[One-Minute World News] from [BBC NEWS]
[Middle East]
Page last updated at 13:10 GMT, Thursday, 29 October 2009
Iran 'reply' on nuclear fuel deal
{The IAEA has proposed exporting most of Iran's low-enriched uranium}
Iran has delivered a response on a UN-backed proposal seen as crucial to easing diplomatic tensions over its nuclear programme, Iranian media say.
Under the plan, most of Iran's enriched uranium would be sent abroad to be turned into fuel rods for research use.
Iran's president said earlier his country was ready to co-operate with the proposal.
Iran says it is enriching uranium for fuel, but the US and its allies have accused it of seeking nuclear weapons.
A report on Al-Alam TV on Thursday said Iran had given its response on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plan, but gave no details.
Iran's Isna news agency quoted Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, as saying only that Iranian "economic and technical concerns regarding the supply of fuel for the research reactor [in Tehran] should be addressed."
{{NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE}
> Mined uranium ore is purified and reconstituted into solid form known as yellowcake
> Yellowcake is converted into a gas by heating it to about 64C (147F)
> Gas is fed through centrifuges, where its isotopes separate and the process is repeated until uranium is enriched
> Low-level enriched uranium is used for nuclear fuel
> Highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear weapons}
Observers in Tehran say the government is expected to demand significant changes to the IAEA proposal while accepting the overall framework.
According to a report by the pro-government newspaper Java, those changes could include shipping low-enriched uranium abroad in stages rather than all at once.
Also on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the IAEA proposal as a move from "confrontation to co-operation" by western powers.
"We welcome fuel exchange, nuclear co-operation, building of power plants and reactors and we are ready to co-operate," Mr Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the city of Mashhad.
However, he also said Iran would "not retreat even an iota" over its right to develop a nuclear programme.
The IAEA has proposed exporting most of Iran's enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be converted into fuel before being returned to Iran.
The plan was agreed by the US, Russia and France after talks in Vienna last week, but Iran missed a deadline to respond on Friday.
For Western powers, the proposal would buy time while they press for a definitive solution to the stand-off over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Meanwhile, a delegation of IAEA inspectors returned after visiting Iran's recently-revealed second uranium enrichment plant at Fordo, near Qom.
"We had a good trip," said delegation head Herman Nackaerts.
He did not answer specific questions about any of the data that was gathered, saying it had yet to be analysed.
[Science & Environment]
Page last updated at 00:36 GMT, Thursday, 29 October 2009
Tuna ban 'justified' by science
The bluefin is highly prized for many dishes, notably sushi
Banning trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna is justified by the extent of their decline, an analysis by scientists advising fisheries regulators suggests.
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas' (ICCAT) advisers said stocks are probably less than 15% of their original size.
The analysis has delighted conservation groups, which have warned that over-fishing risks the species' survival.
ICCAT meets to consider the report in 10 days' time.
The analysis was triggered by Monaco's recent proposal to ban international trade in the Atlantic bluefin under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) - a proposal that has gathered support from several other European countries.
{{ICCAT's track record isn't too good, but they could surprise us}
Dr Sue Lieberman
Pew Environment Group}
"What's needed to save the stocks is a suspension of fishing activity and a suspension of international commercial trade," said Sergi Tudela, head of fisheries with the environmental group WWF for the Mediterranean region.
"We must stop mercilessly exploiting this fragile natural resource until stocks show clear signs of rebound and until sustainable management and control measures are firmly put in place."
The body charged with regulating catches of the southern bluefin, a closely related species, has just approved 20% quota cuts across the board.
Quota excesses
For a number of years, ICCAT has set quotas higher than scientists' recommendations.
The pressure this puts on stocks has been compounded by illegal fishing for this valuable species, which according to some estimates adds 30% to the official quota.
Last year, an independent report concluded that ICCAT's management of tuna was a "disgrace", blaming member countries for not accepting scientific advice and for turning a blind eye to their fleets' illegal activities.
The report recommended interim closure of the Mediterranean fishery, where most bluefin are caught - a measure that won backing from the US.
Frustrated by what it saw as ICCAT's inability to control the problem, Monaco's government - supported by conservation groups - submitted its CITES proposal.
The proposal will be heard at the CITES meeting in March. If enacted and enforced, it would severely hamper the trade.
Atlantic bluefin tuna are mainly caught from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, but most of the meat is consumed in Asia, particularly Japan.
Japan has previously argued that commercial fish species should be controlled by bodies like ICCAT rather than CITES.
"The right thing would be to impose a zero quota," said Sue Lieberman, director of international policy for the Pew Environment Group.
"It wouldn't be forever - stocks will recover, but not at current rates of catch."
ICCAT's scientific committee considered different ways of analysing the decline - whether to start from estimates of how many bluefin there were before industrial fishing began, or from the largest stocks reliably recorded, and according to different rates of reproduction.
They concluded that whichever way the data is cut, it is 96% likely that numbers in the east Atlantic and Mediterranean are now less than 15% of their pre-industrial-fishing size.
CITES guidance suggests this would trigger a trade ban for a slow-reproducing fish species.
For the western Atlantic stock, subject to much smaller catches, the figure is 93%.
At its forthcoming meeting in Brazil, ICCAT delegates will decide whether to place new restrictions on catches.
"ICCAT's track record isn't too good," commented Dr Lieberman, "but they could surprise us."
Usually, ICCAT makes reports such as this one publically available.
But because of its "controversial and politically-charged nature", the commission asked members to "consider refraining from distributing this report" before the Brazil meeting, and it is not clear if and when it will be posted on the organisation's website.
