NukeNews No. 11 - ENGLISH

************************************************************ *    NukeNews #11 - Anti-Nuclear Information Service      * ************************************************************ -- 0. Preface -- With this 11th issue of the NukeNews we are unfortunately quite late. Apologizes for that! However, with 30 news this is our second largest newsletter ever. And we are close to finishing the third year of this news tool - amazing if you imagine that the NukeNews are in operation as a completely volunteer based and no-budget service for this long time, and always more the less regularly was released. Before the start of this tool in June 2011, some three months after the beginning of the Fukushima disaster, it took the project three more years from the first attempts to get started until the official launching. In this release, we have news, events and campaign updates from activists in ten countries around the world. We cover basic news on safety issues in nuclear waste management, some recent accidents, projects against the EU subsidies plans for nuclear power, specific nuclear power plants like Hinkley Point and Visaginas, and some more. If you have updates for our next newsletter, check the section at the end of this email for information on deadlines, format and contact. -- Outline of the current NukeNews issue #11 -- 0. Preface 1. Germany: "Field detention" of Castor activists in was illegal 2. Public health detriment from nuclear decommissioning discharges 3. Taking Action to Ban the Bomb in Livermore 4. Fennovoima's Image Washing, Manipulating Public Opinion & more 5. The radioactive risks of fracking 6. CASE PYHÄJOKI: Artist reflections on nuclear impact 7. Talvivaara aims on keeping activists out of the area 8. Latest developments in the Fennovoima NPP new build project 9. Summer-Mini-Camp 2014 in the South of the Czech Republic 10. Uranium freighter collided with a sailboat in the Baltic Sea 11. Network office launched 12. Canada: Liquid high-level nuclear waste could pass through Niagara 13. UK: Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station given 5-year life extension 14. Shoddy nuclear technology and poor safety culture should not be    exported from Russia to Finland 15. Hinkley Point NPP: "Most expensive in the world" 16. Save Santa Mountain from Mining 17. UK: Opposing the Hinkley Deal 18. Radiation Free Lakeland: NEW website 19. Nuclear Train Derailment - Barrow, Cumbria 20. Final repositories in Scandinavia: report indicates threats shown in seismology and palaeoseismology 21. Dumping Low Level Radioactive Waste in Landfill 22. Campaign "No to State aid for nuclear!" 23. NO Geological Dumping of High Level Nuclear Waste! The Wrong Answer? 24. CASE PYHÄJOKI in retrospect: With joy and love 25. China Eyes Up Sellafield - while scrapping nuclear plans at home 26. Activists block a uranium transport in the South of France 27. Say no! to an uranium mining project in Nunavut 28. Visaginas NPP fate "undecided", As politicians ignore the decision of the referendum 29. Update on repression against environmental groups in Russia 30. Decisions move closer in the UK 31. Upcoming events 32. About NukeNews -- 1. Germany: "Field detention" of Castor activists in was illegal -- As judged by District Court in Lüneburg in August 2013, the so-called "field detention" of some 1,300 Castor activists by Harlingen in November 2011 was illegal. They had left a sit-in blockade of the WiderSetzen action on the tracks after police started to violently evict the railway. The court stated police would first have had to issue a sending-off to the activists with the option to leave the area. And even after that they would have had to arrange a judge decision immediately after arresting someone - but they did only for 21 of 1,300 people. Activists now consider requesting compensation for the illegal arrest. Up to 3,000 activists being arrested under those conditions in Castor blockades in 2010 and 2011 could be concerned by this judgement. Learn more: http://www.widersetzen.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164:pe-2082013-polizeikessel-nach-castor-blockade-unzulaessig&catid=106:presseerklaerung-2013&Itemid=75 -- 2. Public health detriment from nuclear decommissioning discharges -- The UK Hinkley Point A nuclear site began decommissioning in 2006 by installing vents directly into the core of the two de-fuelled Magnox reactors which should remain sealed for the mandatory 80-year radioactive decay period. There are also emissions from the decommissioning work on the cooling ponds and sludge stores which are being discharged into the atmosphere. All public health detriments have increased since then including sudden deaths from cardiovascular failures, excess cancer incidence and fatalities, increased infant