Obama Unlikely to Vow No First Use of Nuclear Weapons
David E. Sanger and William J. Broad | New York Times
President Obama, who has weighed ruling out a first use of a nuclear weapon in a conflict, appears likely to abandon the proposal after top national security advisers argued that it could undermine allies and embolden Russia and China, according to several senior administration officials. Mr. Obama considers a reduction in the role of nuclear weapons as critical to his legacy. But he has been chagrined to hear critics, including some former senior aides, argue that the administration’s second-term nuclear modernization plans, costing up to $1 trillion in coming decades, undermine commitments he made in 2009.
North Korea Fires Three Ballistic Missiles as G20 Leaders Meet in China
Ju-min Park | Reuters
North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast on Monday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries said, as the leaders of the Group of 20 major economies held a summit in China, the North's main diplomatic ally. The missiles were fired from a region south of the capital Pyongyang just after noon (10.00 p.m. ET) and flew about 1,000 km (600 miles), hitting Japan's air defense identification zone, South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
A Flawed Missile Defense System Generates $2 Billion in Bonuses for Boeing
David Willman | Los Angeles Times
From 2002 through early last year, the Pentagon conducted 11 flight tests of the nation’s homeland missile defense system. In the carefully scripted exercises, interceptors of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, or GMD, were launched from underground silos to pursue mock enemy warheads high above the Pacific.
Park, Xi Fail to Narrow Differences Over THAAD
Korea JoongAng Daily
The conflict between South Korea and China caused by President Park Geun-hye’s decision to allow the deployment of a powerful U.S. antimissile system remained unresolved Monday as her emotional appeal to persuade Chinese President Xi Jinping faced adamant opposition. Park and Xi had a bilateral summit in the morning on the sidelines of the Group of 20 conference in Hangzhou, China.
Sellafield Safety Concerns Over Staff Shortages and Nuclear Waste Stored in Plastic Bottles
Emily Gosden | Telegraph
Britain’s biggest and most toxic nuclear waste site is facing fresh questions over its safety after allegations that staffing levels are frequently too low and that radioactive waste is being stored in degrading plastic bottles. If a fire were to break out at the Sellafield site in Cumbria, it could “generate a plume of radiological waste that will go across Western Europe”, one whistleblower claims in a BBC Panorama documentary.
South Korea, Kenya to Cooperate on Nuclear Energy
Reuters
State-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) on Friday agreed a deal on developing nuclear energy in Kenya, as the African nation looks to broaden its sources of electricity. The company and the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the construction of nuclear projects and sharing expertise, South Korea's energy ministry said in a statement.