North Korea might be restarting nuclear plant, US institute says - Ex-South Korea leader says Kim Jong-il wanted $10B in exchange for talks

Jan. 2, 2015: U.S.-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies shows an annotated satellite photo indicating signs of new activity at the 5 MWe Plutonium Production Reactor at North Korea’s Nyongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center. (AP)

SEOUL, South Korea –  North Korea may be attempting to restart its main nuclear bomb fuel reactor after a five-month shutdown, a U.S. research institute said Thursday.

If true, the finding, which is based on recent commercial satellite imagery, will be an added worry for the United States and the North’s neighbors at a time of increasing animosity over recent U.S. sanctions against the North and Pyongyang’s fury about a U.N. push to punish its alleged human rights abuses.

Activity at the 5-megawatt Nyongbyon reactor is closely watched because North Korea is thought to have a handful of crude nuclear bombs, part of its efforts to build an arsenal of nuclear tipped missiles that could one day hit America’s mainland. Nyongbyon, which has produced plutonium used for past nuclear test explosions, restarted in 2013 after being shuttered under a 2007 disarmament agreement. It has been offline since August.

Possible signs in satellite imagery from Dec. 24 through Jan. 11 that the reactor is in the early stages of being restarted include hot water drainage from a pipe at a turbine building that indicates steam from the reactor and growing snow-melt on the roofs of the reactor and turbine buildings.

The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, however, said that since the recent observation period was only about two weeks, it’s too soon to reach a definitive conclusion about what’s happening and more monitoring is needed. The institute’s website, 38 North, published the findings.

Nyongybon can likely produce about one bomb’s worth of plutonium per year. A uranium enrichment facility there could also give it a second method to produce fissile material for bombs. It is not clear if North Korea has yet mastered the technology needed to make warheads small enough to be mounted on missiles, but each nuclear test presumably moves its scientists closer toward that goal.

North Korea has said it is willing to rejoin international nuclear disarmament talks last held in 2008, but Washington demands that it first take concrete steps to show it remains committed to past nuclear pledges.

The United States also rejected a recent North Korean offer to impose a temporary moratorium on its nuclear tests if Washington scraps its annual military drills with Seoul; Pyongyang claims those drills are invasion preparation. The U.S. called the linking of the military drills, which it says are defensive and routine, with a possible nuclear test “an implicit threat.”

Always rocky ties between Pyongyang and Washington dipped lower because of a recent Hollywood movie depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The U.S. blames the North for crippling hacking attacks on the movie’s producer, Sony, and subsequently imposed new sanctions on the country, inviting an angry response from Pyongyang, which has denied responsibility for the cyberattacks.

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North Korea might be restarting nuclear plant, US institute says - Ex-South Korea leader says Kim Jong-il wanted $10B in exchange for talks

Jamaica now has full ownership of rare earth plant

Jamaica now has full ownership of  the Rare Earth Element Plant, following Thursday’s formal handing over of the facility to the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) by Nippon Light Metal Holding Company.
Over the next two years, the JBI will continue to receive technical expertise in bauxite red mud mineral extraction from Nippon Light. This will be a continuation of  the Japanese firm’s J$600 million investment in the Rare Earth Element Pilot Plant Project, jointly developed with the JBI. It was completed earlier this year.    
The project entailed development of  a state-of-the-art facility on the grounds of  the JBI, at Hope Gardens, St. Andrew, for the extraction of rare earth elements from bauxite residue and to determine the scope of a commercial rare earth elements extraction venture in Jamaica.                    

Commercial engagements under the project have been suspended due to unfavourable market conditions for rare earth elements, which are key components for manufacturing products such as electronic devices.

It will resume when conditions improve.

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Jamaica now has full ownership of rare earth plant

Hope filter plant properly treated says NWC

The National Water Commission (NWC) is assuring customers served by the Hope Filter Plant in St. Andrew, that supplies from the facility are properly treated.

Earlier this week, there were reports that customers were receiving discoloured water.

However, Charles Buchanan the NWC’s Corporate Public Relations Manager, said the system was shut down on Monday, to facilitate an investigation.

“We investigated and identified some contributory causes to the discolouration and we have dealt with those and the system is back in operation. However there may be some customers will see some levels of discolouration and brown water especially because we have to shut down the system and start it up back.

We may be doing repairs on the pipeline because we want to make sure all the leaks are fixed,” said Buchanan.

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Hope filter plant properly treated says NWC

Negative reactions to pitch by EWI to re-apply for 381 megawatt plant project

There have been negative reactions to Energy World International, EWI’s, renewed pitch to the Government to construct the 381 megawatt power plant.

RJR News reported yesterday that the Hong Kong based company has written to the Simpson-Miller administration, signalling its intention to continue the project. This comes days before its licence expires.