and perinatal mortality, increased heritable genetic mutations. Health detriment and other details are available on the Stop Hinkley website. -- 3. Taking Action to Ban the Bomb in Livermore -- 200+ activists gathered at the gates of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory 68 years after the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Livermore Lab, located in California’s San Francisco Bay Area is one of two locations that design every nuclear warhead in the U.S. arsenal. The August 6 rally featured amazing speakers, including acclaimed whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, Rev. Nobuaki Hanaoka, author Cecile Pineda, poet Pete Yamamoto, and Tri-Valley CAREs’ Loulena Miles. The theme this year was "Unfinished Business and Our Most Urgent Responsibility; Banning the Bomb at the Livermore Lab and Globally." The rally was sponsored by dozens of peace and justice groups. Participants marched from the northwest corner of the Livermore Lab to the West Gate where 31 people were arrested for participating in nonviolent direct action. More information at http://www.trivalleycares.org -- 4. Fennovoima's Image Washing, Manipulating Public Opinion & more -- Fennovoima signs adorn public works in Pyhäjoki, like the fence of a sports field near the town's high school. The name of the corporation is split in two in this sign. The colors chosen slowly make one think of a clean sky blue and verdant earth green. The minimalist, sans serif, ultra-clean logo contributes to the branding narrative. These qualities together help to subtly reinforce a deceptive and cynical picture of the false ecological story of nuclear power: its advocates claim it is "green" because it does not produce carbon emissions in the generation of energy. Fennovoima's waste is far more deadly, and is a threat to the entire planet in ways that localized carbon emissions are not. This is classic green washing part of a broader strategy to help mask the reality of the true costs of making energy in this way. Read the complete story: http://casepyhajoki.info/english-fennovoimas-image-washing-manipulating-public-opinion-normalizing-their-presence/ -- 5. The radioactive risks of fracking -- Fracking is not only bad for climate as it is connected to releasing big amounts of carbon dioxide, and a threat to health and environment because of the toxid liquids used to flush out the shale gas, but also a risk due to the radon gas that might be released with it. Public Health England, formerly the Health Protection Agency, is preparing a report identifying potential public health concerns in connection to fracking - showing also the risks of radioactive emissions. PHE is evaluating the potential risks of radon gas pumped into people's houses as part of the shale gas stream. Radon is considered the second-largest cause of lung cancer in the UK. An US report has confirmed the concerns connected to Radon and natural gas coming from the shale mixing and traveling together to the customers. Additionally, the Norwegian environmental consultancy Det Norske Veritas identified radioactive waste contamination as a problem with fracking. Learn more: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/136661 -- 6. CASE PYHÄJOKI: Artist reflections on nuclear impact -- A unique gathering took place August 1-11, 2013 in the village of Pyhäjoki - the region selected by Fennovoima for a new nuclear power plant in Finnland. Fennovoima was originally initiated by the German atomic player EON, but they gave up the project - maybe a result of campaigning against the new NPP locally and internationally. Unfortunately, a new player seems to take over the field (and EON's shares): the Russian atomic giant Rosatom. To raise awareness on the issue, and to look at the issue from a different point of view, the art project "CASE PYHÄJOKI - Artistic reflections on nuclear influence" was started - a transdisciplinary artistic expedition, production workshop and presentation events in Pyhäjoki, North Ostrobothnia. Great material has been produced there, many lectures and excursions are documented in film and text. Have a look at: http://casepyhajoki.info/en/ -- 7. Talvivaara aims on keeping activists out of the area -- As reported in August, Talvivaara mining company asked the Ministry of Interior for assistance in deporting activists visiting the area without authorization. It is the same company responsible for several environmental accidents in their facilities, particularly the huge spill in November 2012 considered the biggest Finnish chemical disaster in history. In spring the Vaasa Adminstrative Court had annihilated permissions for exceptional operations that were illegally granted to them by local authorities. Several breaches of rules and laws by the mining company had been