North Korean Fizzle Bomb
NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS
March 30, 2007: The U.S. CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) has concluded that last Octobers nuclear weapons test in North Korea was a failure. This came after analysis of air samples, seismic (using earthquake detectors) and spy satellite data. There was a nuclear explosion, of about one kiloton, but it was the result of a improperly constructed nuclear weapon. Sort of a very low grade nuclear weapon that vaporized, rather than detonated, most of its nuclear material. This sort of explosion is called a "fizzle" and was last seen in 1998, when a Pakistani nuclear weapons test produced a very similar result. What's interesting about this is that a group of Pakistani nuclear scientists (the Kahn group) were secretly peddling nuclear weapons technology during the 1990s. This was done for private gain, and one of the Khan groups customers was North Korea. So it may be that the North Koreans used a Pakistani weapons design that was not quite there yet.
The CIA thus believes that North Korea is not exactly a nuclear power. Not yet, anyhow. They could build more of these fizzle grade bombs, which are still quite powerful. Each of these devices weighs several tons, but still produces a bang equivalent to a thousand tons of conventional explosives. It's also possible that the North Koreans came up with a flawed weapons design on their own. In any event, they will have to tinker with the design, and conduct more tests, before they have an efficient nuclear weapon.
NBC Weapons: North Korean Fizzle Bomb
前埼玉県部長ら起訴－東京地検、厚労省の補助金詐欺
厚生労働省の補助金詐取事件で、東京地検は３０日、詐欺罪で前埼玉県保健医療部長中村健二容疑者（４９）＝３０日付で同省大臣官房付＝ら２人を起訴した。もう１人は北朝鮮支援で知られる非政府組織（ＮＧＯ）「レインボーブリッヂ」の代表代行で、医療品販売会社「マルクインターナショナル」（三重県四日市市）元社長小坂博幸被告（５４）。２人は詐欺を認めているという。 起訴状などによると、２人は京都府内の大学が２００１－０２年度に厚労省の「障害保健福祉総合研究事業」で受給した科学研究費補助金約３０００万円のうち、余った約２０７万円をマルク社から事務用品などを買ったことにして返還せず、だまし取った。
東京地検は２人の共犯として警視庁に逮捕されたマルク社の梶浦裕高社員（４３）については「小坂被告の指示に従っただけ」として、処分保留のまま釈放した。
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対北独自制裁を延長＝拉致進展へ圧力緩めず－政府方針
政府は30日までに、北朝鮮に対し日本独自に行っている船舶入港禁止などの制裁措置について、期限が切れる4月中旬以降も継続する方針を固めた。拉致問題で北朝鮮から「誠意ある対応」を引き出すため、圧力路線を堅持する必要があると判断した。政府関係者が明らかにした。
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