But the Jamaica Manufacturer’s Association, JMA, is opposed to EWI’s continued involvement in the energy project. President of  the Association, Brian Pengelley, reacted to the development last night. He said he saw it coming but we have moved on. EWI officials have indicated that the company is prepared to submit fresh proposals, if  necessary. 
And the Consumer Advisory Committee on Utilities, is also against EWI being given a second opportunity to lead the 381 megawatt project. It says in light of  the breaches of  its licence and the subsequent revocation it would be unwise for the Government to continue with the Hong Kong-based entity
In the meantime, Cabinet will in September receive the first report on the work being done by the Electricity Sector Enterprise Team (ESET).  Chairman, Dr. Vin Lawrence, updated members of  the National Partnership Council at its first anniversary retreat yesterday at Jamaica House.

Dr. Lawrence told the Council that the ESET has held seven meetings and was engaged in preparing a plan outlining recommendations beyond satisfying the current electricity needs of  the country. The ESET Chairman also signalled the team is moving on from EWI. Dr. Lawrence said with the procurement process set to end on Monday with the revocation of  the EWI licence, the ESET will assume full authority in executing its mandate.

In coming weeks, ESET will engage in consultations with agencies such as the OUR, JPS, the Energy Ministry and independent power producers.

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Negative reactions to pitch by EWI to re-apply for 381 megawatt plant project

Jamaica sitting on medicinal plant potential

DEAN of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of the West Indies Professor Paul Reece said that Jamaica needs to tap into the huge medicinal potential that exists in its natural products.

“We have about 3,000 different plants in Jamaica and about 27 per cent, just over 800 of that, are not found anywhere else, but very few plants have been studied and even then, over 2,000 that are found in other countries, sometimes in Jamaica, produce different products because it is dependent on the soil and climate that it is grown in,” he said.

“We have barely scratched the surface and there is so much more to be done,” added Professor Reece, who was speaking to the Jamaica Observer following the opening ceremony for the Natural Products and Medicinal Symposium hosted by the Chemistry Department in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the university in Mona, Kingston, last week.

According to the professor, funding is a major challenge and the private sector needs to get involved and assist as Government is currently strapped for cash and the university, which provides most of the funding that is needed for the research, cannot sponsor any more natural product studies.

In highlighting the importance of chemistry in medicinal research, he said that without chemistry there would be no drugs.

“Chemistry is very essential to medicinal research and I am not putting down doctors or pharmacists as I could not imagine life without them, but doctors prescribe drugs and pharmacists dispense them, but it’s the chemist who discovers the drugs,” he said.

“Chemists are the ones who make all the pharmaceuticals that you take, so without chemistry you would not have any pharmaceutical industry and medicinal research,” the professor said further.

In the meantime, the four-day biannual symposium, which is in its 25th year, featured renowned researchers and chemists from far-flung places such as Japan and Switzerland, but also included countires like the United States, Brazil and Trinidad. The discussions centred on new ways of making compounds which have various medicinal properties as well as biological activities of compounds isolated from plants and fungi.

Professor Reece, organising secretary of the event, said that the function was aimed at bringing new chemistry research to Jamaica while exposing the Jamaican students to the different types of research that are being undertaken and to expand their knowledge.

“We are all learning from each other, but one of the important thing is that we are bringing top-level researchers to Jamaica and the students are not only learning from the best minds in the world but relationships are also being formed, which result in collaboration or educational opportunities for students,” he said.

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Jamaica sitting on medicinal plant potential

Explosions rock Florida gas plant

30 July 2013 Last updated at 02:40 ET Aerial footage shows a tower of flames rising into the sky, as the BBC’s Peter Bowes reports

At least seven people were injured by a series of explosions at a gas plant in the US state of Florida, officials say.

They were working at the Blue Rhino propane plant, in the town of Tavares, when the blasts began at about 23:00 (03:00 GMT), blowing the roof off.

The explosions continued for about an hour and caused a large fire. The cause of the initial blast is not yet known.

Fifteen workers were found safe after initially being unaccounted for, while two others managed to escape unhurt.

John Harrell, Lake County Sheriff’s Office: “More and more explosions”

A spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, John Harrell, said the missing workers had merely “scattered” when the explosions began and had since been contacted by their managers and emergency crews.

People living within 0.5 miles (0.8km) of the plant have been evacuated, although Mr Harrell said emergency crews believed the fire had been contained and that there was no immediate danger to them.

Officials are investigating the blasts. There were an estimated 53,000 tanks at the plant at the time.

Former plant supervisor Don Ingram told WESH-TV that Blue Rhino took in propane tanks used for home barbecues, cleaned them, checked their valves and then refilled them.

About 4,000 to 5,000 tanks were refilled each night and were stacked on plastic pallets four or five high behind the filling station, Mr Ingram added.

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Explosions rock Florida gas plant