NucNews November 10, 2006 -------- NUCLEAR World's first fusion power reactor to be built by 2016 - expert 10/ 11/ 2006 (RIA Novosti) http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061110/55526336.html BEIJING, November 10 - The world's first fusion power reactor will be built as part of an international research project by 2016, a leading Russian nuclear physicist said Friday. Russia, the United States, the European Union, China, India, Japan and South Korea are taking part in the $12.1 billion project, known by the acronym ITER, to demonstrate the scientific and technological potential of nuclear fusion amid concerns over growing energy consumption and the impact of conventional fossil fuels on the environment. Yevgeny Velikhov, president of the Kurchatov Institute of Nuclear Physics, said an agreement on the project will be signed in Paris November 21. "We expect substantive work to begin next January," he said, adding that the first plasma operation is expected in 2016. The reactor will be built in France's Cadarache, with the European Union covering 40% of the costs and the other participants contributing 10% each. The first electricity-producing fusion power plant is to be built by 2030, most probably in Japan, Velikhov said. "We believe that by the end of the century, nuclear fusion will account for a significant proportion of the energy humanity generates for itself," Velikhov said, praising it as an environmentally benign and essentially inexhaustible power source. -------- australia Canberra clears way for nuclear future Katharine Murphy November 10, 2006 THE AGE http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/canberra-clears-way-for-nuclear-future/2006/11/09/1162661832124.html THE Howard Government is clearing the way for the development of new uranium mines with the release of a two-year plan to entrench Australia's position in the global nuclear industry. The government is expected to release on Monday a report that calls for Canberra and the states to work towards uniform national regulations governing all exploration, mining and transport of uranium. The Uranium Industry Framework has been written by Melbourne businessman John White. It is expected to reignite tension between Canberra and states such as Western Australia, which bans uranium mining and nuclear activities, by calling for all layers of government to work towards common "best practice" rules for the industry. The Age believes that the report will call for an industry-led program to boost the skills and training of the uranium sector workforce, and nationally accredited training schemes for radiation workers. It will also recommend the Northern Territory Government clarify uranium mining royalties by establishing a more transparent system over how much income goes to mining companies and indigenous landholders. The framework is the result of 12 months of closed-door talks between Australia's major resources companies, indigenous communities, officials from Canberra and the two jurisdictions currently permitting uranium mines — South Australia and the Northern Territory. Mr White is a prominent Melbourne industrialist responsible for the concept of nuclear fuel "leasing" — where companies mine uranium, convert yellowcake to nuclear fuel rods, export them overseas and then take back and store the nuclear waste. Mr White was hand-picked by Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane last year to examine the uranium mining industry and identify the impediments and opportunities to developing the sector. ---- Australia 'turning a nuclear blind eye' From correspondents in Jakarta November 10, 2006 Agence France-Presse http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,20738400-1702,00.html?from=rss ENVIRONMENTALISTS today accused Australia of turning a blind eye to Indonesia's plans to build nuclear power plants by agreeing to sign a security pact next week. Australia and Indonesia are due to sign a new security treaty on the resort island of Lombok on Monday. The treaty covers bilateral co-operation in a range of areas, including defence, counter-terrorism and steps to battle trans-national crime, but will also cover agreements on nuclear programs. Indonesia's nuclear power plans were shelved in 1997 in the face of mounting public opposition and the discovery and exploitation of the large Natuna gas field. But the plans were floated again last year amid growing power shortages. "Australia is closing their eyes to the whole non-transparent process and only put forward their uranium export business aspect," despite efforts to support democracy in Indonesia, the Indonesian Anti-Nuclear Community said. "It is not fair for Australia to support Indonesia's nuclear program but prohibit the industry in some of their own states," Dian Abraham, spokesman for the non-governmental organisation said. "There seem to be no plans to consult the people in developing nuclear plans in Indonesia as written in the 1997 Nuclear Energy Act," he said. Australia holds 40 per cent of the world's known uranium reserves. Prime Minister John Howard has said Australians "would be foolish, from the national interest point of view, with our vast resources of uranium, to say that we are not going to consider nuclear power." "Indonesia is developing a legal framework for the country's nuclear industry in preparation for an operational nuclear plant by 2017, as laid out in the 2005 National Energy Policy," Sukarman Aminjoyo, head of the National Nuclear Monitoring Body, said. He said that monitoring body "will open the tender for construction and operation (for the nuclear power plant) as soon as we have the law ready." Indonesia has previously said that it plans to build its first nuclear power plant, with a capacity of 1000 megawatts, on densely-populated Java island. ---- Nuclear energy report has green groups worried The World Today - Friday, 10 November, 2006 Australia Broadcasting Reporter: Sabra Lane http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1785839.htm ELEANOR HALL: Six months ago, Prime Minister John Howard declared it was time to open up debate about Australia's nuclear energy future. Within weeks, he'd commissioned a high-profile report into nuclear power, headed by Ziggy Switkowski. But well before that, in August last year, the Federal Government had already commissioned another report, from a man seen as an advocate of the atomic energy industry. Effectively a blueprint outlining how Australia's nuclear industry could be expanded, the report by Melbourne-based industrialist John White is now expected to be released on Monday, and already green groups are worried. Sabra Lane reports. SABRA LANE: In June, John Howard hand-picked former Telstra chief and nuclear scientist Ziggy Switkowski to investigate the merits of a domestic nuclear power industry. But it wasn't the Government's first inquiry into the nuclear industry. Since August last year, Melbourne Industrialist John White has headed up an industry-dominated inquiry into how to expand the mining industry in Australia. In an interview recorded earlier this year, John White said he didn't think the group's report would create a lot of interest. JOHN WHITE: I think our report is not going to be very controversial at all, in that it will be simply looking at ways of expanding the existing mining industry in a very safe and very sustainable fashion. It will demonstrably be to the benefit of Australians, be a very safe thing to do. So I don't think that's going to be the big issue of this forthcoming discussion. SABRA LANE: The Uranium Industry framework report is the result of 12 months of investigations and inquiries, largely behind closed doors. The report will pinpoint a skills shortage and Labor State Government policies preventing further expansion of uranium mining as major impediments to the industry. JOHN WHITE: I think it's fair to say the Australian uranium mining industry could expand significantly over the next five, 10, 15, 20 years. SABRA LANE: Also part of the committee's brief: how to foster broader community understanding and acceptance of the uranium. JOHN WHITE: We will look at setting up some communication programs beyond the end of this first year. That may well be one of the recommendations that we make to the minister. SABRA LANE: What kind of communication