first made public by concerned citizens and activists. Instead of issuing serious legal consequences for an operator permanently polluting the environment showing their irresponsibility and criminal attitude in breaking the anyway weak regulations for environment protection from mining activities, now those people pointing on these issues are intended to be punished stricter. The Ministry already indicated to help Talvivaara mine when changing the Police Act Regulations in autumn. It seems authorities are saying: "Don't stop pollution of huge environments, but fine those who talk about it!" Source: http://www.mtv3.fi/uutiset/kotimaa.shtml/2013/08/1791177/talvivaara-pyytaa-ministeriolta-apua-aktivistien-karkottamiseksi -- 8. Latest developments in the Fennovoima NPP new build project -- Fennovoima has chosen Russian state owned company Rosatom as the reactor provider for their nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki Hanhikivi Cape in Finland. The negotiations to have Rosatom as one of the biggest investors in the project have been started. Rosatom would be the owner of 1/3 of the shares, replacing German E-On which previously left the project. Other 1/3 of the shares are owned by small energy companies all over Finland and the rest by Finnish industry. The energy companies are municipality owned and the political decision making to continue the nuclear power plant project is at hand at the moment in different municipalities. They need to decide by the end of October 2013 if they want to continue investing in the nuclear power plant. Rosatom wasn't listed as the nuclear power plant builder and the actual plant is different than in the original decision in principle of the Finnish government. This is why Fennovoima needs to provide new survey about the environmental affects and safety of the plant for the Ministry for Employment and Economy in the coming spring 2014. Sources: http://www.hs.fi/talous/Fennovoima+luottaa+omistajiinsa/a1382040393873 http://www.hs.fi/talous/Fennovoima+toimitti+Stukille+voimalan+turvaselvitykset/a1381481389020 -- 9. Summer-Mini-Camp 2014 in the South of the Czech Republic -- As somebody, who has participated already in several activities of the Nuclear Heritage Network I value especially the NukeNews and know, that it is not an easy thing to have something like this going without big money. For some you, who would like to see this info-network still improved (for example by doing some translations) and personal contacts among us intensified, I´d like to offer organizing something like a work- and get-to-know-the-country-and-each-other-camp near the town of Kaplice in the South of the Czech Republic, very close to the Austrian border. For around 5- max. 10 people I could offer some simple accommodation and partly supply of nurishment. Transport to at least Prague or Linz would have to be organized by yourself, with the rest I´d try my best to help. Time: about a week in July or August 2014. People interested please write to: "b.riep AT eduhi.at" until around March 2014 (www.slunceasvoboda.eu respectively www.sonneundfreiheit.eu) The inviting NGO has some experience and know-how in cross border cooperation with also interests reaching beyond anti-nuclear activism, attempting to integrate elements of culture and renewable energy aspects. -- 10. Uranium freighter collided with a sailboat in the Baltic Sea -- Near the Rügen island (Germany) on October 18th, 2013, the Russian freighter "Mikhail Lomonosov" collided with a sailboat. The freighter is well-known for shipments of radioactive materials for the "Northern Shipping Company", and it turned out it had loaded both uranium hexafluoride and uranium dioxide according to media coverage again. The sailboat suffered serious damages, while about the impacts on the freighter nothing is public yet. Regarding uranium hexafluoride, it is particularly alarming that in contact with water it forms the deadly hydrofluoric acid. As far as anti-nuclear organizers found out, the material was supposed to be transported on trucks from Hamburg to the Gronau uranium enrichment facility. Updates: http://www.mzeise.net/uran/news/aktuell.php?tsnews4=archiv&dots=169 -- 11. Network office launched -- Since September 2013, the long-announced International Network Office has been in operation. For now, it has opening hours only once a week: Wednesdays between 2 and 4 PM CET/CEST (Central European -Summer- Time). During the opening hours, the office is available via phone (+49 3431 5894177), email (office AT nuclear-heritage.net), Skype (projekthaus.mannsdorf), jabber/XMPP (user: network.office, domain: jabber.ccc.de), and in person (D-04720 Döbeln, Am Bärental 6). The mission of the International Network Office is to support anti-nuclear activists by connecting them to other