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Steve's favorite news links

* The Newseum's daily compendium of front pages from around the world

* Nevada state government's nuclear-oriented "What's New" page, updated daily with links to fresh articles from around the world.

* Google News, updated continuously throughout the day.

* America's Party News - God-fearing, liberty-loving, sovereignty-conserving folks have a great plan to save our nation

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FUKUSHIMA NEWS

* [Fukushima-govt] Minutes of past gov't meetings on Fukushima crisis to be created, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-govt] Japan task force kept no records of nuclear crisis response, Yoko Kubota and Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-IAEA] IAEA team arrives in Tokyo, UPI (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Electric power industry extended donations to major political parties, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Utility industry to establish independent nuclear safety organization, Denki Shimbun (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] TEPCO to invite other firms to invest in 6 non-nuclear plants, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-TEPCO] Cash-strapped TEPCO asks for extra 500 bil. yen in loans from creditor bank, Mainichi Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] IAEA reviews Japan's nuclear tests, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
A team of UN nuclear experts on Monday began a review of tests conducted by Japan to prove the safety of its nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima radiation crisis.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] Japan seeks UN atomic agency presence in Fukushima, Hiroshi Hiyama, AFP (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Japan is asking the UN's nuclear agency to set up a permanent office in Fukushima to monitor its efforts to contain the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp-IAEA] IAEA team, NISA hold first talks on stress tests, Kyodo (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
An International Atomic Energy Agency delegation tasked with evaluating the adequacy of the nation's reactor stress tests held its first meeting Monday with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Japan Reviews Disaster Plan Amid New Quake Concerns, Mitsuru Obe, WSJ (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday began a mission to help identify gaps in Japan's safety-check procedure for nuclear plants, to boost reactor resilience to natural disasters, as Tokyo began drawing up emergency plans with local governments.

* [Fukushima-Japan-npp] Another nuclear reactor going offline, NHK (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to shut down a reactor in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, for a regular inspection on Wednesday

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see previous Fukushima news at nuclear.com's Fukushima page

US NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-US-newbuild-Blue Castle] Water deal big win for nuke plant, Gary Harmon, Grand Junction Sentinel (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Iowa] Utility board analysis gives nuclear power plan opponents more ammunition, James Q. Lynch, Quad City Times (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-newbuild-Iowa] Report: Nuclear project could burden Iowa ratepayers, Associated Press (via NEI email); title here is NEI's - original is "Regulators: Nuclear plan could cost Iowa residents"
Here's NEI's description: Legislation that would allow MidAmerican Energy to transfer to its customers the costs of building a new nuclear facility in Iowa isn't in the public interest, according to a report by the Iowa Utilities Board. "This could create a stronger incentive to walk away from a plant than complete it," the board said. MidAmerican President and CEO William Fehrman challenged the findings of the analysis, saying the bill would only "put certainty in place for how the investment is handled."

* [npp-US-newbuild-econ] Construction Work in Progress: An Effective Financial Tool to Lower the Cost of Electricity, NEI White Paper, Aug 2011 (via NEI email)

* [npp-US-Beaver Valley] Fission Stories #76: Whodunnit?, Dave Lochbaum, All Things Nuclear (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Cooper/Fort Calhoun-floods-station blackouts-Sapporito petition] NOTICES Request for Action Against Omaha Public Power District and Nebraska Public Power District Page 3515 [FR DOC# 2012-1370], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Limerick] Report To Detail Limerick Nuke Plant's Impact On Drinking Water, Teresa McMinn, Pottstown.Patch (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Nine Mile Point] Constellation, N.Y. schools join forces for Nuclear Science Week, Debra J. Groom, Syracuse Post-Standard (via NEI email)
Here's NEI's description: Educational institutions in New York are teaming up with Constellation Energy Nuclear Group's Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station to promote the potential benefits of nuclear power. Plant employees have held talks in school districts in Oswego County, N.Y., about the reliability and safety of nuclear power and the available jobs in the industry. Also, Constellation and Onondaga Community College have joined forces as part of the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program.

