nukes

assorted updates: pirates, nukes, BRICs and the straits of kerch

Posted by jfb on May 17th, 2010 | 0 comments

Updating some recent stories. Let’s start with pirates!

A pirate spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted Somalilandpress today said at least ten of his men were executed by the Russian navy after the troopers stormed MV Moscow University.
…
“The Russians never released the young men instead they shot them point-blank range then loaded their lifeless bodies back on the boat,” he added.
…
“We condemn the action of the Russians, it’s driven by racism and hate for black people and Africa, it’s the face of the new Russia. In future, if we capture Russians they will meet the same fate as those they executed,” he added.

I posted a bunch of links about nukes the other day, mostly about Brazil stepping up to the nuclear table. Brazil’s in the middle of this one here:

This is a big deal for Iran, of course, but also Brazil. It’s a prominent international action that steps into a gap where the US and Europe failed. It brings Brazil into the inner circles of nuclear diplomacy, easing the way for their potential development. It also hedges their bets by helping Iran, who might assist them with nuclear technology in the future if the global institutions won’t.

Read about the BRICs, in case you didn’t know:

And finally, here’s Russia and Ukraine sparring over borders:

I think this is the key point:

The agreement on the issue is crucial for the potential introduction of visa-free travel for Ukainian visitors to the European Union.

Ships pass the straits just fine, so this isn’t holding up shipping. But it holds up Ukrainian integration into western institutions. Ukraine just tilted heavily towards Russia in their last elections, and while they’re keeping up the official policies of looking west, this is a good way to slow things down a bit.

. . .

nuclear roundup

Posted by jfb on May 8th, 2010 | 0 comments

Here’s a bunch of stories that, taken together, indicate more of a shake-up in the global order.

Iran has all but agreed that Brazil should be the mediator between Tehran and the United Nations – rather than the axis of the US, Britain and France inside the UN Security Council, plus Germany – to finally settle the Iranian nuclear dossier. According to the Fars news agency, after his visit early this week to New York, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, in a phone call with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, told him that Iran had agreed with the Brazilian proposal for a nuclear fuel swap deal for the Tehran research reactor, which produces medical isotopes for cancer treatment. The proposal will be discussed in detail when Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits Tehran by the end of next week.

Lula da Silva’s self-confidence is indicative of Brazil’s claim to the status of a major power — including in military terms. The military claim is reflected in the country’s National Defense Strategy, which was unveiled in late 2008. In addition to the mastery of the complete nuclear fuel cycle — which has since been achieved — the document calls for the building of nuclear-powered submarines.

It sounds harmless enough, but it isn’t, because the term “nuclear-powered submarines” could in fact be a cover for a nuclear weapons program. Brazil already had three secret military nuclear programs between 1975 and 1990, with each branch of its armed forces pursuing its own route. The navy’s approach proved to be the most successful: using imported high-performance centrifuges to produce highly enriched uranium from imported uranium hexafluoride, so as to be able to operate small reactors for submarines. At the appropriate time, the country’s newly acquired nuclear capabilities were to be revealed to the world with a “peaceful nuclear explosion,” based on the example set by India. The 300-meter (984-foot) shaft for the test had already been drilled. According to statements by the former president of the National Nuclear Energy Commission, in 1990 the Brazilian military was on the verge of building a bomb.

And this one here is a game-changer, or could be:

Israel would probably do well for itself by declaring its program and joining the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and much better to do it voluntarily than to be dragged kicking and screaming. Not much chance of that happening, however.

post-soviet roundup

Posted by jfb on May 6th, 2009 | 0 comments

Haven’t checked in on Georgia for a while. What a mess.

The European Union has finally decided that it can’t accomplish anything in the Middle East, so maybe it should pay some attention to, y’know, Europe:

“There are new priorities on the agenda which were not so obvious last year, including the need to stabilize these countries, which are moving from one crisis to another,” said Nicu Popescu, a research fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “The focus is less on structural adjustments or institution-building and more on crisis management.”

And file this one under “what could possibly go wrong?”

. . . . .

arctic, nukes and food (updated with genuine science!)

Posted by jfb on February 26th, 2009 | 0 comments

The researchers, 26 corn-insect specialists, withheld their names because they feared being cut off from research by the companies. But several of them agreed in interviews to have their names used.

The problem, the scientists say, is that farmers and other buyers of genetically engineered seeds have to sign an agreement meant to ensure that growers honor company patent rights and environmental regulations. But the agreements also prohibit growing the crops for research purposes.

This has been coming for a while- good number of enviros are going to be looking at nuclear power as the only way to get off of fossil fuels. As nothing continues to be done on climate change, it’s going to become more palatable as a last-ditch effort.

The one-time opponents of nuclear power, who include the former head of Greenpeace, have told The Independent that they have now changed their minds over atomic energy because of the urgent need to curb emissions of carbon dioxide.

They all take the view that the building of nuclear power stations is now imperative and that to delay the process with time-consuming public inquiries and legal challenges would seriously undermine Britain’s promise to cut its carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

And no matter how safe it becomes, here’s one good reason that it will remain a bad idea:

I’m not going to try to cover the big fights over the melting Arctic that have been happening for the last few weeks. Here’s one good little piece that brings two of the big issues together, and today’s news with an  interesting paragraph:

“We’re beginning to get hints of change in ocean circulation, that’ll have a dramatic impact on the global climate system,” IPY director David Carlson told journalists.

Changes in ocean circulation are one of the big climate predictions to watch out for.  If that’s what they’re really seeing, then it has the potential to set off some large-scale changes that people don’t really expect yet.

And the awesome thing about the Arctic for the true news nerd is that it’s a scientific and environmental story, but it’s also about politics and navies and such:

EDIT: And this, by way of Technoccult:

. . . .

news- crime stories

Posted by jfb on June 19th, 2008 | 0 comments

Starting with some crime stories tonight….
The Google Earth gatecrashers who take uninvited dips in home-owners’ swimming pools
‘Sophisticated’ Pickup Rigged To Steal Fuel
Women Dressed As Nurses Targeting Central Fla. Shoppers
On the trail of Mexico’s drugs gangs

Read most of the way down for this:

We were shown a series of extraordinary films and photos of the cartels’ latest piece of apparatus: semi-submersibles.

US Customs have come across at least four of these craft. With up to four crew, these vessels have equipment to evade radar and can travel at up to 20 knots.

Nothing that couldn’t have been reported several years ago.
Documents confirm U.S. hid detainees from Red Cross
CIA Played Larger Role In Advising Pentagon

Georgia slowly but steadily heats up:
S. Ossetia set for criminal case against Tbilisi over shelling
Georgia frees four Russian troops after arms-smuggling arrest

The governor sounds more optimistic than the CBC:
Taliban driven out of south Afghan district: governor
Canadian and Afghan soldiers take on Taliban near Kandahar
This doesn’t sound too promising, either:
Taliban capture US helicopter parts

And finally, here’s the closest thing I could find to piracy for you tonight:
Shell shuts down Nigerian oil field after attack

A leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta told The Associated Press that militants attacked the Bonga oil field more than 65 miles from land. But the fighters weren’t able to enter a computer control room, which they had hoped to destroy.

Oh, and I caught this just before I clicked “Publish”:
US N-weapons parts missing, Pentagon says
Which reminded me that I’d been seeing this story around lately:
US Air Force to review ’significant errors’ in tanker deal
Bad sign when a bureaucracy starts making $35 billion dollar mistakes. And all of this talk about the Air Force reminded me of this utterly pointless story:
Biggles battles Yanks for right to sport tash

. . . . . . . . . .