NUCLEAR - The Salt Lake Tribune

In Berlin, Obama renews calls for nuclear reductions

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:52:24 MDT

In Berlin, Obama renews calls for nuclear reductions

By JULIE PACE The Associated Press

Updated Jun 19, 2013 10:52AM MDT

BERLIN • Appealing for a new citizen activism in the free world, President Barack Obama renewed his call Wednesday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles and to confront climate change, a danger he called “the global threat of our time.” In a wide-ranging speech that enumerated a litany of challenges facing the world, Obama said he wanted to reignite the spirit that Berlin displayed when it fought to reunite itself during the Cold War. “Today’s threats are not as stark as they were half a...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

President-elect of Iran talks of easing tensions with U.S.

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:08:49 MDT

President-elect of Iran talks of easing tensions with U.S.

By THOMAS ERDBRINK The New York Times

Updated Jun 17, 2013 10:08PM MDT

Tehran, Iran • President-elect Hasan Rowhani of Iran, speaking Monday for the first time since his election victory, said he wanted to reduce tensions with the United States but ruled out direct talks between the two estranged nations. In his first news conference after winning Friday’s presidential election promising more freedoms and better relations with the outside world, Rowhani called the issue of nonexistent relations between Iran and the United States “an old wound, which must be healed...

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Dyer: A new broom in Iran?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:28:03 MDT

Dyer: A new broom in Iran?

By Gwynne Dyer Syndicated Columnist

Updated Jun 17, 2013 04:28PM MDT

You certainly can’t say that Iranian elections are boring. In 2005, Iranians surprised everybody by electing the darkest of dark horses, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to the presidency. They didn’t know much about him, but at least he seemed different from all the establishment candidates. Well, he was different, but not in a good way. By the 2009 election Ahmadinejad’s erratic and confrontational style had turned people off, and he should have lost – but he rigged the vote and triggered mass protests th...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Surprise: North Korea tells U.S. it wants to talk

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:53:04 MDT

Surprise: North Korea tells U.S. it wants to talk

By JEAN H. LEE The Associated Press

Updated Jun 16, 2013 08:53PM MDT

Pyongyang, North Korea • After months of threatening to wage a nuclear war, North Korea did an about-face Sunday and issued a surprise proposal to the United States, its No. 1 enemy: Let’s talk. But the invitation from North Korea’s National Defense Commission, the powerful governing body led by leader Kim Jong Un, comes with caveats: No preconditions and no demands that Pyongyang give up its prized nuclear assets unless Washington is willing to do the same — ground rules that make it hard for t...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP Analysis: New Iran president may help shield rulers

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:14:02 MDT

AP Analysis: New Iran president may help shield rulers

By Brian murphy Associated Press

Updated Jun 16, 2013 12:14PM MDT

Dubai, United Arab Emirates • For a lesson in what Hasan Rowhani’s reformist-backed presidency could mean for Iran, a promise Sunday by the ultra-powerful Revolutionary Guard to cooperate with him is a good guide. Like the rest of Iran’s ruling Islamic establishment, the Guard, which has kept a tight lid on any hints of opposition for years, is for the moment embracing Rowhani, even though he is almost certain to return once-silenced moderates into the political fold and restore the voice of lib...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

North Korea proposes talks with Washington

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:27:28 MDT

North Korea proposes talks with Washington

The Associated Press

Updated Jun 16, 2013 12:27AM MDT

Pyongyang, North Korea • North Korea’s top governing body on Sunday proposed high-level nuclear and security talks with the United States in an appeal sent just days after calling off talks with rival South Korea. The powerful National Defense Commission headed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a statement through state media proposing high-level talks to ease tensions and promote peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. There was no immediate response from Washington. The proposal f...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Iran reformists dance in streets for new president

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:27:51 MDT

Iran reformists dance in streets for new president

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI and BRIAN MURPHY The Associated Press

Updated Jun 15, 2013 11:27PM MDT

Tehran, Iran • Wild celebrations broke out on Tehran streets that were battlefields four years ago as reformist-backed Hasan Rowhani capped a stunning surge to claim Iran’s presidency on Saturday, throwing open the political order after relentless crackdowns by hard-liners to consolidate and safeguard their grip on power. “Long live Rowhani,” tens of thousands of jubilant supporters chanted as security officials made no attempt to rein in crowds — joyous and even a bit bewildered by the scope of...

Early vote count in Iran gives Rowhani wide lead

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:03:29 MDT

Early vote count in Iran gives Rowhani wide lead

By NASSER KARIMI and BRIAN MURPHY The Associated Press

Updated Jun 14, 2013 11:03PM MDT

Tehran, Iran • Iran’s reformist-backed presidential candidate surged to a wide lead in early vote counting Saturday, a top official said, suggesting a flurry of late support could have swayed a race that once appeared solidly in the hands of Tehran’s ruling clerics. But the strong margin for former nuclear negotiator Hasan Rowhani was not yet enough to give him an outright victory and avoid a two-person runoff next Friday. Rowhani had about 48.2 percent of the more than 3 million votes tallied,...

Nuclear plant closures show industry’s struggles

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:36:05 MDT

Nuclear plant closures show industry’s struggles

By RAY HENRY and MICHAEL R. BLOOD The Associated Press

Updated Jun 8, 2013 05:36PM MDT

Los Angeles • The decision to close California’s San Onofre nuclear plant is the latest setback for an industry that seemed poised for growth not long ago. In Wisconsin, a utility shuttered its plant last month after it couldn’t find a buyer. In Florida — and now California — utilities decided it was cheaper to close plants rather than spend big money fixing them and risk the uncertainty of safety reviews. Meanwhile, the low cost of natural gas is discouraging utilizes from spending billions of ...

Nuclear industry takes hit as California plant closes

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:40:02 MDT

Nuclear industry takes hit as California plant closes

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD The Associated Press

Updated Jun 7, 2013 05:40PM MDT

Los Angeles • In a jolt to the nation’s nuclear power industry, Southern California’s San Onofre plant was shut down Friday for good after its owners surrendered in a costly and drawn-out fight over whether it was too damaged to operate safely. The twin reactors — situated along the Pacific Coast in the densely populated corridor of millions of people between San Diego and Los Angeles — are the largest to shut down permanently in the U.S. in the past 50 years, federal officials said. Southern C...