Mr Ferguson declined to comment on the contents of a leaked diplomatic cable, revealed in The Age yesterday, suggesting Australia was planning to sell yellowcake to India
No to Indian uranium sales, The Age, Katharine Murphy, February 11, 2011 AUSTRALIA will not sell uranium to India until it signs a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and completes a safeguards agreement, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says. (more…)
Missing from BHP Billiton’s announcement was any mention of the fact that, by the time Olympic Dam reaches full production (and the time frame for what is proposed to be a four stage expansion remains highly uncertain) it will be the world’s biggest uranium producer…..
Silent on uraniumThe Australian Matthew Stevens March 31, 2011 “……. FUKUSHIMA’S nuclear shadow seems to have reached all the way to BHP Billiton headquarters in Melbourne, with the Global Australian yesterday confirming Olympic Dam’s move into full feasibility, but remaining cautiously mute about what that might mean for the future giant’s uranium production. (more…)
Australia opening new uranium markets to a country with the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and largest stockpile of weapons-usable material, much of it inadequately secured………..the secrecy surrounding a deal that is done on the sidelines of the G20 rather than in the proper light of Australian public scrutiny.
New Risks from Australia Russia Uranium Deal - On Line Opinion – By James Norman 19/11/2010 Late last week on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in South Korea, Prime Minister Julia Gillard ratified a deal with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that should send shockwaves through the Australian electorate. (more…)
Stuxnet might have damaged 1,000 centrifuges in Natanz, 30 Dec 10, “………The Stuxnet virus which has contaminated Iran’s nuclear setting up might have been at the back of the decommissioning of the 1,000 centrifuges in the Natanz uranium fortification facility earlier the year, according to the new study of the malevolent software. (more…)
The leaked cables tell hair-raising tales of casks of uranium found in wicker baskets in Burundi, a retired Russian general offering to sell “uranium plates” in Portugal, and a radioactive Armenian car on the Georgian border.
WikiLeaks cables: How US ‘second line of defence’ tackles nuclear threat Diplomatic dispatches reveal world of smugglers, ex-military fixers and radioactive materials found in unlikely locations Julian Borger and Karen McVeigh * guardian.co.uk, Sunday 19 December 2010 (more…)
Wikileaks US embassy cables: Burmese civilian offers to sell uranium to US diplomats guardian.co.uk, 9 December 2010 During XXXXXXXXXXXX interview, the individual claimed to be able to provide up to 2000 kg of uranium-bearing rock from a location in Kayah State XXXXXXXXXXXX , and further stated if the U.S. was not interested in purchasing the uranium, he and his associates would try to sell it to other countries, beginning with Thailand…… US embassy cables: Burmese civilian offers to sell uranium to US diplomats | World news | guardian.co.uk
WikiLeaks: Pakistan Delaying Uranium Removal - CBS News, 1 Dec 10, A stash of highly enriched uranium capable of providing enough material for multiple “dirty bombs” has been waiting in Pakistan for removal by an American team for more than three years but has been held up by the country’s government, according to leaked classified State Department documents. (more…)
Iran’s nuclear program reportedly struggling Network News By Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, November 22, 2010; Iran’s nuclear program has experienced serious problems, including unexplained fluctuations in the performance of the thousands of centrifuges enriching uranium, leading to a rare but temporary shutdown, international inspectors are expected to reveal Tuesday. (more…)
A sophisticated malworm such as Stuxnet could potentially include code that would cause uranium enriching centrifuges to explode under high pressure, or at a certain date. Did it actually do it? There were reports that Iran’s uranium enrichment plant at the Natanz facility was attacked by Stuxnet and sustained damage. An earlier report suggested that in 2009 that site suffered a serious nuclear accident that reduced the number of uranium enriching centrifuges by at least 25%. Was Stuxnet the reason?
A Cyber War Against Iran: Whodunit?, THE HUFFINGTON POST, by Haggai Carmon:, 13 Oct 10, The Iranians are frantically looking for those responsible for infecting their nuclear and industrial facilities with Stuxnet, an extremely sophisticated and dangerous viral computer malworm………… (more…)
