International Nuclear Watch & Discussion

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 20 Apr 2009 05:29

'1.9 lakh killed in China's nuclear tests'

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 20 Apr 2009 06:18

Pak's nukes in safe hands for now, says PM
wtf?

jmaxwell · Post by **jmaxwell** » 20 Apr 2009 23:19

Came across this on Digg and thought some of you might find it interesting. The chanakiyan foresight by the fathers of our nuclear program is indirectly evident in the bolded text below.

I was actually just writing a paper about nuclear power and peak uranium. Current nuclear reactors only use U-235, an isotope that makes up 0.7% of naturally occurring uranium. So, it only makes sense economically to consider uranium that is cheap to collect because the process is so inefficient. Most estimates (including this one) only consider the global supply of uranium to be uranium that can be collected at $40/lb.

However, if we start making breeder reactors (which is long overdue, a new nuclear plant hasn't been opened in the US since 1978), they are able to use nearly 100% of uranium (plus thorium). This makes it more practical to collect uranium that costs much more because you can use all of it. So the global supply estimate increases exponentially. Seawater actually becomes a resource at just having 3 parts per million uranium naturally.

Uranium resources actually increase enough to supply the planet's energy needs for the next 5 billion years with fuel being less than 1% cost of the total energy. Considering that all renewable energy resources ultimately depend on the sun (solar, wind, biofuels all depend on energy from the sun) and that the earth's relationship with the sun will change in the next 5 billion years, nuclear power is equivalent to a renewable energy.

Plus, breeder reactors and nuclear reprocessing cut down on radioactive waste and can actually use the stored radioactive waste we've already produced as new fuel. Plus, we already have the technology to do all of this TODAY.

Source: Physicist Bernard Coen.
http://sustainablenuclear.org/PADs/pad11983cohen.pdf

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 21 Apr 2009 04:57

Japan 'should develop nuclear weapons' to counter North Korea threat

Shoichi Nakagawa, former finance minister, suggested that Japan should examine the possibility of defending itself from potential attacks from North Korea by obtaining nuclear weapons.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 21 Apr 2009 05:03

Fire broke out on nuclear submarine, MoD reveals

The blaze took place in the conning tower of HMS Astute, which is being built by BAE Systems in Barrow, Cumbria.

Navy base to be 'nuclear dustbin'

Plymouth's naval base could become a "nuclear dustbin" for decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines, BBC News has been told.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 21 Apr 2009 05:04

China to display nuclear submarines in Qingdao fleet parade

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 21 Apr 2009 17:11

Japan the next nuclear weapons power?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... hreat.html

Japan 'should develop nuclear weapons' to counter North Korea threat

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 21 Apr 2009 23:48

Russia, India, China outline development of nuclear sectors

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 23 Apr 2009 01:01

South African Nuclear Agency Plans Experimental Uranium Plant

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 23 Apr 2009 01:11

IAEA head: North is nuclear-armed state

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 24 Apr 2009 02:02

Has nuclear arms control worked?

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 24 Apr 2009 02:04

North Korea is fully fledged nuclear power, experts agree

North Korea has become a fully fledged nuclear power, with the capacity to wipe out cities in Japan and South Korea.

According to intelligence briefings shown to academic experts, North Korea has successfully miniaturised nuclear warheads that could be launched on medium-range missiles.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Apr 2009 12:35

Russia and the US might cut their N-weapons by half accorind to this report.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... apons.html

Russia and US discuss reducing nuclear weapons

Russia and the United States could cut their nuclear arsenals by half under a new deal being negotiated at disarmament talks in Rome on Friday.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 25 Apr 2009 06:50

The RRW's vacuum tube myth

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 25 Apr 2009 06:52

Reexamining disarmament obligations

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 25 Apr 2009 06:55

A strategy for achieving Senate approval of the CTBT

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 25 Apr 2009 07:39

Pentagon plan won't echo Obama no-nukes pledge

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 25 Apr 2009 22:19

Toshiba Negotiating to Buy Nuclear Fuel Rods From Kazakhstan

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 25 Apr 2009 22:21

North Korea says it has restarted nuclear facilities

"The reprocessing of spent fuel rods from the pilot atomic power plant has begun," the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said in comments carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. Harvesting weapons-grade plutonium "will contribute to bolstering the nuclear deterrence for self-defense in every way to cope with the increasing military threats from the hostile forces," he said.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 26 Apr 2009 20:37