groups, speakers and experts on specific topics. We also want to support and coordinate the production (and distribution) of multilingual flyers on local anti-nuclear topics. And, we also want to help to organize networking gatherings. Basically, the goal is to support anti-nuclear struggles by networking and sharing information/contacts. Three volunteers committed to office hours shifts until the end of this year. They are not paid and they do other political work besides this, too. So please don't expect too much when you are calling. From January 2014 we will need volunteers again to continue the Network Office. If you are interested to support this anti-nuclear service, contact us! http://office.Nuclear-Heritage.NET -- 12. Canada: Liquid high-level nuclear waste could pass through Niagara -- Liquid highly-enriched uranium from Canada’s Chalk River research reactor could be trucked through Niagara on the way to be processed in South Carolina, says a report bound for regional council's planning committee in November. The waste could be coming any time between 2013 and 2018 - the period U.S. approval is in force - but the report notes no "special notification" will be given when the waste rolls through, due to security concerns. The report from the Region's planning department notes this will be the first time Canadian authorities have tried to truck highly- enriched uranium as a liquid solution. source: http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2013/11/06/nuclear-waste-could-pass-through-niagara -- 13. UK: Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station given 5-year life extension -- As reported by BBC on November 5th, 2013, the Hartlepool NPP is to stay open for an extra five years. The site was due to close in 2019 but will now remain operational until 2024, owner EDF Energy confirmed. It has also been confirmed that a new visitor centre will open at the plant. As far as we know this is the first British extension of nuclear power station lifetimes since Hinkley B and Hunterston B were given 7-year extensions (both to 2023) in 2012. Original shut-down date for Hartlepool was 2009. Interesting that Hartlepool only given a 5-year extension. EDF had announced in 2012 that all its AGR station would be considered for a 7-year extension in 2016. (And that Sizewell B would be considered for a 20-year extension - from 2034 - then... source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-24824816 -- 14. Shoddy nuclear technology and poor safety culture should not be    exported from Russia to Finland -- The Finnish nuclear operator Fennovoima publicly announced on September 3 the intention to buy a VVER-1200 (AES-2006) reactor from the Russian state nuclear corporation "Rosatom". The deal may cost around 6.4 billion Euro and include transferring 34% of Fennovoima's ownership to Rosatom. Corruption scandals involving Rosatom over the past several years clearly demonstrate that the Russian nuclear industry cannot be trusted to produce quality equipment for nuclear plants. In February 2012, for example, a Rosatom-owned company was accused of selling shoddy equipment to nuclear plants inside and outside Russia. According to Russian experts, VVER technology is far from perfect: "If an uncontainable leak breaks out in the primary circuit of a VVER-type reactor, or other failures cause water to stop circulating in the cooling system, core damage could occur, complete with the resulting massive release of radiation." "It is truly shocking that Fennovoima decided to help Rosatom in building of Russian-designed nuclear reactors in Finland and the European Union. This is highly risky and unacceptable, and may lead to a repetition of the Fukushima disaster inside Europe", said Russian Ecodefense in a press release. Read more: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/PR:Shoddy_nuclear_technology_and_poor_safety_culture_should_not_be_exported_from_Russia_to_Finland -- 15. Hinkley Point NPP: "Most expensive in the world" -- According to an analysis published by reputable equity investors Liberium Capital, the agreement signed by the UK Government with Electricité de France to build a new nuclear power station, Hinkley C, in Somerset would make Hinkley C "The most expensive power station" in the world; with the longest construction period. They go on to argue that the the government's agreement to underwrite the £16bn Hinkley Point nuclear power station could prove to be "economically insane" and hugely costly to consumers, saying, "Having considered the known terms of the deal, we are flabbergasted that the UK government has committed future generations of consumers to the costs that will flow from this deal." Learn more: http://www.nonucleartrains.org.uk -- 16. Save Santa Mountain from Mining -- Finnish activists started a new