program? Ads on TV? JOHN WHITE: Look, I don't think it would be, but who knows when one starts looking at the possibilities? I guess I have found the uranium industry and the nuclear power debate in this country have been almost fact-free zones. SABRA LANE: Australian Democrats Senator Senator Lyn Allison believes the uranium industry has effectively had the jump on the public, with 12 months to get its wish-list and campaign together ahead of a public debate. LYNN ALLISON: Of course we've seen in our Prime Minister a master of turning public opinion around and he has an enormous budget with which to do that. So a massive advertising campaign telling Australians that we really need to embrace this nuclear fuel cycle I think can… you know, is going to be very interesting. SABRA LANE: The Wilderness Society is also concerned and is calling on state governments to reject the report's findings. The society's nuclear campaigner is Imogen Zethoven. IMOGEN ZETHOVEN: This report will give the green light, a fast track to more uranium mines in Australia. And we're very concerned about that because John White has been on the record as supporting a concept called nuclear fuel leasing, and basically that concept is that whatever uranium we export overseas, we should take back the high level nuclear waste from it. So Australia, the more it exports, the more in the future we would need to import high level nuclear waste, and that is essentially his idea and he is the main author of this report. SABRA LANE: John White is an advocate for nuclear fuel leasing, but he says it wasn't part of his inquiry's terms of reference. Mr White says if an enrichment plant and dump were built in Australia, he knows of some good locations. JOHN WHITE: Perhaps the best locations are not far from Olympic Dam where this material is being mined in the first place, significantly, and not far from Maralinga which is a site which could be suitable for such a proposal. The Wilderness Society says State and Territory governments should reject any moves to expand the industry. IMOGEN ZETHOVEN: We are calling on all the states to follow the leadership examples of South Australia and Western Australia. Those states passed legislation two or three years ago to prevent nuclear waste dumps being built in their states. So if all of the states in Australia were to pass that legislation it would send a very strong message to the Federal Government that this is not the kind of future we want. ELEANOR HALL: That's the Wilderness Society's Imogen Zethoven, ending that report by Sabra Lane. -------- business Boeing Awarded Contract To Upgrade ICBM Weapon System by Staff Writers St Louis MO (SPX) Nov 10, 2006 http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Boeing_Awarded_Contract_To_Upgrade_ICBM_Weapon_System_999.html Boeing has received a $78.2 million contract from Northrop Grumman Mission Systems to deploy a replacement Environmental Control System (ECS) for more than 550 U.S. Air Force Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launch, missile alert and Class 1 trainer facilities. The ECS regulates climate controls and ensures that electronics and ground support systems are maintained at specified pre-set temperatures in launch control centers and launch facilities. The current Minuteman ECS, in use for more than 40 years, has been the focus of a redesign effort over the past decade. Boeing will remove the current ECS before installing and testing the new one. A separate contractor will manufacture the replacement systems. The contract calls for the work to be completed by 2011. "We're very pleased to be selected for this important mission," said Kelly Johnson, Boeing ICBM program manager. "The Environmental Control System plays a vital role in maintaining the readiness of our nation's ICBM force." Boeing, a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman Mission Systems on the Air Force ICBM program, also is responsible for supporting the sustaining engineering and modernization efforts under way for the silo-based ICBM fleet and supports the Minuteman Force Development Evaluation flight test program at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The Minuteman ICBM is a three-stage, solid-fueled strategic missile. First deployed in the 1960s, there are 500 Minuteman ICBMs currently deployed in the nation's arsenal. -------- depleted uranium Russian green group calls for legal action against uranium firm MOSCOW (AFP) Nov 10, 2006 http://www.spacewar.com/2006/061110154008.fdacozco.html Russian environmentalists Friday called on Germany to prosecute the uranium-enriching company Urenco which it accuses of trying to turn Russia into a "nuclear dump". The non-governmental environment group Ekozashchita asked a German public prosecutor "to investigate the activities of the German branch of Urenco which illegally delivers nuclear waste to Russia," a spokesman for the group, Vladimir Sliviak, told AFP. The group accused the company of transporting 20,000 tonnes of waste depleted uranium to Russia for further enrichment since 1996 under a deal with the Russian uranium-enrichment company Techsnabexport. Some 90 percent of the waste uranium has since remained in Russia, the group alleged, claiming that such movement of nuclear material is forbidden under Russian and German environmental laws. Techsnabexport rebuffed the charge, telling AFP that it had transported "not nuclear waste, but primary materials". It was backed up in this claim by the Russian nuclear authorities. "Depleted uranium is a primary material which we enrich and use for the country's industrial needs," said Igor Konyshev, an official from Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency. "The waste which is left after enrichment is treated in conformity with Russian legislation," he added. The German branch of the company targeted by the action, Urenco Deutschland GmbH, is a subsidiary of the joint British, Dutch and German-owned company Urenco. -------- latinamerica U.S. seeks better ties by aiding militaries Updated 11/10/2006 By Barbara Slavin, USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-11-09-waiver_x.htm WASHINGTON — Concern about leftist victories in Latin America has prompted President Bush to quietly grant a waiver that allows the United States to resume training militaries from 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The administration hopes the training will forge links with countries in the region and blunt a leftward trend. Daniel Ortega, a nemesis of the United States in the region during the 1980s, was elected president in Nicaragua this week. Bolivians chose another leftist, Evo Morales, last year. ON DEADLINE: Will the move help U.S. influence or cause more trouble? A military training ban was originally designed to pressure countries into exempting U.S. soldiers from war crimes trials. The 2002 U.S. law bars countries from receiving military aid and training if they refuse to promise immunity from prosecution to U.S. servicemembers who might get hauled before the International Criminal Court. The law allows presidential waivers. The White House lifted the ban on 21 countries, about half in Latin America or the Caribbean, through a presidential memorandum Oct. 2 to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The training is conducted in the USA. A ban on giving countries weapons remains. Commercial arms sales are not affected, said Jose Ruiz, a U.S. Southern Command spokesman. The training ban had resulted in a loss of U.S. influence in the region. The issue gained urgency after a string of leftist candidates came to power in Latin America. Rice said this year on a trip to the region that the impact of the ban had been "the same as shooting ourselves in the foot." China stepped into the gap. Ruiz said China "has approached every country in our area of responsibility" and has exchanged senior military officials with Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Cuba and provided military aid and training to Jamaica and Venezuela. The ban remains in effect for some countries. Venezuela, whose fiery President Hugo Chávez is a critic of the Bush administration, remains ineligible because it is on a State Department list of countries alleged to have permitted the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Chávez