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27 August, 2007 - 18:09 — juerg

US National Security Adviser James L. Jones on Afghanistan: 'We Will Not Solve the Problem with Troops Alone'

US National Security Adviser James L. Jones talks to SPIEGEL about his skepticism regarding calls for more US troops to be sent to Afghanistan, the chances of Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands and President Barack Obama's leadership style.
Read more [Spiegel Online]

Old Consultant Welcomes New Sucker

The Philadelphia Inquirer is the latest news outlet to fail to disclose the fact that Patrick Moore, a former Greenpeace activist turned PR consultant, is on the nuclear industry payroll. A recent 690-word opinion column by Moore, titled "Old foes welcome clean fuel," promotes nuclear power as a "solution" to global warming. At the foot of the column, the biographical note states that Moore "co-chairs the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition (CASEnergy), which promotes the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear power as part of a green energy economy." What it doesn't state is that CASEnergy is a front group created by Hill & Knowlton for the Nuclear Energy Institute, the peak lobby group for the U.S. nuclear industry. Just over three years ago, shortly after Moore's "coalition" was launched, Hill and Knowlton's Frank Mankiewicz insisted in a letter to the Columbia Journalism Review that Moore “has been completely transparent about funding sources and relationships with the Nuclear Energy Institute and the public relations firm of Hill & Knowlton."


Read more [PRWatch.org]

US Used "False Pretext" to Invade Iraq in 2003, ElBaradei Says

By DPA

Outgoing UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei criticized the United States on Monday for using a 'false pretext' to invade Iraq, costing 'the lives of possibly hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.'

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23885.htm



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=ElBaradei

Read more [twoday.net nuclear]

Germany: Merkel calls for strong deal on climate change

Associated Press: German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by exhorting the world in a speech to Congress on Tuesday to "tear down the walls of today" and reach a deal to combat global warming. Frequently interrupted by robust applause, Merkel reiterated her country's commitment to fostering security in Afghanistan and also said that a nuclear bomb in the hands of Iran "is not acceptable." In the first address by a German chancellor to Congress ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

The Story of 'Operation Orchard': How Israel Destroyed Syria's Al Kibar Nuclear Reactor

In September 2007, Israeli fighter jets destroyed a mysterious complex in the Syrian desert. The incident could have led to war, but it was hushed up by all sides. Was it a nuclear plant and who gave the orders for the strike?
Read more [Spiegel Online]

Environmental experts deride call for nuclear power stations

A report claiming that at least six nuclear power plants are needed to tackle climate change has been criticised by experts as an unsustainable solution.
Read more [EarthWire]

Nuclear sites put forward

Two nuclear power stations will be among the first wave of development consent applications that the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) expects to receive.
Read more [EarthWire]

U.S. water use down but migration to West a concern

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Steady migration to the hot and dry Western states along with water use by coal and nuclear plants are undermining conservation efforts that have kept U.S. water use steady in recent years, a study said on Thursday.
Read more [Reuters]

U.S. water use down but migration to West a concern

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Steady migration to the hot and dry Western states along with water use by coal and nuclear plants are undermining conservation efforts that have kept U.S. water use steady in recent years, a study said on Thursday.
Read more [Reuters]

Nuclear consortium secures Sellafield rights

A consortium has secured the option to build a new nuclear power station at Sellafield in Cumbria.
Read more [EarthWire]

Civil engineers call for greater speed in UK carbon capture drive

Guardian: The government must move faster in implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology if the UK is to meet ambitious targets to cut its carbon emissions, according to civil engineers. In a report published today by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), experts argue that the government must issue a national policy statement for the technology, in the same way that proposals for large-scale future energy projects in nuclear, coal and wind power are planned. This would reduce ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Genetic tuna tracking opens new options in race to save fish and fisheries

Madrid, Spain – A new method that uses gene sequencing to accurately distinguish between tuna species has the potential to support fisheries management and possible trade restrictions for endangered tuna species.

The new method, revealed in a paper published today in PLoS ONE, the online open-access scientific journal, can make an identification from any kind of processed tuna tissue.

The true tunas – from the genus Thunnus – are among the most economically valuable fish in the world and are also among the most endangered of all commercially exploited fish .  They are not to be confused with the tuna most commonly tinned, which comes from related families such as mackerel.