Int'l conference on nuclear energy ends in Beijing, stressing co-op

The three-day conference, organized by China and the International Atomic Energy Agency, attracted energy ministers or other representatives from 61 countries and seven international organizations.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 26 Apr 2009 20:38

Small hole found in Pittsburgh-area reactor liner

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 26 Apr 2009 20:39

Thorium as a Secure Nuclear Fuel Alternative

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 27 Apr 2009 04:06

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 27 Apr 2009 04:14

US not to accept DPRK as nuclear-weapons state

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 27 Apr 2009 06:33

MoD guilty of repeated nuclear safety breaches

Britain's nuclear submarine fleet has been hit by a series of serious safety breaches involving repeated leaks of radioactive waste, broken pipes and waste tanks at its home base on the Clyde, the Ministry of Defence has disclosed.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 28 Apr 2009 01:46

Using Nuclear Power to Extract Oil?

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 28 Apr 2009 01:47

Five candidates throw hat in ring to lead nuclear watchdog

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 29 Apr 2009 04:59

Japan calls summit on nuclear disarmament

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 29 Apr 2009 05:00

China slams Japan's nukes reduction remarks

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 29 Apr 2009 07:30

Canada's TRIUMF to Produce Medical Isotopes Using Intense Photon Beam

I'm wondering if this could one day be useful for breeding purposes.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 29 Apr 2009 07:41

Gerard wrote:Japan calls summit on nuclear disarmament

China slams Japan's nukes reduction remarks

I'm assuming that Japan's latest quest is due to NKorea's newfound nuclear delivery capability.

Somehow I feel the Japanese will likely find themselves out in the cold, without any takers for their great disarmament plan, since nobody's in the mood to disarm. Oh, I'm sure they'll be granted an audience in various important capitols, but beyond that I don't see much happening.

Which major international partners could the Japanese hope to rope in for their campaign? Certainly not the US, or China. Even Russia is doubtful, given the age of its conventional forces.
The EU possibly? But even NATO has long depended upon nuclear deterrence to protect its members from a Soviet/Russian attack.

Would Japan then just simply buy off a lot of 3rd world votes?
Sounds like they'll be picking up our traditional role at the NAM then.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 29 Apr 2009 08:43

Japan has been teaming with the Land of Oz to lead the charge for next years disarmament meet - need something to compete with the World Cup in South Africa.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 29 Apr 2009 14:29

I doubt that Rudd would seriously try to create a tiff between himself and his Chinese lovers.

Meanwhile, BBC says:

N Korea threatens nuclear tests

North Korea has threatened to carry out nuclear missile tests unless the UN apologises for its condemnation of a recent rocket launch by Pyongyang.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 30 Apr 2009 05:19

Baptist minister leading evangelical movement for nuclear disarmament

U.S. says North Korea must cease nuclear threats

Learning to live with The Bomb

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 30 Apr 2009 05:21

Pakistan shares nuclear secrets

Pakistan’s senior civil and military officials are sharing tightly held information about the country’s nuclear weapons programme to western countries in a bid to allay fears about the security of warheads in the face of a Taliban advance.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 01 May 2009 03:24

Kazakhstan, China sign major nuclear power deal

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 01 May 2009 03:38

Israel's Peres sees containment for a nuclear Iran

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 01 May 2009 04:25

DISARMAMENT: India, China and NPT

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 01 May 2009 04:35

Remarks by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

But the question is, depending on where post START ends up, if we go down significantly in the number of nuclear weapons that we have deployed, the question is whether the traditional triad makes sense anymore and I think we have to address that.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 02 May 2009 06:01

US official: North Korean nuclear test likely