is up for re-election in December and leads in the polls. Cuba is also off-limits because of a long-standing U.S. embargo against Fidel Castro's regime. Ruiz said efforts are being made to transfer money this year to begin training foreign officers from eligible countries. -------- russia Speaker Hans Blix, Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission Posted by Wayne Hunter on Fri, 2006-11-10, Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/1601 Time: 2006 Nov 17 12:30 - 14:00 Summary: Professional Luncheon, Hans Blix, Chairman, Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English. Description: "Weapons of Terror" Weapons of mass destruction were never found in Iraq, but they certainly remain a menace to the human race. A recent report by the independent and international Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission cites the existence of 27,000 nuclear weapons spread around the world and the continuing efforts by individual states and perhaps terrorist groups to develop or obtain different kinds of weapons. This past summer the commission put forward 60 concrete recommendations on how the world could be freed of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. As chairman of the commission, Dr. Hans Blix is visiting Japan and the FCCJ to explain the commission's push for arms limitation and disarmament. Blix served as Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs and as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency before becoming executive chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), which was charged with investigating Iraq's weapons capabilities. In the run up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Blix frequently clashed with the Bush administration over whether or not Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and whether it posed a threat to its neighbors and the world. Come hear this seasoned arms control expert explain why states currently possessing nuclear weapons must reduce their arsenals and stop producing plutonium and highly enriched uranium for more weapons. -------- u.s. nuc facilities -------- illinois Coalition Pushes Nuclear Energy Friday, 10 November 2006 (WWJ) http://wwj.com/pages/123761.php?contentType=4&contentId=239459 Detroit -- A new energy coalition is urging Michigan residents to support the use of nuclear power as a clean, safe, reliable and cost-effective way to balance America’s energy demands and protect the environment. Dr. Patrick Moore, Co-founder of Greenpeace and co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition - also known as the CASEnergy Coalition, is spreading his nuclear energy message in Michigan. "If we actually want to level off or even reduce our fossil fuel consumption for electricity production, nuclear energy and renewables combined in aggressive program, is the only way to do that," Moore said during a news briefing at the Detroit Athletic Club. The coalition claims if a new nuclear power plant were built in Michigan, it would create 1,400 to 1,800 construction jobs, employ 400-500 full-time professional workers, result in 400-500 jobs in the surrounding communities, and generate $500 million a year for the local economy. "It may be a while yet before we convince Greenpeace and the Sierra Club that nuclear energy is the only major power source that can effectively replace fossil fuels for electricity production while at the same time meeting a growing demand in a growing economy for electricity," Dr. Moore said. Nuclear energy currently produces electricity for one out of five U.S. homes and businesses and accounts for about 27 percent of the Michigan’s electricity. -------- kansas Wolf Creek ramps up after maintenance, refueling shutdown Bloomberg News Fri, Nov. 10, 2006 http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/15980684.htm The Wolf Creek nuclear reactor connected to the grid this morning after a refueling and maintenance shutdown. The unit was at about 25 percent of capacity early this morning and is ramping up toward full power, Jenny Hageman, a spokeswoman for Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp., said today. The shutdown lasted about 34 days, she said. The reactor is located near Burlington, about 60 miles south of Topeka. It can supply about 1,205 megawatts to the energy grid, according to the operator. That's enough power for about 964,000 average U.S. homes, based on U.S. Energy Department estimates. Westar Energy Inc., based in Topeka, and Great Plains Energy Inc. of Kansas City, Mo., each have 47 percent stakes in the facility. Kansas Electric Power Cooperative Inc. has the remaining 6 percent. -------- michigan Coalition Pushes Nuclear Energy Friday, 10 November 200601``1 http://wwj.com/pages/123761.php?contentType=4&contentId=239459 Detroit -- A new energy coalition is urging Michigan residents to support the use of nuclear power as a clean, safe, reliable and cost-effective way to balance America’s energy demands and protect the environment. Dr. Patrick Moore, Co-founder of Greenpeace and co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition - also known as the CASEnergy Coalition, is spreading his nuclear energy message in Michigan. "If we actually want to level off or even reduce our fossil fuel consumption for electricity production, nuclear energy and renewables combined in aggressive program, is the only way to do that," Moore said during a news briefing at the Detroit Athletic Club. The coalition claims if a new nuclear power plant were built in Michigan, it would create 1,400 to 1,800 construction jobs, employ 400-500 full-time professional workers, result in 400-500 jobs in the surrounding communities, and generate $500 million a year for the local economy. "It may be a while yet before we convince Greenpeace and the Sierra Club that nuclear energy is the only major power source that can effectively replace fossil fuels for electricity production while at the same time meeting a growing demand in a growing economy for electricity," Dr. Moore said. Nuclear energy currently produces electricity for one out of five U.S. homes and businesses and accounts for about 27 percent of the Michigan’s electricity. -------- new jersey Drywell liner thick enough for Oyster Creek nuclear plant to run safely for next 2 years, regulators say Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 11/10/06 BY NICHOLAS CLUNN STAFF WRITER http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661110018 LACEY — New measurements taken of a radiation barrier at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant show that the structure could last for at least the next two years, but federal regulators did not say whether it was safe enough for an additional 20 years. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued that assessment Thursday following thickness measurements taken last month of the 100-foot-tall drywell liner, a vessel that would contain radioactive steam during a serious accident. Regulators considering whether to renew the plant's operating license for an additional 20 years -- and activists opposed to that idea - have been paying close attention to the liner because a water leak from an upper portion of the plant during the 1980s caused sections to rust and become thinner, reducing the margin of safety. Nicholas Clunn: (732) 643-4072 or nclunn@app.com -------- tennessee Y-12 official: Deserted nuke process 'no longer needed' By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com November 10, 2006 Knoxville News Sentinel http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5132564,00.html OAK RIDGE - Officials at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant have abandoned development of a uranium process that exploded during a 2003 test. Bill Wilburn, a spokesman at the Oak Ridge plant, confirmed that work on the process known as "saltless direct oxide reduction" was stopped earlier this year. He said the decision had nothing to do with the 2003 accident. "Programmatic requirements changed, and we no longer needed to pursue that technology," Wilburn said in an e-mail response to questions. On April 15, 2003, a container of wet uranium exploded inside a sealed glove box in Y-12's Building 9202. The blast from the overpressurized container broke the seal on the glove box and caused a