* [npp-US-Seabrook] Letter: NRC has failed to protect public, Nick and Cynthia Costello, Newburyport Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-turbine missiles] NOTICES Regulatory Guides: Protection Against Turbine Missiles Page 3514 [FR DOC# 2012-1335], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Yankee reverberations resound, Terri Hallenbeck, vt.Buzz (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Court to Vermont: "Drop Dead", Harvey Wasserman, OpEdNews (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vermont Law School to hold forum on Vermont Yankee ruling, The Republic (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-Vermont Yankee] Vt Yankee History, Madeleine M. Kunin, Vermont Public Radio (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-US-NRC biweekly licensing notice] NOTICES Facility Operating Licenses: Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses Involving No Significant Hazards Considerations Pages 3508-3513 [FR DOC# 2012-1215], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

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see previous nuclear plant news at nuclear.com's main nuclear power page

OTHER NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEWS

* [npp-newbuild-UK] Support for farmer refusing to sell land for power station, Barry Alston, Farmers Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-newbuild-Netherlands] Dutch-based Delta, partners delay construction of nuclear plant, Gilbert Kreijger, Reuters (via NEI email); title here is NEI's - original is Dutch utility puts off plan for nuclear power plant
Here's NEI's description: Weak power prices and a poor investment climate have prompted Dutch utility Delta, Electricite de France and RWE to delay for two to three years the construction of a new 2,500-megawatt nuclear facility in the Netherlands. Delta said the project would have cost between $6.5 billion and $9 billion.

* [npp-Japan-IAEA] IAEA double-checks Japanese tests, World Nuclear News

* [npp-Japan-IAEA] IAEA begins review of Japan's nuclear stress tests, Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters (via NEI email)
Here's NEI's description: A team of International Atomic Energy Agency experts started evaluating stress tests for Japan's reactors, which were conducted in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi incident. "We are conducting a review that [the Japanese government] requested of their methodology and approach for conducting comprehensive safety assessments or stress tests," said James Lyons, head of the IAEA team.

* [npp-Russia-nuclearbiz] Rosatom Managers Sacked, Fined over Corporate Party, Ria Novosti (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] £600,000 storm damage cost for Dounreay, STV.tv (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Plans for Sellafield plutonium reactor rejected, Rob Edwards, The Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [npp-UK] Housing and traffic crisis fears over Hinkley Point nuclear power station proposal, Western Daily Press (via Nevada ANP)

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IRAN NEWS

* [Iran-assassination-Israel] Mossad kills Iranian scientists: Poll, Press TV (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-IAEA-US] U.S. urges Iran to comply with IAEA team, Xinhua News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil-EU] 'Unprecedented' EU Sanctions on Iran a Farce, Rick Moran, FrontPage Magazine (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil-EU] 'EU oil embargo on Iran will backfire', Interview with Carol Turner, Press TV (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil-EU] 'EU embargo targets ordinary Iranians', Interview with Mohammad Marandi, Press TV (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil-EU] 'EU ban on Iran oil, political game', Press TV (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil-India] India to pay for Iran's oil in gold, Rediff (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil] Iranian oil ban may result in 'race for the bomb', BBC News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil] Oil Trades Near $100 on Speculation Iran Will Respond to European Embargo, Ben Sharples, Bloomberg (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-oil] Iran will not accept these sanctions - it will respond, Tom Rogan, The Guardian (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-sanctions] 'Sanctions reinforce Iran's resolve', Press TV (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-wardrums] 'Iran sanctions, provocation for war', Interview with Jeff Gates, Press TV (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-wardrums] Iran escalation 'could see UK forces sent to Gulf', BBC News (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-wardrums] NZ disarmament expert: Western anti-Iran claims are a deception, Bob Rigg, IRNA (via Nevada ANP)

* [Iran-China-Israel] Israel's deputy PM welcomes China's Middle East policy, Xinhua (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said on Monday that he welcomes China's policy on the Iranian nuclear issue and Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying that Beijing is contributing to the stability of the Middle East and the world order

* [Iran-IAEA-US] US asks Iran to cooperate with IAEA, Press Trust of India (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
The US has asked Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency when their inspectors visit the country, even as Tehran threatened to close down the strategic Strait of Hormuz in retaliation of oil sanctions.