The paper, ‘A Validated Methodology for Genetic Identification of Tuna Species (Genus Thunnus)’, co-authored by Dr Jordi Viñas, a fish genetics specialist at Girona University in Spain and Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries of WWF Mediterranean, proposes for the first time ever a genetic method for the precise identification of all eight recognized species of tuna.

Northern, southern and Pacific bluefin tuna are among the most stressed fish populations in the world, with the Principality of Monaco having lodged an application before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for a trade ban on the Atlantic (Northern) bluefin tuna where several fisheries have collapsed and failed to recover and the Mediterranean bluefin fishery is exhibiting advanced signals of impending collapse in the face of overfishing and decades of poor management.

The other tuna species are yellowfin, blackfin, longtail, bigeye and albacore tuna. Identification of traded forms of the fish, which can be dressed, gilled and gutted, or loin and belly meat, and either fresh or frozen – is a highly complex process, which has hampered conservation efforts and was a potential limitation to the imposition of trade controls. 

The analysis of the DNA sequence variability of two unlinked genetic markers, one a hypervariable segment of the mitochondrial genome and the other a nuclear gene, enables full discrimination between all the tuna species.

"..findings are particularly relevant"

“This methodology will allow the identification of tuna species of any kind of tissue or type or presentation – including sushi and sashimi,” said Dr Jordi Viñas of Girona University. “The differentiation between different tunas, even those with highly similar genes, is now possible.”

“Our findings are particularly relevant for the highly overfished, overtraded – and hence endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna, for which there is a growing campaign to impose a temporary ban on international commercial trade,” added co-author Dr Sergi Tudela of WWF. “There will now be no trace of doubt when seeking to identify chilled or frozen tuna flesh at port or point of sale.”

The paper will remain available to download for free from the website of PLoS ONE and will be submitted to the relevant tuna fishing and trade management and control authorities.

(PLoS ONE is the first journal of primary research from all areas of science to employ a combination of peer review and post-publication rating and commenting, to maximize the impact of every report it publishes. PLoS ONE is published by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the open-access publisher whose goal is to make the world’s scientific and medical literature a public resource.)


Read more [WWF]

Blast Climate Change: India's Ready to Go Nuclear

Mother Jones: The effects of coal-fired power are obvious everywhere in India. Filthy air. Grimy buildings. Persistent tubercular coughing from people, babies, dogs, cats, cows. It's reminiscent of Europe in the first half of the 20th century, complete with pea-soup--make that dhal-soup--smogs. So who can blame India for wanting to get more energy and cleaner energy and turning to the fastest solution? Just like France did. And Japan. And Russia. And South Korea. Ever since a deal ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Opinion: Westerwelle To Bring New Face But Old Ideas as Foreign Minister

Guido Westerwelle is a blank slate in Washington. The new foreign minister's demands that US nuclear weapons be removed from Germany may be popular at home. But Berlin's Western allies could be asking themselves if Westerwelle has any new ideas for dealing with today's problems.
Read more [Spiegel Online]

Nuclear energy becomes pivotal in climate debate

Associated Press: Once vilified by environmentalists and its future dim, nuclear energy has become a pivotal bargaining chip as Senate Democrats seek Republican votes to pass climate legislation. The nuclear industry's long-standing campaign to rebrand itself as green is gaining acceptance amid the push to curtail greenhouse gases. Nuclear power still faces daunting challenges, including what to do with radioactive reactor waste. Reactors also remain a tempting target for terrorists. But 104 ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Japanese firms to develop small nuclear reactors

Agence France-Presse: Japan's major nuclear reactor manufacturers have begun developing small nuclear power systems for both developed and emerging countries, a report said on Saturday. Toshiba Corp. is developing an ultra-compact reactor with an output of about 10,000 kilowatts and has started procedures for approval in the United States, the Nikkei business daily said. The new reactor, the Toshiba 4S, is designed to minimise the need for monitoring and maintenance, with an automatic shutdown ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Obama presses case for renewable energy