brief fire that exposed three workers to smoke and uranium particulate. None of the exposures was considered a health concern, but federal and contractor officials who investigated the accident said the situation could have been worse if employees had been working at the glove box. "It was a near miss," Bill Brumley, then-federal manager at Y-12, said at the time. BWXT, the government's contractor, was fined $82,500 for violations under the Price-Anderson Act, which covers nuclear safety at federal facilities. Engineers in Y-12's development division had worked on saltless direct oxide reduction for years as a technique for processing highly enriched uranium to produce a metal form of uranium "buttons." The test operation in 2003 was conducted using depleted uranium, with most of the fissile U-235 removed. Last year, Y-12 officials said the processing system had been revised significantly and indicated that it was on course for possible use in the plant's production activities. "We are still investigating the process after having redesigned, basically from the ground up, the part of the process that had the problem," Wilburn said. A recent report by Bob Alvarez, a former investigator with the U.S. Senate's Government Affairs Committee and a former adviser at the Department of Energy, was critical of Y-12's operations with enriched uranium. He cited 23 fires or explosions during a 15-year period. According to Alvarez, saltless direct oxide reduction was being developed to replace a fluoride process, "which generates a large amount of uranium-bearing waste salts and presents potentially serious occupational and public hazards due to significant amounts of hydrogen fluoride used." Alvarez also said, however, that the substitute process posed "potential environmental, safety and health problems." Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329. -------- us nuc waste COLUMN: Nuclear power is coming By: Dennis Hinkamp 11/10/06 Utah Statesman Opinion http://www.utahstatesman.com/media/storage/paper243/news/2006/11/10/Opinion/Column.Nuclear.Power.Is.Coming-2452546.shtml?norewrite200612032260&sourcedomain=www.utahstatesman.com It doesn't matter if the president can't pronounce it. It doesn't matter if you don't like it. Just like queer, it's here and we better get our heads out of our bongs and like, deal, man. Nuclear power and waste are already here and will be pretty close to forever. You may drive a Prius, you may ride a bike, you may eat lots of tofu and boycott cheap-labor Nike, but you are going to have to serve somebody. OK, so Nike doesn't really rhyme with bike and you may not even remember that Dylan song written during his Christian phase that I'm alluding to, but you may get the point. Maybe leaving no trace isn't such a good idea, maybe protesting nuclear waste storage is just a little too late. Look, I love(d) being a hippie. I'm stroking my gray pony tail and adjusting my twice-resoled Birkenstocks right now. The trouble is no matter how much we protest for peace and march against nukes, the rest of the world is yawning. We ought to be getting what's left of our collective brain cells together and come up with a safe way to store nuclear waste. Why? It doesn't matter what we do here, the rest of the world is going to sally forth down the black diamond nuke run whether we leave the ski lodge or not. Since this radioactive stuff infects the whole planet, our only chance for survival is giving everyone a safe way to store it. Twenty percent of our national power supply comes from nuclear energy. Our peace-keeping submarines and air craft carriers are nuclear powered. It certainly seems like we are in it for the long run in this military thing. Once the rest of the world starts going nuclear we are not going to be able to stop it at the border any better than we have stopped drugs and illegal immigrants. Unless that 700-mile fence on the border is about 50 miles high and made of 10 inches of lead, we are not going to keep radiation from crossing the border. Think of it like sex. Nobody in their right or left minds thinks we are going to stop young people from having sex, so we really, really ought to invest in good protective contraception. Although we have been building nuclear bombs and power plants for more than 60 years, the rest of the world is still adolescent in the process and is prone to dangerous experimentation just like all adolescents. We are old, sedentary and spent on the subject, so it is our obligation to help them experiment safely. Look at it like this. We can have anti-smoking campaigns and ask the tobacco companies to pay retribution, but are we really doing anything to significantly stop them? We live in a global economy and China has more smokers than we have people. The Marlboro man just becomes a Mongolian. You can't put the evil genie back in the bottle. Dennis Hinkamp does not own any fissionable nuclear materials, so rest easy. -------- MILITARY -------- israel / palestine Palestinians Bury 18 Killed in Israeli Attack on Beit Hanun Thursday, November 9th, 2006 Democracy Now! Headlines http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/09/1444233 In the Occupied Territories, funerals are being held today for 18 Palestinian civilians killed by Israel’s attack on the Gaza town of Beit Hanun. The victims were sleeping early Wednesday when Israeli artillery shells slammed into their homes. 18 of the victims were members of the same family – most of them women or children. Across the Occupied Territories, thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets in protest. 4,000 turned out in the West Bank city of Hebron. Meanwhile in Israel, a group of demonstrators gathered outside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office in Tel Aviv. Unidentified protester: "I am suffering, suffering for the loss of lives, either Israeli or Palestinians . They are human being and they have the right to live. There are no any reason to kill innocent children in their beds while they are sleeping. There is no excuse not the excuse of we didn't mean too like they say we are sorry. Its not a game its lives." Around 350 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s re-invasion of Gaza in June. Israel says it’s trying to stop Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli towns. Palestinian rocket fire has led to some injuries but has not caused any casualties inside Israel since June. -------- spies The Cheney-Gates Cabal November 10, 2006 by Ray McGovern http://www.antiwar.com/mcgovern/?articleid=9988 (Full disclosure: Ray McGovern is indebted to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld for TV notoriety on May 4, when McGovern's impromptu questioning after a Rumsfeld speech in Atlanta elicited denials later shown to be false after fact-checks by the TV networks. McGovern's acquaintance with Robert Gates, whom the president has picked to succeed Rumsfeld, goes back 36 years to when Gates was a journeyman analyst in the CIA's Soviet foreign policy branch led by McGovern.) As the Iraq war goes from bad to worse, President George W. Bush jettisoned "stay the course" in favor of "necessary adjustments." Yesterday he showed how quickly he can adjust to the midterm election results when he jettisoned Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, barely a week after telling reporters Rumsfeld was doing a "fantastic job" and that he wanted him to stay on for the next two years. It had been clear for weeks that the election would be a referendum on the war in Iraq and that Republican losses would be substantial. And Rumsfeld and Bush had every intention of avoiding the embarrassment likely to come of the grilling of Rumsfeld by congressional committees chaired by Democrats. Besides, who better to try to blame for the "long, hard slog" in Iraq than the fellow who coined the expression, and then implemented it with dubious distinction? I have the sense that Rumsfeld offered himself as scapegoat for Iraq, not only to avoid another acrimonious tangle with Sen. Hillary Clinton, but also to help Bush project an image of flexibility and decisiveness to cope with the imminent sea change in Congress. Neoconservatives Eat Their Own Former allies are among those now denouncing him. The abandonment is enough to pin down even an old wrestler like Rumsfeld, but perhaps the