* [Iran-IAEA] IAEA aims to resolve "substantive issues" in Iran, Fredrik Dahl, Reuters (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
The U.N. nuclear watchdog Monday confirmed plans for a January 29-31 visit to Iran and said its main objective was to "resolve all outstanding substantive issues," referring to suspicions of military dimensions to the Iranian atomic energy program.

* [Iran-oil-EU] Iran slams EU oil embargo, warns could hit U.S., SINA (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Iran accused Europeans on Monday of waging "psychological warfare" after the EU banned imports of Iranian oil, and President Barack Obama said Washington would impose more sanctions to address the "serious threat presented by Iran's nuclear program."

* [Iran-oil-EU] EU Iran sanctions: Ministers adopt Iran oil imports ban, BBC News (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
European Union foreign ministers have formally adopted an "unprecedented" oil embargo against Iran over its nuclear programme, banning all new oil contracts with the country.

* [Iran-sanctions-EU-US] Europe, U.S. impose new Iran sanctions but repeat offer for talks, Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy Newspapers (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
Even as they tightened the financial screws on Iran with new sanctions on Monday, the United States and its European allies reiterated their readiness to resume talks with Tehran on curbing what they suspect is a secret nuclear weapons development program.

* [Iran-Strait of Hormuz] US carrier in Gulf after passing Strait of Hormuz, AFP (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has passed through the Strait of Hormuz and is now in the Gulf, the Pentagon said, after Tehran threatened to close the strategic shipping route.

* [Iran-talks] Bid for Iran nuclear talks confronts old snags, Brian Murphy, AP (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Iran] Sabotage, bombings, sanctions: A growing web of pressure over Iran, Josh Levs, CNN (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Iran] Foreign Policy: Stop The Madness, Yousaf Butt (FAS), NPR (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

* [Iran] Iran nuclear weapons threat escalates, Colin Rubenstein, Jakarta Post (via IAEA Daily Press Review)

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see previous Iran-related news at nuclear.com's Iran page

KOREA NEWS

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see previous North Korea-related news at nuclear.com's North Korea page

OTHER NUCLEAR WEAPON NEWS

* [n-weapons-India-submarines] India becomes 6th nation to join elite nuclear submarine club, Rajat Pandit, Times of India (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-weapons-materials security] How Accurate is the NTI Nuclear Materials Security Index?, Ch. Viyyanna Sastry and Rajiv Nayan, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-weapons-UK-sub fire] Fire alert on nuclear sub at Devonport, Western Daily Press (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-weapons-US-Downwinders] Will the downwinders finally be heard?, Janet Monti, Emmett Messenger-Index (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-weapons-US-Downwinders] Downwinders hope Day of Remembrance spurs change, David DeMille, St. George Daily Spectrum (via Nevada ANP)

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see previous nuclear weapons-related news at nuclear.com's main Nuclear weapons page

OTHER NUCLEAR NEWS

* [n-powered icebreaker-Russia] Nuclear giant sails Scandinavia, Thomas Nilsen, Barents Observer (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-waste-US-spent fuel] Industry says U.S. should adopt used-fuel-management proposals, Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News (via NEI email); title here is NEI's - original is "Panel: U.S. nuclear waste problem can be managed"
Here's NEI's description: The Obama administration and Congress need to adopt the recommendations of the federal blue-ribbon commission regarding the proper management of radioactive waste so the country can achieve progress in its efforts to resolve the storage problem, said Everett Redmond, the Nuclear Energy Institute's director of nonproliferation and fuel cycle policy. The commission is expected to propose the creation of a quasi-governmental body to handle used nuclear fuel storage and the consolidated, interim storage of the material.

