Project for Nuclear Awareness

Iran Seen Easing Restrictions on al-Qaeda Operatives

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:50:09 +0000

Iran is suspected by some U.S. officials of relaxing restrictions on the movement al-Qaeda members who have been in custody in the country for years and might have delivered tangible support to the terrorist organization, the Wall Street Journal reported (Read more...)

IAEA Barred From Iranian Atomic Site, Scientist

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:50:08 +0000

A high-level International Atomic Energy Agency delegation this week requested unsuccessfully to visit Iran's Parchin military site and interview a scientist thought to be overseeing nuclear bomb-related studies, further decreasing prospects for a deal to end tensions over the nation's (Read more...)

South Korea Hopeful North Can be Induced to Return to Nuke Talks

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:38:34 +0000

South Korea's senior nuclear negotiator is hopeful that delivery of assistance can induce North Korea to return to long-dormant negotiations aimed at its permanent denuclearization, Bloomberg reported on Friday (see GSN, Feb. 2).

"The prospects of the normalization of (Read more...)

Upkeep of U.S. Tactical Nukes in Europe Too Costly, Watchdog Says

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:30:54 +0000

The increasing cost of maintaining an aging force of U.S. tactical nuclear bombs in Europe is not matched by the defense value the weapons provide, particularly in light of the United States' massive budget problems, a government watchdog said in (Read more...)

India to Open High-Security Disease Research Lab

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:56:32 +0000

India intends in a matter of months to begin operations at a high-security laboratory that would work with anthrax bacteria, the Ebola virus and other lethal disease agents that could be used in acts of biological terrorism, the Indian Express (Read more...)

Biodefense Panel Begins 2012 Work

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:56:32 +0000

A senior U.S. Health and Human Services Department official on Thursday requested that the National Biodefense Science Board begin preparing an update to the U.S. program for developing the strongest possible stockpile of vaccines and other medical treatments for WMD (Read more...)

Destroyed Iranian Site Worked on ICBMs: Israel

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:56:32 +0000

An Iranian installation wiped out in a blast late last year had been working on creating missiles capable of hitting the United States, Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Thursday (see GSN, Jan. 4).

The detonation at (Read more...)

Umatilla Contractor Fined Over Permit Breaches

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:09:01 +0000

The contractor for the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility faces $46,800 in penalties from the state of Oregon for multiple breaches of an operating permit last June and September, the Oregon Environmental Quality Department announced on Tuesday (see GSN, (Read more...)

Japan to Develop Predictive Capacity for Dispersal of WMD Agents

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:09:01 +0000

Japan intends to establish the capacity to forecast the dispersal patterns of dangerous materials released following a potential WMD attack or mishap, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday (see GSN, May 10, 2007).

The Japanese Defense Ministry is working (Read more...)

New Uses Found for U.S. Chem, Bio Defenses

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:09:01 +0000

The absence over the last 10 years of chemical or biological strikes in the United States has resulted in alternative uses being devised for U.S. capabilities established for spotting and countering such events, the Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday (Read more...)