most unkindest cut of all came from long-standing supporter "Cakewalk Ken" Adelman who, like other neoconservatives, has turned mercilessly on his old, now discredited friend. In an interview for David Rose's "Neo Culpa" in Vanity Fair, Adelman came across as feeling jilted. "We're losing in Iraq. … I've worked with [Rumsfeld] three times in my life. I've been to each of his houses in Chicago, Taos, Santa Fe, Santo Domingo, and Las Vegas. I'm very, very fond of him, but I'm crushed by his performance. Did he change, or were we wrong in the past? Or is it that he was never really challenged before? I don't know. He certainly fooled me." As the saying goes, with friends like that, who needs Hillary? Or a pummeling by the Army-Navy-Air Force-Marine Corps Times? I almost feel sorry for Donald Rumsfeld (and I'm not just saying that because, with the Military Commissions Act now signed into law, he can declare me – or anyone – an unlawful enemy combatant and "disappear" me into some black hole for the rest of my days). What betrayal. What disingenuousness. Et tu, Cakewalk Ken? The neoconservatives are attempting to push the blame onto Rumsfeld for the debacle they authored. Parallel attempts by administration officials to scapegoat Rumsfeld will be equally transparent and unconvincing. The "Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal" may now be down to one. But there is every sign that Cheney will continue to be the dominant force in the White House, and he recently asserted, "You cannot make national security policy on the basis of [elections]. It may not be popular with the public. It doesn't matter, in the sense that we have to continue the mission [in Iraq]." Granted, Cheney made those comments before the election. But it is virtually certain that Bush vetted with Cheney the nomination of Robert Gates to succeed Rumsfeld and, if past experience is precedent, it is a virtual certainty that Gates will continue to earn an A+ for "loyalty." Look for a "Cheney-Gates cabal." Gates has been getting unduly positive press treatment since the announcement of his nomination. This is in part due to his participation in the realist-led Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel tasked with devising plans to stabilize Iraq. There's hope that Gates will help push through the group's recommendations. It is always possible that Gates really will bring, in the president's words, "a fresh perspective and new ideas on how America can achieve our goals in Iraq," but to those of us who have watched Gates parrot and implement White House policies – not create new ones – this seems a long shot. And as noted yesterday by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), who will probably chair the House International Affairs Committee, "You can't unscramble the omelet and the tremendous mistakes that were made after major military operations; I don't see any magical solutions." It seems only fair at the outset to give Gates the benefit of the doubt. He can hardly match the disaster Rumsfeld wrought with his fancy language and fanciful ideas, but that is damning with faint praise. Unless Gates' years outside the Beltway have wrought major behavioral change, Gates will bend to the wishes of Cheney and Bush and avoid taking stands on principle. While it is one thing to give him the benefit of the doubt; it is quite another to be oblivious to the considerable baggage he brings with him from past service. An Intelligence "Fixer" Those of us who had a front-row seat to watch Gates' handling of substantive intelligence can hardly forget the manner in which he cooked it to the recipe of whomever he reported to. A protégé of William Casey, President Ronald Reagan's CIA director, Gates learned well from his mentor. In 1995, Gates told the Washington Post 's Walter Pincus that he watched Casey on "issue after issue sit in meetings and present intelligence framed in terms of the policy he wanted pursued." Gates followed suit, cooking the analysis to justify policies favored by Casey and the White House. And the cooking was consequential. I was amused to read this morning in David Ignatius' column in the Washington Post that Gates "was the brightest Soviet analyst in the [CIA] shop, so Casey soon appointed him deputy director overseeing his fellow analysts." He wasn't; and Casey had something other than expertise in mind. Talk to anyone who was there at the time – except the sycophants Gates co-opted to do his bidding – and they will explain that Gates' meteoric career had most to do with his uncanny ability to see a Russian under every rock turned over by Casey. Those of Gates' subordinates willing to see two Russians became branch chiefs; three won you a division. I exaggerate only a little. To Casey, the Communists could never change and Gorbachev was simply cleverer than his predecessors. With his earlier training in our branch, and with his doctorate in Soviet affairs, Gates clearly knew better. Yet he carried Casey's water and stifled all dissent. One result was that the CIA as an institution missed the implosion of the Soviet Union – no small oversight. Another result was a complete loss of confidence in CIA analysis on the part of then-Secretary of State George Shultz and others who smelled the cooking. In July 1987, in the wake of the Iran-Contra affair, he told Congress, "I had come to have grave doubts about the objectivity and reliability of some of the intelligence I was getting." Iran-Contra And well he might. For example, in the fall of 1985 there was an abrupt departure from CIA's analytical line that Iran was supporting terrorism. On Nov. 22, 1985, the agency reported that Iranian-sponsored terrorism had "dropped off substantially" in 1985, but no evidence was adduced to support that key judgment. Oddly, a few months later CIA's analysis reverted back to pre-November 1985 with no further mention of any drop-off in Iranian support for terrorism. The U.S. illegally shipped Hawk missiles to Iran in late November 1985. When questions were raised about this in the summer of 1987, Stephen Engelberg of the New York Times quoted senior CIA official Clair George: "There was an example of a desperate attempt to try to sort of prove something was happening to make the policy [arms Iran for hostages] look good, and it wasn't." Also in 1985 Gates commissioned and warped a National Intelligence Estimate suggesting that Soviet influence in Iran could soon grow and pose a danger to U.S. interests. This also formed part of the backdrop for the illegal arms-for-hostages deal with Iran. More serious still was Gates' denial of awareness of Oliver North's illegal activities in support of the Contra attacks in Nicaragua, despite the fact that senior CIA officials claimed they had informed Gates that North had diverted funds from the Iranian arms sales for the benefit of the Contras. The independent counsel for the Iran-Contra investigation (1986-93), Lawrence Walsh, later wrote in frustration that Gates "denied recollection of facts 33 times." In 1991, when President George H. W. Bush nominated Robert Gates for the post of director of Central Intelligence, there was a virtual insurrection among CIA analysts who had suffered under his penchant for cooking intelligence. The stakes for integrity of analysis were so high that many still employed at the agency summoned the courage to testify against the nomination. But the fix was in, thanks to then-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee David Boren and his staff director, George Tenet. The issue was considered so important, however, that 31 senators voted against Gates when the committee forwarded his nomination. Never before or since has a CIA director nominee received so many nay votes. Gates is the one most responsible for institutionalizing the politicization of intelligence analysis by setting the example and promoting malleable managers more interested in career advancement than in the ethos of speaking truth to power. In 2002, it was those managers who then-CIA Director George Tenet ordered to prepare what has become known as the "Whore of Babylon" – the Oct. 1 National Intelligence Mis-Estimate on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He instructed them to adhere to the guidelines set by Vice President Dick Cheney in his infamous, preemptive speech of Aug. 