online campaign against the Sokli mine plans in Eastern Finland by the Russian border. Sokli basically is supposed to exploit Finland's richest phosphate resource, which contains relatively high concentrations of radioactive minerals. The mine is located in the upper area of Nuorttijoki river system. Close to the planned mining area lies the Törmäoja and Yli-Nuortti rivers, and the glades of Ainijärvi, which are all part of the Natura 2000 network. Sokli is located between the Urho Kekkonen National Park and the Värriö Nature Park near Korvatunturi, the "home of Santa Claus". The area further includes the famous Tuntsa wilderness and three Natura Network locations. The Korvatunturi fell is best known as the home of Father Christmas (or Joulupukki in Finnish). According to Finnish Folklore, this land is the location of Father Christmas’ secret workshop, where toys, trinkets and gifts are made and eventually wrapped by gnomes. Responsible is the Yara International company with the Norwegian state as the largest shareholder. The phosphorus ores in Sokli contain ten times the amount of radioactive material in uranium, thorium, radium of normal levels. In the niobium ores, the levels are even 200-fold. Yara intends to mine phosphorus 4-10 tons per year and to use this phosphorus to make fertilizers. There are concerns about the radioactivity levels of fertilizers. The prospective Sokli mine area will be between 4000-6000 hectares (40-60 km2). Learn more: http://savesantamountain.com/2013/11/08/a-natural-disaster-being-prepared-in-eastern-lapland/ -- 17. UK: Opposing the Hinkley Deal -- In Bridgwater (the nearest town to the site intended for Hinkley C), South-West Against Nuclear (SWAN) organised a local demonstration against the deal the very same day it was announced by David Cameron, 21st October. The protest involved dumping a pile of animal dung outside the EDF shop in Bridgwater and hanging a banner over the shop saying "NO MORE BULLSXXT - EDF TAKE OUR £££ AND DUMP WASTE ON US!" A man in cow costume addressed shoppers while supporters emptied shopping bags of dung onto a plastic sheet, blocking the shop's entrance. A placard in Chinese was stuck into the pile. Two Chinese state companies have signed letters of intent to invest in the project and it has been reported that it is "expected" they will invest 30-40% between them. Protestors cleaned the pavement around the pile and at the end of the demo removed the dung for organic recycling. Police however later confiscated the dung and placed it in their van, saying that they believed it might be used to commit criminal damage. Watch the video on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8ZyDuhaAUng -- 18. Radiation Free Lakeland: NEW website -- Nuclear is a Living Nightmare! Radioactive contamination of air, sea and groundwater. Nuclear "energy" needs chemicals and fossil fuel power plants during and decades after any electricity production. Radiation causes cancers and other diseases. Nuclear causes a snowball of blight now, and for generations after us. http://wildar4.wix.com/radiation-free-land -- 19. Nuclear Train Derailment - Barrow, Cumbria -- September 18th 2013: According to the nuclear industry the flasks were empty and on their way to Sellafield when two wheels left the track on 16th September. Flasks on their way to Sellafield are most often full of spent fuel being sent to Sellafield to be reprocessed making the wastes even more dangerous. These flasks had gone on a long journey having sailed from Japan to Barrow and back again with Highly Active Waste who knows how many times. The Highly Active Waste (a result of reprocessing spent fuel to make MOX which nobody wants) is presumably going to be stuffed into the containers and then trundled back along the tracks it has already derailed from, to be shipped from Barrow across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal and to Japan where it will be met with huge protest. http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/high-level-wastes-japan-and-derailed-trains/ -- 20. Final repositories in Scandinavia: report indicates threats shown in seismology and palaeoseismology -- This summer, the Swedish scientist Nils-Axel Mörner published a report "Patterns in seismology and palaeoseismology, and their application in long-term hazard assessments - the Swedish case in view of nuclear waste management" showing evidence for a massive understatement of the tectonic threats to final repositories in Scandinavia: earthquakes, tsunamis and other events appeared much more frequently and in higher extend in the past than considered by the studies of the nuclear industry. The report opens general questions about the suitability of the Scandinavian rock formations for the long-term storage of dangerous material. It should