Former President of Eletronuclear Is Sentenced to 43 Years in Prison
AM Post
The former president of the state nuclear power company Eletronuclear, Othon Luiz Pereira da Silva, was sentenced to 43 years in prison for the crimes of accepting bribes, money laundry, embarrassment to investigations, tax evasion and participation in a criminal organization. The decision was made by the judge Marcelo da Costa Bretas, 7th Federal Criminal Court.
Latest North Korea Missile Launch Lands Near Japan Waters, Alarms Tokyo
Ju-Min Park and James Pearson | Reuters
North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday that landed in or near Japanese-controlled waters for the first time, the latest in a series of launches by the isolated country in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The main body of the missile landed in Japan’s economic exclusion zone, a Japanese defence official said, escalating regional tensions that were already high after a series of missile launches this year and the decision by the United States to place a sophisticated anti-missile system in South Korea.
A Secret Group Easily Bought the Raw Ingredients for a Dirty Bomb–Here in America
Patrick Malone | Center for Public Integrity
The clandestine group’s goal was clear: Obtain the building blocks of a so-called radioactive “dirty bomb”–capable of poisoning a major city for a year or more–by openly purchasing the raw ingredients from authorized sellers inside the United States. It should have been hard. The purchase of lethal radioactive materials–even modestly dangerous ones–requires a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a measure meant to keep them away from terrorists.
Russian Military Gets Customized Il-96-400 ‘Doomsday Plane’
Sputnik
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has handed a customized airborne command system Il-96-400, also known as the ‘doomsday plane’, over to the national Defense Ministry, Ilyushin aircraft manufacturer announced. The new third-generation airborne command post is based on the Russia-made long-haul wide-fuselage passenger airliner Il-96-300, which can carry up to 300 people.
The U.K.’s Shift on Nuclear is Making China Nervous
Ting Shi and Aibing Guo | Bloomberg
China is watching the U.K.’s decision to delay a joint nuclear power project as an early test of Prime Minister Theresa May’s commitment to the “golden era” of expanded ties promised by her predecessor. May’s government postponed approval of the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) Hinkley Point plant on Friday, stunning Chinese and French backers who had hoped to sign construction contracts immediately. The government, less than three weeks on the job, cited the need for a “reliable and secure energy supply” and promised a final decision in the early autumn.
Donald Trump, Perhaps Unwittingly, Exposes Paradox of Nuclear Arms
Max Fisher | New York Times
Donald J. Trump’s remarks on nuclear weapons have brought him, at times, to a question: Why should he be constrained from ever using them? The question has, like so many of Mr. Trump’s comments, sent shock waves. But nuclear experts say it is shocking not just for the statements themselves, but for the uncomfortable truths they expose, perhaps unwittingly, about nuclear weapons.