26, 2002, and complete it in three weeks – in order to force a congressional vote before the midterm election. To their discredit, the managers complied and issued the worst NIE in the history of American intelligence. All those quoted in the press yesterday and this morning regarding the Gates nomination seem blissfully unaware of this history – all, that is, but Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), who sits on the House Intelligence Committee. Pointing out Gates' reputation for putting pressure on analysts to shape their conclusions to fit administration policies, Holt told the press yesterday that the nomination is "deeply troubling," and stressed that the confirmation hearings "should be thorough and probing." Reprinted courtesy of TomPaine.com. -------- us US military chief signals changes ahead in Iraq strategy by Jim Mannion Fri Nov 10, 2006 (AFP) http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061110/pl_afp/usvoteiraqmilitary_061110205314 WASHINGTON - US military leaders are making their own reassessment of the course in Iraq, the top US military officer said, signaling major changes ahead with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's departure. "We should not expect to go with a plan that's chipped in stone and stay with that plan no matter what," said General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Key questions facing any new regime at the Pentagon will be whether to surge more US troops into the country to smother sectarian violence, and whether to move more aggressively against Shiite militias at the source of much of the bloodshed. Last week, before his abrupt resignation, Rumsfeld and his generals opted to avoid a confrontation over the militias with Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in favor of a more rapid transition of the US-trained Iraqi military to government control. Pace, in a series of television interviews and in comments to reporters, gave no hint of what the military brass will recommend to Rumsfeld's designated replacement, former CIA chief Robert Gates. But he said he and the two top commanders responsible for the war in Iraq -- General John Abizaid and General George Casey -- were each taking a hard look at what the military is doing in Iraq. "We need to give ourselves a good, honest scrub about what is working, what is not working, what are the impediments to progress, and what should we change about the way we're doing it, to ensure that we get to the objective that we have set for ourselves," Pace said in an interview with CBS television. "We're making our recommendations. We're having our dialogue. And we'll make the changes that are needed to get ourselves more focused on the correct objectives," he said. Pentagon officials said Pace has convened a study group of his own in the Joint Staff, bringing in mid-level strategists with recent experience in Iraq for fresh insights. Each of the military services were asked to make them available for 60 days, an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Among the participants is Army Colonel H.R. McMaster, who commanded the cavalry regiment that retook the insurgent stronghold of Tall Afar a year ago in what has been touted as a classic counterinsurgency operation. Pace told reporters that he will be meeting Monday with the Iraqi Study Group, a bipartisan panel that has emerged as a key outside player in redirecting US strategy in Iraq. The group, which is led by former secretary of state James Baker and former representative Lee Hamilton, counted Gates among its members. Even though he is now expected to recuse himself from its deliberations, his presence gives added clout to the group's recommendations, which are expected to be made public this month. The New York Times reported Friday that a close friend said Gates returned from a recent trip to Iraq with the group expressing disbelief that Rumsfeld had not responded more quickly to the deteriorating security situation. During the visit, Gates asked whether more US troops in Baghdad could stem the violence, and whether the training of Iraqi troops could be overhauled, but didn't take a view himself, the Times said. Casey, who has beefed up US troop levels in Iraq to about 150,000 and concentrated them in Baghdad because of an onslaught of sectarian violence, said last month that adding more US troops had proved to have some effect in localized situations. "But whether more US troops for a sustained period will get us where we're going faster is an open question," he said. "And that's part of the calculations that I make as I go through this." Rumsfeld's departure is likely to open debate on what size force the United States needs to stabilize Iraq, as well as on the conditions and timelines for their withdrawal, a key demand by Democrats. Other challenges will be how to induce the Iraqi government to move more decisively to rein in the militias and reconcile with Sunnis; and to deal with a series of other political issues -- including oil and regional autonomy -- which are pulling the country apart. -------- POLITICS -------- us politics Wrong man to replace Rumsfeld By Melvin A. Goodman November 10, 2006 Baltimore Sun http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.gates10nov10,1,7994581,print.story?coll=bal-oped-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation has unloaded a great deal of unwelcome baggage for the Bush administration, but the nomination of Robert M. Gates is unlikely to help resolve the disastrous war in Iraq or the uniformed military's opposition to the civilian leadership at the Pentagon. Unlike successful secretaries of defense in the recent past, Mr. Gates lacks essential experience in military and industrial affairs and has had serious problems with the congressional confirmation process. Two previous presidents, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, nominated Mr. Gates for the position of director of central intelligence. In 1987, Mr. Gates had to withdraw his name because a majority of Senate Intelligence Committee members did not believe his denials regarding prior knowledge of the Iran-contra scandal. The independent counsel in the Iran-contra investigation, Lawrence E. Walsh, shared their disbelief. In 1991, Mr. Gates was confirmed after receiving more than 30 negative votes, far more than any other nominee to the position of CIA director had garnered over nearly six decades. Key senators were convinced in 1991 that Mr. Gates had a major role in the politicization of intelligence on the Soviet Union, Central America and Southwest Asia. During his testimony, Mr. Gates, known for his outstanding memory, testified 33 times that he did not have any recollection of the facts of Iran-contra. Mr. Gates became the first career CIA analyst to take over the reins of the agency, ultimately doing more harm to the mission and mandate of the CIA's intelligence directorate than any previous director - even his mentor, William J. Casey. His strong ideological agenda in support of the White House often led him down the wrong analytical road, causing him to be wrong about the central issues of the day involving the decline and fall of the Soviet Union and the impact of ethnic violence on regional conflicts. Some of his statements led to strong and unprecedented reprimands from Secretaries of State George P. Shultz and James A. Baker III. In 1987, Mr. Shultz confronted Mr. Gates and told him, "You have a big, powerful machine not under good control. I distrust what comes out of it." In 1989, Mr. Baker had to stop a speech against Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev that Mr. Gates was going to deliver that would have compromised Mr. Baker's diplomatic initiatives. As deputy to Mr. Casey in the 1980s, he developed a reputation as a political windsock, serving the director's extreme ideological agenda. During his 25 years at the CIA and the National Security Council, Mr. Gates repeatedly failed a critical test - telling truth to power, which is essential to the intelligence and policy communities. In his previous positions at the CIA and the NSC, Mr. Gates earned a reputation as a micromanager (a trait he shares with Mr. Rumsfeld), lacking confidence in his subordinates and immersing himself in the minutiae of decision-making. This will not work in the