[Middle East]
Page last updated at 13:10 GMT, Thursday, 29 October 2009
Iran 'reply' on nuclear fuel deal
{The IAEA has proposed exporting most of Iran's low-enriched uranium}
Iran has delivered a response on a UN-backed proposal seen as crucial to easing diplomatic tensions over its nuclear programme, Iranian media say.
Under the plan, most of Iran's enriched uranium would be sent abroad to be turned into fuel rods for research use.
Iran's president said earlier his country was ready to co-operate with the proposal.
Iran says it is enriching uranium for fuel, but the US and its allies have accused it of seeking nuclear weapons.
A report on Al-Alam TV on Thursday said Iran had given its response on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plan, but gave no details.
Iran's Isna news agency quoted Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, as saying only that Iranian "economic and technical concerns regarding the supply of fuel for the research reactor [in Tehran] should be addressed."
{{NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE}
> Mined uranium ore is purified and reconstituted into solid form known as yellowcake
> Yellowcake is converted into a gas by heating it to about 64C (147F)
> Gas is fed through centrifuges, where its isotopes separate and the process is repeated until uranium is enriched
> Low-level enriched uranium is used for nuclear fuel
> Highly enriched uranium can be used in nuclear weapons}
Observers in Tehran say the government is expected to demand significant changes to the IAEA proposal while accepting the overall framework.
According to a report by the pro-government newspaper Java, those changes could include shipping low-enriched uranium abroad in stages rather than all at once.
Also on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the IAEA proposal as a move from "confrontation to co-operation" by western powers.
"We welcome fuel exchange, nuclear co-operation, building of power plants and reactors and we are ready to co-operate," Mr Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the city of Mashhad.
However, he also said Iran would "not retreat even an iota" over its right to develop a nuclear programme.
The IAEA has proposed exporting most of Iran's enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be converted into fuel before being returned to Iran.
The plan was agreed by the US, Russia and France after talks in Vienna last week, but Iran missed a deadline to respond on Friday.
For Western powers, the proposal would buy time while they press for a definitive solution to the stand-off over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Meanwhile, a delegation of IAEA inspectors returned after visiting Iran's recently-revealed second uranium enrichment plant at Fordo, near Qom.
"We had a good trip," said delegation head Herman Nackaerts.
He did not answer specific questions about any of the data that was gathered, saying it had yet to be analysed.
[Science & Environment]
Page last updated at 00:36 GMT, Thursday, 29 October 2009
Tuna ban 'justified' by science
The bluefin is highly prized for many dishes, notably sushi
Banning trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna is justified by the extent of their decline, an analysis by scientists advising fisheries regulators suggests.
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas' (ICCAT) advisers said stocks are probably less than 15% of their original size.
The analysis has delighted conservation groups, which have warned that over-fishing risks the species' survival.
ICCAT meets to consider the report in 10 days' time.
The analysis was triggered by Monaco's recent proposal to ban international trade in the Atlantic bluefin under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) - a proposal that has gathered support from several other European countries.
{{ICCAT's track record isn't too good, but they could surprise us}
Dr Sue Lieberman
Pew Environment Group}
"What's needed to save the stocks is a suspension of fishing activity and a suspension of international commercial trade," said Sergi Tudela, head of fisheries with the environmental group WWF for the Mediterranean region.
"We must stop mercilessly exploiting this fragile natural resource until stocks show clear signs of rebound and until sustainable management and control measures are firmly put in place."
The body charged with regulating catches of the southern bluefin, a closely related species, has just approved 20% quota cuts across the board.
Quota excesses
For a number of years, ICCAT has set quotas higher than scientists' recommendations.
The pressure this puts on stocks has been compounded by illegal fishing for this valuable species, which according to some estimates adds 30% to the official quota.
Last year, an independent report concluded that ICCAT's management of tuna was a "disgrace", blaming member countries for not accepting scientific advice and for turning a blind eye to their fleets' illegal activities.
The report recommended interim closure of the Mediterranean fishery, where most bluefin are caught - a measure that won backing from the US.
Frustrated by what it saw as ICCAT's inability to control the problem, Monaco's government - supported by conservation groups - submitted its CITES proposal.
The proposal will be heard at the CITES meeting in March. If enacted and enforced, it would severely hamper the trade.
Atlantic bluefin tuna are mainly caught from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, but most of the meat is consumed in Asia, particularly Japan.
Japan has previously argued that commercial fish species should be controlled by bodies like ICCAT rather than CITES.
"The right thing would be to impose a zero quota," said Sue Lieberman, director of international policy for the Pew Environment Group.
"It wouldn't be forever - stocks will recover, but not at current rates of catch."
ICCAT's scientific committee considered different ways of analysing the decline - whether to start from estimates of how many bluefin there were before industrial fishing began, or from the largest stocks reliably recorded, and according to different rates of reproduction.
They concluded that whichever way the data is cut, it is 96% likely that numbers in the east Atlantic and Mediterranean are now less than 15% of their pre-industrial-fishing size.
CITES guidance suggests this would trigger a trade ban for a slow-reproducing fish species.
For the western Atlantic stock, subject to much smaller catches, the figure is 93%.
At its forthcoming meeting in Brazil, ICCAT delegates will decide whether to place new restrictions on catches.
"ICCAT's track record isn't too good," commented Dr Lieberman, "but they could surprise us."
Usually, ICCAT makes reports such as this one publically available.
But because of its "controversial and politically-charged nature", the commission asked members to "consider refraining from distributing this report" before the Brazil meeting, and it is not clear if and when it will be posted on the organisation's website.
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