affect the discussion on Onkalo in Finland and on the supposed Forsmark repository for spent fuel. "Seismic events are recorded by instruments, historical notes and observational criteria in geology and archaeology. Those records form a pattern of events. From these patterns, we may assess the future seismic hazard. (...) The nuclear industries in Sweden and Finland claim that the high-level nuclear waste can be buried in the bedrock under full safety for, at least, 100 000 yr. It seems hard, if on the whole possible, to make such assessments from the short periods of pattern recognition in seismology (< 100 yr) and palaeoseismology (some 13 000 yr). All assessments seem to become meaningless, maybe even misleading. In this situation, we must restrict ourselves from making too optimistic an assessment." Read the report: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Patterns_in_seismology_and_palaeoseismology,_and_their_application_in_long-term_hazard_assessments_-_the_Swedish_case_in_view_of_nuclear_waste_management -- 21. Dumping Low Level Radioactive Waste in Landfill -- Following vigorous campaigning by Radiation Free Lakeland Tim Farron MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in Cumbria has said there is "Powerful Evidence" to scrap the deregulation which allows low level radioactive waste into landfill. The UK government has signed up to the Euratom Treaty which describes in detail a plan to turn Lillyhall landfill site into a Radioactive Waste Repository with a "controlled release of radioactivity to groundwaters." http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/tim-farron-mp-powerful-evidence-to-pull-the-plug-on-radioactive-fly-tipping/ -- 22. Campaign "No to State aid for nuclear!" -- The petition against state aid for nuclear was launched in September on the website http://www.my-voice.eu! A huge success with over 20 000 signatures - we need to continue mobilising all over Europe until April 2014. This decision on the new state aid regime is in the hands of the EU Commission alone - it requires only a simple majority and is no obliged to involve the member states (Council) or the European Parliament to decide the state aid guidelines. It is therefore vital to mobilise Europe's citizens. Our chances aren't too bad as trouble with the pronuclear crusade is causing the next delay in the EU Commission. There will be no decision taken before April 2014 - this means, more time for more protest! Join and spread the petition NOW. Please think about what you and your organization/network/group can do. Join and spread the petition NOW in your personal & organization's mailings, newsletters, facebook etc. -- 23. NO Geological Dumping of High Level Nuclear Waste! The Wrong Answer? -- FOLLOWING Nirex and the ending of the "Managing Radioactive Wastes Safely" process with Cumbria County Council's no vote, any new consultation regarding geological dumping should not include Cumbria. Instead the 84 members of the County Council have been airbrushed out of this new "democratic" process alongside the hundreds of members of the parish councils, the overwhelming majority of whom have said no repeatedly. The UK government want to deal with the few patsys on the Executive of Allerdale and Copeland Borough Councils who said yes while airbrushing away the majority who said NO! http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/is-new-consultation-needed-the-big-debate/ -- 24. CASE PYHÄJOKI in retrospect: With joy and love -- "CASE PYHÄJOKI - Artistic reflections on nuclear influence" was a trans-disciplinary expedition and production workshop in Pyhäjoki, Northern Finland from 1.-11.8.2013. The sixth nuclear power plant (NPP) of the country is planned to be built in Pyhäjoki Hanhikivi cape. The participants created different types of engagements, prototype events and experiments, reaching from a large "thank you" sign for those who refuse to sell their land to the nuclear power company, to the design of a "power sports day"; including a local fairytale, a mural painting with local youth, a special karaoke playlist, a DIY geiger counter building workshop, and more. The more includes new and deepened friendships, collaborations and memories of good times and meetings with local people. People involved to the CASE PYHÄJOKI project will continue with follow-ups more the less connected to the issue of den proposed NPP in Pyhäjoki and to nuclear power in general. The project is documented on their blog, announcements of new activities will be announced there and if possible with the NukeNews, too. Read more reflections on backgrounds on the CASE PYHÄJOKI project: http://casepyhajoki.info/en/ilon-ja-rakkauden-kautta/ -- 25. China Eyes Up Sellafield - while scrapping nuclear plans at home -- Imagine a world where the repressed