Pentagon, the most powerful and difficult department in Washington's vast national security empire. He presumably would want to replace the senior civilian leadership that has earned the scorn of the uniformed military, and he will need a great deal of time to get up to speed on such difficult issues as Iran, North Korea and weapons procurement - let alone the challenges of the Iraq war. Nearly two years ago, Mr. Gates turned down the position of director of national intelligence because of the endemic problems of the intelligence community. Now he would confront the even more serious problem of managing a $450 billion defense budget and the service rivalries in the Pentagon. Finally, it is particularly troubling that President Bush, who marched this country into an unnecessary and costly war on the basis of specious and even fabricated intelligence, is turning to Mr. Gates, who has a reputation for politicizing intelligence. This suggests that the president is not open to real change with respect to Iraq; instead, he is circling the wagons with another loyal and obedient subordinate who will not question the wisdom of the pre-emptive use of military force in Iraq or the wisdom of pursuing "victory" in Iraq. In appointing Mr. Gates to head the Pentagon, Mr. Bush is running the risk of further poisoning the tense atmosphere at the Department of Defense. It is up to the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to look past Mr. Gates' glittery résumé and to assess whether he has acquired the maturity and integrity to manage the huge military bureaucracy. Melvin A. Goodman, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, was an analyst at the CIA from 1966 to 1990. His e-mail is goody789@comcast.net. -------- ENERGY Energy tops agenda as Russian premier meets Chinese leaders 11-10-2006, 05h38 BEIJING (AFP) http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=150656 Energy topped the agenda as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov met with Chinese leaders in Beijing, following a flurry of agreements ranging from oil exports to nuclear power. Fradkov was scheduled to attend a Russo-Chinese investment fair and meet President Hu Jintao and other officials, after overseeing the signing of numerous deals following Thursday's prime ministerial talks with Wen Jiabao. Among the pacts, Russia's state energy provider RAO Unified Energy Systems Rossii and the State Electric Grid Corporation of China signed a contract for the future purchase of Russian electricity. Under the agreement, Russia's electricity exports to China could grow to 60 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, but would begin with up to 4.3 billion kWh delivered annually during a first phase period from 2008-2010, the China Daily reported. The power will come from a series of coal-fired plants to be built along the two nation's common border using Russian coal, earlier reports said. On Thursday Fradkov and Wen also oversaw the signing of an agreement on strategic cooperation between Russian oil giant Rosneft and China's state-owned petrochemical corporation Sinopec. The agreement covers a wide range of projects, including a trans-Siberian pipeline that could supply China with up to 30 million tons of oil annually upon completion, Russian diplomats said. Rosneft concluded a deal with Sinopec earlier this year that will give it a 51 percent stake in the oil producer Udmurtneft. The Chinese corporation will finance the deal, which the Russian oil company will repay from the new asset's earnings. According to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Russia will deliver a total of 11 million tons (about 81 million barrels) of oil to China via the East Siberian railway in 2006, and hopes to increase the annual volume to 219 million barrels once the Siberian pipeline is completed. Also signed was an agreement between the Russian Federal Agency of Atomic Energy and the Chinese Committee on Defence Science, Technology and Defence Industry on the middle-term cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Russian Deputy Premier Aleksandr Zhukov said earlier this week that Russia was eager to deepen cooperation in nuclear energy after the second reactor at the Russian-built Tianwan nuclear power plant in eastern China's Jiangsu plant goes into commercial operation early next year. During his talks with Chinese State Councillor Wu Yi this week, both sides reiterated their previous goals of reaching 60 billion dollars in bilateral trade by 2010 and realizing 12 billion dollars of Chinese investment in Russia by 2020, Zhukov said. "Record high growth rates are the most obvious matter in trade and business relations between Russia and China," he said. "The nations should be proud that bilateral trade soared 37.1 percent to 29.1 billion dollars in 2005." Also signed Thursday were bilateral agreements on banking and investment, border management, criminal repatriation and a bilateral trade development plan. According to the official Xinhua news agency, eight other trade and technical agreements with a contracted value on the Chinese side of 800 million dollars were signed at the trade and investment fair on Thursday. The agreements included a car assembly factory, mining deals and other production facilities, it said, without providing details. ---- Russia firm to increase oil supply (China Daily Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) November 10, 2006 http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/11/10/2068506.htm Russia's biggest oil exporter to China said on Friday it plans to boost supplies to the country by up to 65 per cent next year, aiming to eventually become the country's largest foreign partner in the energy field. The Russian state-owned OJSC Rosneft will increase exports of crude oil and oil products to China to 20 million tons next year, up from an expected 12 million tons this year, said company President Sergey Bogdanchikov, who was with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov in China. The two sides haven't signed a contract yet on the increased supplies, Bogdanchikov said at a news conference after the inauguration of the company's first representative office in Beijing, which he said highlighted China's importance in its global expansion strategy. The office will supervise the company's ongoing projects in 22 locations in the Asia-Pacific region and launch new projects in the area in the future, he said. "We can't establish offices in all the places we only choose what we consider as significant enough," he said. Rosneft is responsible for about 70 per cent of Russia's oil exports to China and almost a quarter of the overall Russian exports to the country in value. In October, Rosneft and the China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) announced a plan to create a joint venture. The venture would explore and develop oil in Russia and build a refinery in China with a capacity of 9.59 million tons a year. They also agreed to open as many as 300 filling stations in China, he said. "With our estimate that China's demand for crude oil will double in 2015, we are fully optimistic with the future of the joint venture." The deal marks the latest tie-up between the companies after the CNPC bought a US$500 million slice of Rosneft's US$10.4 billion mid-year initial public offering. Bogdanchikov said Rosneft's increased oil supplies to China next year would be sent by rail through Mongolia or through the Kazakh pipeline. There was no word of progress on a planned pipeline to deliver Siberian crude. Bogdanchikov also said Rosneft expects a gas and oil field on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Pacific Coast to begin production near year, with an expected output of 1.92 million tons per year. China is welcome to bid for supplies from that project, Bogdanchikov said. Thermonuclear project In another development, E.P. Velikhov, a Russian academic and renowned thermonuclear expert, said production of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Programme, the world's first experimental fusion reactor, is expected to start from the beginning of next year. Velikhov said officials in charge of energy management from the seven programme participants the European Union, Russia, China, India, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States