New York Times: Taking aim at business interests that have lobbied against an energy and climate bill moving through Congress, President Obama urged lawmakers on Friday to rally around the push toward using more renewable energy. In a wide-ranging speech on energy and the environment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Obama called for legislation that would make "the best use of resources we have in abundance, through clean coal technology, safe nuclear power, sustainably grown ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Toshiba, others developing small nuclear reactors: report

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp, Hitachi Ltd and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are looking to develop small nuclear reactors for use by developing nations, among others, the Nikkei business daily said on Saturday.
Read more [Reuters]

Toshiba, others developing small nuclear reactors: report

Reuters: Toshiba Corp, Hitachi Ltd and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are looking to develop small nuclear reactors for use by developing nations, among others, the Nikkei business daily said on Saturday. The move hopes to take advantage of a likely shift toward nuclear power in hopes of cutting CO2 production in a market previously dominated by larger, more expensive reactors. Toshiba is developing a nuclear reactor with output of 10,000 kilowatts and hopes to seek approval for its plans ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Renewables targets will hinder decarbonisation, warn business leaders

Business Green: The government yesterday came under fire from business leaders for sticking with its "ludicrous" target to source 32 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Earlier this year, a CBI-commissioned report from consultants McKinsey advised the government to downgrade the renewables target to 25 per cent and give the go-ahead for up to 15 nuclear reactors, rather than the eight reactors currently planned. The report warned that counter-intuitively the renewables ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Richard Green: Shrinking the energy policy triangle

Energy is never far from the headlines - price rises, climate change and power cuts have all featured, along with wind farms and nuclear power.
Read more [EarthWire]

United Kingdom: New nuclear plants must get go-ahead now, says CBI

Business Green: The CBI yesterday stepped up its campaign for plans for new nuclear plant to be fast-tracked with the release of a new report warning the UK risks missing climate change targets and undermining energy security unless at least six new nuclear plants are built by 2030. The report states that 16GW of new nuclear power needs to be built on existing nuclear sites if the UK is to meet its legally binding target of cutting carbon emissions 80 per cent by 2050. A raft of existing ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

CBI demands six new nuclear plants

At least six new nuclear plants must be built by 2030 if the UK is to meet climate change targets and ensure energy security.
Read more [EarthWire]

Is the Climate Bill Becoming an Excuse to Promote Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power?

AlterNet: Is the Climate Bill morphing into an excuse to promote fossil fuels and new nuclear power plants? Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) recent promotion of a pro-nuke/pro-drilling/pro-coal agenda in the name of Climate Protection has been highlighted in a New York Times op ed co-authored with Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC). The piece brands nuke power "our single largest contributor of emissions-free power." It advocates abolishing "cumbersome regulations" so utilities can "secure financing for more ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

A World Without Nuclear Weapons: Six Wrong-Headed Cliches about Disarmament

With President Obama's Prague speech on "global zero" and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference scheduled for May 2010, nuclear disarmament is a pressing issue that is unfortunately plagued by old stereotypes.
Read more [Spiegel Online]

"Nuclear cent" eco tax fuels criticism

Government plans for a tax on nuclear power to fund renewable energy have come under fire from power firms and Greenpeace.
Read more [Swissinfo.org: politics]

Alarm as Taiwan wants to extend life of oldest nuclear plant

Agence France-Presse: Taiwan wants to extend the life of its oldest nuclear power plant for another 20 years, the government said Tuesday, triggering alarm among activists who fear it could put public safety at risk. State-owned Taiwan Power Company has asked to keep using the Chinshan plant, operational since 1978 in a coastal area of north Taiwan, after the licenses of its two reactors expire in 2018 and 2019, the Atomic Energy Council said. "The application is for extending the life of the ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Greenpeace takes action over Spanish nuclear panel

Reuters: Environmental group Greenpeace says it took legal action on Friday against the government and the nuclear regulator for alleged delays in setting up a panel on nuclear safety with public participation. A Greenpeace statement said legislation provided for the Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee to be constituted by August 2008 in order to issue non-binding recommendations to the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) watchdog. Some 20 people are due to sit on the committee, including ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Greenpeace takes action over Spanish nuclear panel

MADRID (Reuters) - Environmental group Greenpeace says it took legal action on Friday against the government and the nuclear regulator for alleged delays in setting up a panel on nuclear safety with public participation.
Read more [Reuters]