Chinese people are marching in the streets opposing nuclear power - while the supposedly free British citizens are encouraged by government to meekly submit to yet another nuclear consultation aiming to bury hot nuclear wastes in leaky geology. Imagine a world where a repressive regime will take notice of public opinion and scrap plans for a nuclear development while a supposedly democratic government will try to bypass public opinion by dealing only with a few unrepresentative patsys in borough councils. Sounds mad? It is mad! And it is happening right now... http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/china-eyes-up-sellafield-while-scrapping-nuclear-plans-at-home/ -- 26. Activists block a uranium transport in the South of France -- On the 12th of September, about 30 activists from the collective Stop Uranium blocked a truck carrying uranium tetrafluorid near Narbonne, in the South of France. The blockade lasted for one hour. Radioactivity measures were made: a dose about 50 times the average radioactivity level could be measured one meter away from the truck. The truck was coming from Comurhex Malvési, a facility owned by Areva, where uranium is being transformed for the first time after it arrives in France. About one fourth of the uranium used in the world is processed there. The aim of the action was to highlight the dangers of the facility and the transports. 3 to 5 trucks are leaving the facility every day, carrying uranium tetrafluorid. See pictures of the blockade there: http://groupes.sortirdunucleaire.org/blocage-camion-tetrafluorure -- 27. Say no! to an uranium mining project in Nunavut -- Areva is coveting the underground of Nunavut, in the North of Canada, and expect to build a uranium mining there. Opening the way to uranium mining would threaten this territory, already made vulnerable by climate change. The consequences would be catastrophic for the Inuit, whose lifestyle, relying on hunting, requires a clean environment. We launched a petition (in English and French) to French ministers to demand them canceling this mining project: http://groupes.sortirdunucleaire.org/Petition-nunavut-en -- 28. Visaginas NPP fate "undecided", As politicians ignore the decision of the referendum -- Despite the results of the referendum in October 2012, where people voted against a new nuclear power plant in Lithuania, politicians are still trying to push for the project. The Government of Lithuania, as announced in the media, will soon make the decision regarding the fate of Visaginas NPP. The plans to discuss the common position of three Baltic countries, regarding the project, have also been announced. So far, both Latvian and Estonian politicians were reluctant towards this project. Read more: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Visaginas_NPP_fate_%22undecided%22,_as_politicians_ignore_the_decision_of_the_referendum -- 29. Update on repression against environmental groups in Russia -- Since Western media are not reporting that much anymore on repression against non-governmental groups in Russia (except for the case with jailed Greenpeace activists), I will put some update on this crackdown going on presently. Feel free to send around. Greenpeace case is getting a lot of coverage in Russia and governmental media broadcasts a lot of bullshit to make sure Russians hate environmental activists of all kinds. Ugly thing happened in the South of Russia, Krasnodar city, close to the site of 2014 Winter Olympic Games just few days ago. Local police together with FSB (exKGB) tryed to catch environmental activist Rudomakha. They came to the office of local political party threatening to storm it because they thought activist is inside. But he left earlier. Police gave no explanations but local people think it is because of Olympics. Rudomakha spent a lot of time criticizing the destruction of local nature related to Olympics preparations. Fortunately, activist is still not arrested. Read the complete story: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Update_on_repression_against_environmental_groups_in_Russia -- 30. Decisions move closer in the UK -- The announcement of a strike price despite a year of negotiations is claimed to be on the brink of agreement, with UK media speculating on a price of around 93 pounds per MWh more than twice the current market price - the condemned government are determined to feather the nests of big business by increasing fuel poverty through it's regressive energy policy. It looks like China general nuclear power group will be EDFs investment partners and if they achieve the kind of stakes they're aiming for (rumour has it they're looking for an almost equal stake) then the coalition government will succeed in giving the worlds most powerful authoritarian state partial control of the most dangerous technology on British soil, with not one iota of the concern that Thatcher expressed in her day wen she had her government block Kuwaiti investment in the UK energy market. Read more: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Decisions_move_closer_in_the_UK -- 31. Upcoming events -- (just an extract, tell us your events for the next newsletter) more events: http://upcoming.nuclear-heritage.net Please feel invited to send us your local and international events for this website and the NukeNews! 