will meet on November 21 in France to sign a formal agreement to kick off production of parts of the reactor in each country. Parts of the reactor will finally be assembled in Cadarache in southern France. The project is estimated to cost US$5 billion and will take 10 years to complete. The European Union will cover 40 per cent of the cost, with the other six participants contributing the rest in equal shares. Fusion energy is believed to be much safer and more environmentally friendly than traditional nuclear power plants that use nuclear fission. However, it needs extremely high temperatures more than 10 million C to be produced. -------- alternative energy Thorium Power CEO Seth Grae Invited to Participate in Goldman Sachs Alternative Energy Luncheon On November 10, 2006 Nov. 10, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/news.html?d=108553 MCLEAN, Va., -- Thorium Power Ltd. (OTCBB:THPW) announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Seth Grae, will participate in a private luncheon sponsored by Goldman Sachs focusing on alternative energy investments. A number of cutting edge alternative energy companies will participate at the event, which will be hosted by the head of Goldman Sach's Alternative Energy Investment Effort team. The event is at the Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 10th at 12pm. The participants of this luncheon will discuss emerging trends in the rapidly growing space and network with both portfolio mangers and industry peers. This event will provide Thorium Power an excellent opportunity to impart its proprietary nuclear fuel technologies and communicate the Company's value points to industry experts. Seth Grae, CEO of Thorium Power, commented, "Of all alternative energy solutions, including wind, solar, and biomass, nuclear energy offers a compelling case especially when base-load requirements are factored in. Unfortunately, nuclear energy must overcome the challenges of radioactive waste and proliferation issues. For over a decade, Thorium Power has been developing fuels that address the most arduous obstacles faced by the nuclear industry. In regards to waste, Thorium Power fuels offers many environmental advantages over conventional nuclear fuels. And, with respect to proliferation, we know of no other technology that addresses this challenge to the extent of our solutions." About Thorium Power Ltd. (www.thoriumpower.com) Thorium Power Ltd. is involved in the nuclear power sector. Its focus is on technologies and services that will benefit from, and help lead to, expanded use of nuclear power generation. The company has assembled an International Advisory Board comprised of key national and international leaders in the fields of Nuclear Energy, Finance, Government Affairs, Non-proliferation and Diplomacy. Thorium Power Ltd. also has put together a Technical Advisory Board made up of top scientists and practitioners from the world's major nuclear companies. Thorium Power Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thorium Power Ltd., is a leading developer of proliferation resistant nuclear fuel technologies. Thorium Power Inc. designs nuclear fuels, obtains patent protection on these fuels, and coordinates fuel development with commercial entities and governments. The company has been working in Russia with Russian nuclear engineers and scientists for over a decade. DISCLAIMER This press release may include certain statements that are not descriptions of historical facts, but are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include the description of our plans and objectives for future operations, assumptions underlying such plans and objectives, statements regarding benefits of the proposed merger and other forward-looking terminology such as "may," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "expects," "projects" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of such terms. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the merger, will be more fully discussed in any joint proxy statement or prospectus or other relevant document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the proposed merger. Such information is based upon various assumptions made by, and expectations of, our management that were reasonable when made but may prove to be incorrect. All of such assumptions are inherently subject to significant economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies beyond our control and upon assumptions with respect to the future business decisions which are subject to change. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that actual results will meet expectations and actual results may vary (perhaps materially) from certain of the results anticipated herein. CONTACT: Thorium Power Ltd. Peter Charles (703) 918-4932 ir@thoriumpower.com -------- OTHER -------- health Military service linked to Lou Gehrig's disease Major U.S. report suggests Gulf War vets face double the risk Nov 10, 2006 Associated Press http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15656054/ WASHINGTON - Military service, particularly in the Gulf War, may be linked to development of Lou Gehrig’s disease, the Institute of Medicine said Friday. The evidence, however, is limited and inconsistent, the Institute said. The degenerative nerve disease, formally known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, gradually destroys the ability to control movement. Patients lose their ability to move or speak, but their minds remain unaffected. Most victims die of respiratory failure within a few years. According to the report, released as Veterans Day was being observed, five studies have been done on the subject. Three indicated a higher rate of ALS among veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War, one found a link to veterans who served prior to that war and one found no link at all. “The evidence base to answer the question of whether military service increases a person’s chances of developing ALS later in life is rather sparse, so we could not reach more definitive conclusions at this time,” said Richard T. Johnson, chair of the committee that wrote the report. Still a small risk “Because ALS occurs so rarely, any individual veteran’s chances of developing the disease are still low,” he added. ALS affects between 20,000 and 30,000 Americans. Johnson is a professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University school of medicine in Baltimore. The individual studies had been previously reported, and the Department of Veterans Affairs asked the Institute to review what was known and provide a new overview. In 2001, then secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi ordered that disability compensation be made available to veterans who served in the Gulf War in 1990-1991, who later developed ALS. Such compensation is not available to other veterans. Double the risk in Gulf War vets In its analysis, the Institute said three studies indicated the chance of developing ALS as much as doubles for Gulf War veterans. Another study concluded that veterans who served prior to that war had 1.5 times the rate of the non-veteran population for ALS. But some of those studies may have understated the number of ALS cases among non-veterans, and the Institute said others were less useful because of limitations in the methods they used. A fifth study found no relationship between military service and ALS. Overall, the Institute concluded, “There is limited and suggestive evidence of an association between military service and later development of ALS.” Hunt for the cause The report called for more research to confirm this relationship and to determine the cause of any increased risk — which it said could include chemicals, involvement in traumatic events, intensive physical activity or other substances or activities. Officials of veterans organizations could not immediately be reached for comment on the report. ALS got the name Lou Gehrig’s disease from the famed New York Yankees baseball player who died from it. Another well-known victim is English physicist Stephen Hawking, author of “A Brief History of Time.” Hawking uses a wheelchair and communicates using a computer and voice synthesizer. Between 5 percent and 10 percent of ALS cases are thought to be inherited; the causes of the rest remain unknown.