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China’s Advanced Weapons

IN THIS ISSUE: China’s Advanced Weapons, UN Hopeful Iran Nuclear Deal Will Not Unravel Despite Trump Attack, Islamabad, New Delhi Agree to Extend Nuclear Safety Accord, China Fines Nuclear Component Manufacturer Over Safety Breaches, Overseas Nuclear Business a Huge Burden on Toshiba, US 'Nuclear Sniffer' Plane Deployed in Europe Amid Mysterious Spike in Radiation

Published on February 23, 2017

China’s Advanced Weapons

James Acton

A terminally guided ballistic missile follows the same trajectory as a normal ballistic missile until it re-enters the atmosphere, at which point fins on the re-entry vehicle steer it towards a target. A boost-glide weapon, like a ballistic missile, is launched by a large rocket. However, rather than arcing high above the atmosphere, a hypersonic glider is launched on a flatter trajectory that either reenters the atmosphere quickly or does not leave it at all, before gliding unpowered to its target. How far a re-entry vehicle can glide depends on its initial speed and its aerodynamic performance. In theory, gliders with global ranges could be developed, but no state has successfully flown one anywhere near that distance.

UN Hopeful Iran Nuclear Deal Will Not Unravel Despite Trump Attack 

Daniel Dombey and Andrew England | Financial Times

The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog is confident the US will not scupper Iran’s nuclear deal, despite President Donald Trump’s swingeing criticism of the accord. Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Financial Times that the agreement, which Mr Trump this month described as the “worst deal I’ve ever seen negotiated”, was proving more durable than expected.

Islamabad, New Delhi Agree to Extend Nuclear Safety Accord

Nation

Pakistan and India have agreed to extend the bilateral agreement on Nuclear safety which was implemented to ensure that accidents related to nuclear material are minimised. According to the Foreign office, the key agreement has been extended for another five years (2017-2022) after the previous five-year term (2012-2017). The official statement is that aim of the agreement is to promote a stable environment of peace and security between the two countries.

China Fines Nuclear Component Manufacturer Over Safety Breaches

Reuters

China has fined a manufacturer of components used in nuclear power plants for safety breaches at two facilities, the environment ministry said. Dalian Teikoku Canned Motor Pump Co., Ltd , a wholly-owned unit of Japan's Teikoku Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd, (6333.T), was found to have violated operating rules concerning unit welding at the Yangjiang Nuclear Power Station in Guangdong province, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP)'s website on Feb. 14.

Overseas Nuclear Business a Huge Burden on Toshiba

Miho Yokoi | Japan News

Toshiba Corp. has been facing a need to review its nuclear business because it has been a drag on the company’s reconstruction efforts, mostly caused by the huge loss booked in reactor building projects in the United States and construction delays in other countries. Nonetheless, it will not be easy for the major electronics and machinery maker to considerably shrink its nuclear business overseas because there are only a handful of entities that can build such facilities.

US 'Nuclear Sniffer' Plane Deployed in Europe Amid Mysterious Spike in Radiation

Katie Forster | Independent

A ‘nuclear sniffer’ plane has been sent to monitor radioactivity levels in Europe following the detection of mysterious spikes of radiation across the continent. The US military plane, called the WC-135 Constant Phoenix, landed at an air base in Surrey, a spokesperson at RAF Mildenhall confirmed to The Independent. It is now on its way towards Norway and the Barents Sea north of Russia in the arctic circle, according to The Aviationist.
 

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