘TONY loves WMD’.
Ekklesia 13th March 2007
Metro 13th March 2007
The catholic Bishop of Lancaster has said the UK government is fuelling the development of nuclear weapons around the world.
Ekklesia 13th March 2007
Fewer than half of Labour back benchers support the Government’s plans for Britain’s £65bn replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system, according to a survey.
Independent 14th March 2007
Letter: One important consideration which has received little attention in the “debate” about Trident is how best to use engineering expertise to ensure peace and prosperity. Development of advanced weapons systems requires considerable high-level engineering resources.
Independent 14th March 2007
North Korea
South Korea says it has seen no sign that the North is shutting down its main nuclear facility, a key part of a landmark deal reached last month.
BBC 14th March 2007
Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, resumes talks in Pyongyang this morning aimed at bringing North Korea back into the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and fleshing out the ambitious disarmament agreement agreed last month by Asia’s most powerful countries.
Times 14th March 2007
Channel 4 News 13th March 2007
The Economist 13th March 2007
Bulgaria
The European Union has rejected a plea from Balkan countries to restart two reactors at the Kozloduy nuclear plant in Bulgaria to ease power shortages.
BBC 13th March 2007
US
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd is expected to receive an order, valued at 600 bln yen, to deliver two nuclear reactors to US nuclear power plant operator TXU, the Nikkei business daily reported. The deal will make Mitsubishi Heavy the first Japanese company to single-handedly receive an order for nuclear power plants in the US.
Interactive Investor 13th March 2007
New nukes
EAST Anglia’s two nuclear sites will be a serious future flood risk and are unsuitable for new power stations, according to a study published yesterday. The study, by the Flood Hazard Research Centre at Middlesex University, suggested that the cost of defending the sites from significant sea level rises and storm surges would make them “economically unsustainable.”
East Anglian Daily Times 13th March 2007
The government’s climate change bill was attacked today for being “deeply misguided.” UK Independence party leader Nigel Farage said the plans by the government to cut carbon emissions by 60% and invest in wind and solar power were “unachievable and unnecessary.” He added,”If this government and opposition really want to do something about reducing emissions then they need to be looking into proper alternatives like nuclear power.”
UKIP Press Release 13th March 2007
Iran
Iran has fiercely criticised Russia for a delay in shipments of nuclear fuel which will put back the launch of Iran’s first nuclear power station.
BBC 13th March 2007
Europe
An agreement to boost renewable energy across the EU could allow taxpayers’ cash to subsidise the nuclear industry in France and the UK, Euro-MP Caroline Lucas has warned. Speaking ahead of this week’s meeting of EU leaders to discuss climate and energy policy, Dr Lucas warned that the Council must exclude nuclear power from a renewables target likely to be adopted.
Green Party Press Release 13th March 2007
Libya
Libya may approach the United States for talks on constructing the country’s first nuclear power plant, a senior official indicated on Monday.
Middle East Online 13th March 2007
Hinkley
Hundreds of tonnes of radioactive waste may be dumped in a new facility at Hinkley Point. Plans are being drawn up for a bunker capable of holding 24,000 square metres of low-level waste from the defunct Hinkley A power station.
Western Daily Press 13th March 2007
