North Korea
U.S. and North Korean negotiators will start talks on Monday aimed at normalizing diplomatic ties as part of a complex agreement under which Pyongyang has pledged to scrap its nuclear arms programs for aid.
Reuters 5th March 2007
Iran
A new report from a respected British nuclear weapons scientist warns that a military strike on Iran could speed up rather than slow down Iran’s production of a nuclear bomb. It claims it would bolster domestic support and increase the country’s willingness to use all means possible to attain a weapon. In his report, Frank Barnaby argues that an attack might not destroy all of the nuclear programme. In its wake, it would be much more feasible for Tehran’s political leadership to pull out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and launch a crash programme, devoting maximum resources to developing one or two bombs as quickly as possible.
BBC 5th March 2007
Telegraph 5th March 2007
Times 5th March 2007
Guardian 5th March 2007
Many of Iran’s nuclear plants are perilously close to ancient cultural sites.
Guardian 5th March 2007
In the minds of many ordinary people and within the political establishment, that the country is living in dangerous times. The president’s supporters share his conviction that the US is plotting to break Iran’s will and deprive it of its legitimate right to nuclear technology. But the president’s critics say his radicalism has intensified the international and regional opposition to Iran’s nuclear programme and worsened the crisis.
FT 5th March 2007
Climate
An independent scientific audit of the UK’s climate change policies predicts that the government will fall well below its target of a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 – which means that the country will not reach its 2020 milestone until 2050.
Guardian 5th March 2007
Europe
The European commission should give energy regulators more time to open markets before pressing ahead with proposals to break up the big, integrated utilities, according to a senior industry executive. Jochen Weise, who sits on the management board of Germany’s Eon Ruhrgas, said Europe needed heavyweights to compete with oil firms such as ExxonMobil, Shell and BP or market-savvy national oil companies to successfully secure access to energy supplies on a global basis.
Guardian 5th March 2007
Trident
Roy Hattersley says: I believe we should ditch our nuclear deterrent for the same reasons I once fought to save it
Guardian 5th March 2007
New nukes
EDF’s plans to invest and partner in new build nuclear capacity projects around the world are a judicious move given its status as one of the world’s leading nuclear power players. However, the attractions and prospects in its four target markets vary considerably.
Energy Business Review 2nd March 2007