* [n-waste-US-spent fuel] [audio] Used Nuclear Fuel Management Media Briefing, Jan. 23, 2012, on the Blue Ribbon Commission for America's Nuclear Future final report on used nuclear fuel management. Core themes include: the nuclear waste fee; pursuing centralized interim storage; and establishing new management of the used nuclear fuel program, NEI, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and the Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition (via NEI email)

* [n-waste-spent fuel] Chemists find new material to remove radioactive gas from spent nuclear fuel, PhysOrg (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-waste-spent fuel] A mountain of nuclear waste, Linda Pentz Gunter, Salt Lake Tribune (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-waste-UK] Underground nuclear dump would change Lake District forever - claim, News & Star (via Nevada ANP)

* [n-waste-Washington state] Change to state radioactive waste permit system proposed, Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [site-Hanford] Board raises issue about corrosion at vit plant, Annette Cary, Tri-City Herald (via Nevada ANP)

* [site-Oak Ridge] Govt's Oak Ridge security contractor probes sleeping guard, other allegations at high-stakes nuclear facility, Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [site-Oak Ridge] So, how's business at the ORNL hotel? Not so good, actually . . . at least not yet, Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [site-Oak Ridge] Guard allegedly found asleep at Oak Ridge nuke facility, Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel (via Nevada ANP)

* [site-Yucca Mountain] Yucca Mountain on the horizon for GOP candidates, Longview Daily News editorial (via Nevada ANP)

* [solar particles] Huge solar storm to shower Earth with radioactive particles, CNN (via Nevada ANP)

* [uranium mining-Australia] Labor policy shift on uranium favours Toro, Andrew Burrell, The Australian (via Nevada ANP)

* [uranium mining-US-Grand Canyon] Legislators blast decision to close lands to uranium mining, White Mountain Independent (via Nevada ANP)

* [uranium processing/thorium processing] NOTICES Reimbursement for Costs of Remedial Action at Active Uranium and Thorium Processing Sites Pages 3460-3461 [FR DOC# 2012-1352], Energy Department (via Nevada ANP)

* [uranium recovery-Finland] More approvals for Finnish U plans, World Nuclear News

* [uranium recovery-Finland] More approvals for Finnish U plans, World Nuclear News (via Nevada ANP)

* [USNRC-Commissioners meetings thru week of Feb 27] NOTICES Meeting: Sunshine Federal Register Notice Pages 3513-3514 [FR DOC# 2012-1526], Nuclear Regulatory Commission (via Nevada ANP)

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OTHER ENERGY NEWS

* [energy-carbon capture] NOTICES Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Cancellation of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Mountaineer Commercial Scale Carbon Capture and Storage Project, Mason County, WV Pages 3459-3460 [FR DOC# 2012-1351], Energy Department (via Nevada ANP)

* [energy-environment] Sieminski to head Energy Info Administration; Jones to oversee toxic substances at EPA, Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel blog (via Nevada ANP)

* [energy-oil-radiation] Officials to test Minot proppant after oilfield waste found radioactive, Dave Caldwell, Minot Daily News (via Nevada ANP)

* [energy-climate-npp] China's Climate Report Spurs Nuclear Energy, Ryan Landon Swanson, Wall St Sector Selector (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
China's climate change report likely to strengthen support for renewables and nuclear energy.

* [environment-solar storm] Largest Solar Radiation Storm in Six Years Headed Toward Earth, Ryan Flinn, Bloomberg (via IAEA Daily Press Review)
The Earth will be bombarded today by the strongest solar radiation storm in six years, with a limited potential to affect satellites and power grids, officials say.

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see previous energy-related news at nuclear.com's main Energy page