Nuclear Quagmire with Iran
‘Interviewee: George R. Perkovich, Vice President for Studies, Carnegie for International Peace Interviewer: Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor, CFR.org. A leading arms control expert, George Perkovich says Iran's domestic political turmoil has seemingly caused it to back out of an agreement with the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany to send its processed uranium out of the country. Although President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad apparently backed the accord, he ran into criticism from his political enemies, and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supported the critics. Now the United States and its allies must redouble efforts, Perkovich says, to make sure that Iran does not try to make nuclear weapons. He thinks if there is evidence of such moves, Washington could get Russian and Chinese backing for very strict steps.’

Turkey to retender nuclear plant after cancelling Atomstroyexport contract
‘23 November 2009 - Turkey will retender a project to build the country's first nuclear power plant after it cancelled an accepted bid from Russia's Atomstroyexport. The Turkish Electricity Trading and Contracting Company (TETAS) cancelled a 2008 tender won by a consortium led by Atomstroyexport, Russia's state nuclear giant, power producer Inter RAO UES, and Turkey's Park Teknik to build four nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 4800 MW at the Mediterranean town of Akkuyu. Sources close to the Energy Ministry say the ministry has already started plans to restart the tender for the plant in Mersin's Akkuyu district, on the Mediterranean coast, and launch a second tender to build and operate a nuclear power plant in Sinop on the Black Sea in 2010.’

EDF chief plans closer ties with Veolia-report
‘PARIS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Incoming EDF chief executive Henri Proglio said he wanted to increase EDF's stake in his previous company Veolia Environnement without merging the two companies, according to a newspaper report. EDF, Europe's biggest power generator and operator of France's 58 nuclear reactors, should become "a partner in the development of Veolia", Proglio told Les Echos on Monday, his first day in his new post. Proglio's appointment has sparked controversy because he plans to remain non-executive chairman at Veolia, the world's biggest water company. He said his priorities at EDF included fighting government plans to reform the sector and foster more competition. EDF produces roughly 80 percent of France's electrical output.’

Lula backs Iran's nuclear programme
‘Brazil's president has offered his backing for Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. Speaking at a joint news conference in the capital Brasilia on Monday after holding talks with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his visiting Iranian counterpart, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil backed Iran's quest for "peaceful nuclear energy in full respect of international accords". He urged Ahmadinejad to "continue contacts with interested countries for a just and balanced solution on the nuclear issue in Iran". In his weekly radio address earlier, Lula said engaging Iran instead of isolating it was the way to push for peace and stability in the Middle East. "It doesn't help isolating Iran," he said. "It's important that someone sits down with Iran, talks with Iran and tries to establish some balance so that the Middle East can return to a certain sense of normalcy." Lula, who honed his negotiating skills as a union leader, says a new tactic is needed with the Iranians.’

DCNS Wins Contracts For French Navy Maintenance
‘PARIS - DCNS has won contracts worth 1 billion euros ($1.5 billion) for maintenance of the French Navy's fleet of nuclear powered attack submarines and nuclear ballistic missile submarines, the naval systems company said in a Nov. 23 statement. The Fleet support department on Nov. 16 signed a five-year contract for maintenance in operational condition of the attack submarines and a 5½-year deal for the ballistic missile boats, the French Navy said in a separate statement. "The maintenance in operational condition of these submarines requires industrial resources and know-how only DCNS can offer to the French Navy," said DCN Chief executive Patrick Boissier. "We are proud to be able to contribute without a pause to the permanence of the nuclear deterrent."’

Cameras penetrate underground nuclear waste store
‘Two remotely-operated cameras have sent back video and photos of the intermediate-level radioactive waste stored in Dounreay's wet silo. The images will give the silo decommissioning team a better idea of the condition of the silo and its cargo of waste. The silo is an underground concrete-lined, two-compartment vault where approximately 500 cubic metres of active waste was sent for storage over a period of 27 years from 1971. The waste included metallic waste such as fuel cladding and fuel element transit cans, as well as plastic, glass, paper and filters. It was stored underwater to cool the waste and to shield operators from the radiation. "The images are extremely valuable to us as they will help us to plan the retrieval of the waste, develop systems for treating the waste, and the recovered cores from drilling the holes will allow us to assess the condition of the roof concrete.'’

Protests continue over uranium mine proposal
‘Protestors in Alice Springs say opposition is growing to a proposed uranium mine close to the town. Jess Abrahams, from the Arid Lands Environment Centre, says they believe industries like cattle grazing and ecotourism will be at risk should the mine go ahead. He says they're calling on the government to reject any application for a mining lease at Angela Pamela, 25 kilometres south of Alice Springs. "We saw doctors this week say they'll leave town if a uranium mine goes ahead," he says. "And look, it's not just doctors who are saying things like that.’

The missing radionuclides from North Korea's nuclear test
‘In 2006, when North Korea carried out its first nuclear test, a US plane detected radionuclides-faint wind-borne traces of radioactive elements such as xenon from nuclear explosions-within days, and a Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) monitoring station as far away as Yellowknife in Canada picked them up 12 days after the test. North Korea declared on 25 May that it had carried out a second underground nuclear test-a blast that clearly showed up on seismometers across the globe. But at a scientific conference during the summer, the CTBTO revealed that its global network of radionuclide detectors had not picked up anything it could pin on the Korean test, nor had the South Koreans or another US Air Force plane. Researchers are speculating that the test occurred deep underground and in rock that melts easily, forming a seal around the explosion chamber and limiting the release of radionuclides.’