24/10/13-23/03/14: exhibition "Langzeit und Endlager" at Museum zu                   Allerheiligen, Klosterstr. 16, in Schaffhausen (CH) 10/12/13 5.30 PM: Celebration of 30 years of accomplishment of                    Communities Against a Radioactive Environment and will debut a short documentary film about Tri-Valley CAREs at Livermore Public Library, Community Rooms A&B, 1188 S. Livermore Ave., in                   Livermore (USA) 12/12/13:         Global Action Day Against Nuclear Power 2013 12/12/13 at 12 PM: MKG Seminar: SSM and Nuclear Waste Council - in the completion phase in Stockholm (S) 2014:             Probably Castor transport of high level radioactive waste from Sellafield (UK) and of intermediate level radioactive waste from La Hague (F) to                   Gorleben (D) and protests 2014:             Nuclear Waste Transport to Ahaus - current status: "postponed" (D) 06/02/14-07/02/14: Long-term Performance of Engineered Barrier Systems (PEBS) at BGR in Hannover (D) 08/03/14:         Fukushima related actions in the Dreyeckland region (CH, D, F) 08/03/14:         Fukushima rally in Jülich (D) 09/03/14 at 2 PM: human chain Fessenheim at vallée du Rhône (F) 09/03/14 at 2 PM: Fukushima disaster remembrance: international brigde actions in the Upper Rhine area (D) 08/04/14-10/04/14: Symposium on Recycling of metals arising from operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities at the Studsvik site outside Nyköping (S) 26/04/14:         ecological festival "Für eine Zukunft nach                    Tschernobyl und Fukushima" (D) 29/04/14:         European Anti Nuclear Forum in Prague (CZ) 03/05/14-08/05/14: Atomforum of the German nuclear industry in                   Frankfurt/Main (D) 11/05/14-15/05/14: European Nuclear Conference in Marseille (F) summer 2014:      Walk For A Nuclear Free Future from Miami, FL to                    the Y-12 Nuclear Facility Oakridge, TN 2014 (USA) 22/08/14-24/08/14: solar festival in Peckwitz (D) 01/01/15-30/04/15: (estimated) main hearing on the Environmental Court on SKB's application to build KBS3 final nuclear waste repository at District Court in Nacka (S) http://www.allerheiligen.ch/images/PDF/Langzeit%20und%20Endlager_Flyer.pdf http://www.trivalleycares.org/new/party%20flyer-2.jpeg http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Global_Action_Day_Against_Nuclear_Power_2013 http://www.nonuclear.se/en/kalender/mkg20131212stockholm http://www.greenkids.de/europas-atomerbe/index.php/Gorleben_Castor_Resistance_in_Germany_2014 http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Nuclear_Waste_Transport_to_Ahaus http://www.pebs-eu.de/PEBS/EN/Pebs-Final-Conference/PEBS_final_conference_node_en.html;jsessionid=EF1A95844F8E4E013BCB14F2A5E66F59.1_cid284#link4 http://wp.chainehumaine.eu/ http://www.nonuclear.se/en/kalender/20140408-10studsvik http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/European_Anti_Nuclear_Forum_2014 http://www.euronuclear.org/events/enc/enc2014/index.htm http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Walk_For_A_Nuclear_Free_Future_2011-2015/Miami-Y12_Nuclear_Facility_Oakridge http://ag-schacht-konrad.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=769&Itemid=189 http://www.nonuclear.se/en/kalender/kbshuvudforhandling2012 -- 32. About NukeNews -- The NukeNews are a multilingual newsletter system of the Nuclear Heritage Network and are supposed to reflect the activities, topics and struggles of anti-nuclear activists connected through this international community. The messages are written and translated by activists, additionally to their usual anti-nuclear activities. No one is paid for that work, as we want to provide resources like this information system to the anti-nuclear struggle as independent as possible. The newsletter aims to inform and update as well activists as the interested audience. Your contributions to the next issue of the NukeNews are welcome. Send them via email to "news AT NukeNews.nuclear-heritage.net". It should be brief information in English of not more than one paragraph, including a concise headline and an optional link to a webpage providing more information. Deadline for the 12th issue of the NukeNews will be 5th of January, 2014. 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