Radioactive Waste: German Company Sent Nuclear Material for Open-Air Storage in Siberia

The Western media reported last week on how the German company Urenco shipped nuclear material to Siberia, where the highly toxic waste was stored in containers in the open air. The company has stopped deliveries and will store the material with higher standards in Germany in the future.
Read more [Spiegel Online]

Energy bills 'will have to rise to pay for nuclear energy'

Energy bills will have to rise in order to pay for increased nuclear energy use the government will be warned today.
Read more [EarthWire]

Plan for nuclear levy on power bill

Domestic electricity bills could rise by £44 a year under plans being drawn up by ministers in a bid to help pay for a new generation of nuclear power stations, it has been reported.
Read more [EarthWire]

Unlikely ally joins fight against climate change

Houston Chronicle: WASHINGTON -- Proponents of capping greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming may have just found an unexpected ally on Capitol Hill: Republican Lindsey Graham. The two-term senator from South Carolina drew the ire of conservative activists last week after he joined Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in outlining the framework of a bipartisan plan for combating climate change that would tie greenhouse gas reductions with new nuclear power nationwide and expanded offshore ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

A carbon tax, not a cap and trade

Boston Globe: THE WAXMAN-MARKEY bill on climate change that recently passed the House is a train wreck waiting to happen. Intended to reduce global warming and achieve energy independence, it is totally inadequate in its reliance on a flawed cap and trade system, and the recently released Senate version called the Kerry-Boxer bill follows the same track. Like the House bill, the Senate version represents the further transfer of wealth from taxpayers to the nuclear and fossil-fuel industries - a result of ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Republican senator says open to U.S. climate bill

Reuters: A senior Republican in the United States Senate, conservative Senator Lisa Murkowski, said she would consider voting for a "cap and trade" climate change bill Democrats are pushing if it also contains a vigorous expansion of nuclear energy and domestic oil drilling. In an interview set to air on Sunday on the C-SPAN cable TV network, Murkowski said cap and trade legislation, which aims to mandate reductions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, must protect consumers ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Republican senator says open to U.S. climate bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Republican in the United States Senate, conservative Senator Lisa Murkowski, said she would consider voting for a "cap and trade" climate change bill Democrats are pushing if it also contains a vigorous expansion of nuclear energy and domestic oil drilling.
Read more [Reuters]

Finding Broad Support for Energy Efficiency as a Solution for Climate Change

Reuters: ABC News poll from mid August included questions on how the President is handling energy policy. The results showed very strong support for energy efficiency as a way to fight climate change. The accompanying published article, however did not mention efficiency and instead talked about solar, wind, nuclear (including the NIMBY issue) and transportation. Looking into the tabulated answers, the poll results show that efficiency has strong support that appears to be non-partisan. ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

US rejects nuclear plant over design of key piece

New York Times: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday that it had rejected a design by Westinghouse for a new reactor because a key component might not withstand events like earthquakes and tornadoes. The rejection raises the possibility of delays in building 14 planned reactors in the United States, including two twin-reactor projects in Georgia and South Carolina that are leading the pack. Westinghouse, which is owned by Toshiba, promised to conduct tests as quickly as possible to try to ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Lindsey Graham: Not a nuclear wussypants

Mother Jones: When Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called for legislation last week to cap carbon emissions, he revived hopes that a cap-and-trade measure could pass the Senate this year. (He also got branded a "wussypants" by tea party protesters for his trouble.) But while the support of a prominent conservative senator could pave the way for the passage of climate legislation, Graham's backing comes at a steep price: he's pushing for massive payouts to the nuclear industry, along with other ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

Nuclear Renaissance Stalls: Problems plague launch of 'safer' next-generation reactors

Spiegel: The executives of electric utilities worldwide are dreaming of a renaissance in nuclear power. But problems with a new, state-of-the-art reactor in Finland suggest that this is unlikely to happen. The industry's alternative strategy is to modernize older plants to drastically extend reactor lifetimes. The managers at Finnish electric utility TVO expressed one last wish before ordering what would be the world's largest nuclear power plant from Siemens and the French nuclear power ...
Read more [EcoEarth.info]

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