NukeNews No. 8 - ENGLISH

************************************************************ *     NukeNews #8 - Anti-Nuclear Information Service      * ************************************************************ - 0. Preface - In this NukeNews edition we cover some upcoming and ongoing campaigns and actions people of our network are involved to in 2013. Besides, there are some news on atomic projects in countries like Canada, Czech Republic or France, protests against transports of nuclear waste, etc. This spring the second anniversary of the Fukushima disaster and the 27th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe take place, accompanied by many events, actions and mass demonstrations all over the world. The nuclear catastrophe in Japan is still going on, radiation permanently gets released, authorities and nuclear industry don't know how to deal with the radioactive threat, and some reactor is still a risk of further disasters. Not only that - even more than a quarter of a century after the huge explosion in the Chernobyl reactor no. 4 still more people get sick, peaks of new diseases caused or fostered by the nuclear accident occur. - No end is in sight. We were not able to really compose an overview of the remembrance and wake up events taking place this year, but anyway many activists with the Nuclear Heritage Network are busy on organizing and campaigning in this field, too. As the next NukeNews will be published in spring, this will be a great chance to promote summer events of yours - like camps, actions, conferences... Please write us about your plans to spread the word with this newsletter! - Outline of the current NukeNews issue #8 - 0. Preface 1. The Nuclear Age in Quebec is Over 2. Joint Anglo-French Fast Action Against Nuclear Weapons 2013 3. Cameco-Areva-Pinehouse Collaboration Agreement to Silence Resistance 4. UK Energy Bill campaign - No to Nuclear Subsidies 5. 9 March 2013: Let's take energy issues back in our hands! 6. Activities and struggles on Forsmark NPP, Sweden 7. Atomic train derailment in France 8. Saw against saw at power line construction 9. Brochure "The Critical Question/Die Kernfrage" also translated into Czech and Slovenian language 10. CASTOR transport from Italy to La Hague 11. Czech Ministry agrees on two new reactor blocks in Temelín 12. Appeal trial against anti-CASTOR protesters in Caen (F) 13. Indian Relay Hunger strikes since 18/12/2012 against planned GE    NPP 14. Japanese financial support for Visaginas NPP was a rumour 15. Upcoming events 16. About NukeNews - 1. The Nuclear Age in Quebec is Over - The last commercial nuclear reactor in the Canadian province Gentilly-2 was finally shut-down on December 28, 2012. After an announcement in 2008 to refurbish the plant for some 1.9 Billion Canadian Dollars and plans for operation until 2040, the operator had to give up these nuclear dreams in October 2012 for economic reasons. A celebration of this event took place on the day of closure in Montréal. Québec will be truly out of the nuclear age only when we achieve a permanent moratorium on uranium mining, as has been done in two other provinces - Nova Scotia and British Columbia! (Gordon Edwards) - 2. Joint Anglo-French Fast Action Against Nuclear Weapons 2013 - A 4 day fast in sorrow at the destruction caused by the US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians and destroyed these 2 cities in 1945. A joint Anglo-French fast in protest against the Aldermaston-Valduc Treaty on the development of nuclear warhead technology for the next 50 years. Still 20.000 nukes, 2000 on high alert status. 75% of countries at the UN General Assembly in December 2012 voted in favour of a Convention to eliminate nuclear weapons. France and the UK voted against. "Humanitarian disarmament" is a priority! Abolish Nuclear Weapons! Yes, we can, more, we must! Learn more: http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Joint_Anglo-French_Fast_Action_Against_Nuclear_Weapons_2013 - 3. Cameco-Areva-Pinehouse Collaboration Agreement to Silence Resistance - On December 12, 2012 the Saskatchewan village of Pinehouse signed a Collaboration Agreement with the uranium mining companies Areva and Cameco promising jobs and money in exchange for keeping silent in public criticism on these companies activities. The terms of the agreement include: "Pinehouse is expected to fully support Cameco/Areva’s mining". "Pinehouse will support Cameco/Areva’s Existing Operations," "Pinehouse will support Cameco/Areva’s Proposed Projects" and will "Support Cameco/Areva’s Future Operations". "Pinehouse promises to: Not make statements or say things in public or to any government, business agency that opposes Cameco/Areva’s mining operations." Pinehouse promises to: "Make reasonable efforts to ensure Pinehouse members do not say or do anything that interferes with or delays Cameco/Areva’s mining, or do or say anything that is not consistent with Pinehouse’s promises under the Collaboration Agreement." A group of northerners from Pinehouse, Beauval, English River First Nation and Canoe Lake First Nation has just secured a lawyer that is working on a court injunction to stop the implementation of this agreement. "Anyone can add their name, including organizations and groups." - The Saskatchewan "Committee for Future Generations" asks to support the residents of Pinehouse fighting the Cameco/Areva Collaboration Agreement. Learn more: http://committeeforfuturegenerations.wordpress.com/take-action/ - 4. UK Energy Bill campaign - No to Nuclear Subsidies - The Kick Nuclear campaign continues against nuclear subsidies in the Energy Bill, which is currently working its way through Parliament. Future leafleting sessions are in the pipeline, and we are working closely with Climate Bloc to organise a demo and rally in Parliament Square on the evening of the third reading of the Bill. The date is as yet unknown, but it is likely to take place towards the end of February. We will, of course, keep you posted when we have more details. Learn more: http://kicknuclear.org http://climatebloc.wordpress.com - 5. 9 March 2013: Let's take energy issues back in our hands! - On March, the 9th, the French antinuclear network "Sortir du nucléaire" organises a big humain chain in Paris to demand a phase out of both nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Our goal is to cross over the capital and to circle the places where decisions about nuclear and energy are taken without taking into account the citizen's voice. Thousands of people are awaited and activists from all over Europe are warmly welcome. http://www.chainehumaine.org - 6. Activities and struggles on Forsmark NPP, Sweden - In Halloween time we wanted to take a long walk with lanterns to Forsmark nuclear power plant. Afterwards we wanted to have meeting in the church in Forsmark to light candles for the victims of nuclear disasters. The priest had agreed three weeks on beforehand but three days before the event he changed his mind. He spread the rumor we were terrorists. We quickly arranged to assemble in another place. We were 30 "terrorists" walking in the dark with lanterns. Close to Forsmark we were met by a bunch of small, wellnourished female securityguards. We had a discussion but they did not give in so we stood there in some quiet minutes in prayer for the victims. To women went away and made an oldfashioned warning "kulning". That is a kind of very high song, without words that were used in the places in the mountains, where women stayed with their cattle in summertime. Then we walked back to the church and had a silent meeting in protest outside it. Also with kulning and a song. Then we took the buses to a place, where we were welcome and listened to two young musicians and a speech and had something to eat. Later on we had a meeting with the priest and to men from the nuclear power plant to discuss the situation with power plants, though the priest Lars-Åke Palm wanted to discuss "What kind of society we should have". The discussion goes on also in newspapers about where the church stands. Monica Dahlby, Uppsala for FMKK (the peoples campaign against nuclear power plants and weapons) - 7. Atomic train derailment in France - On January 20th a nuclear AREVA train jumped the rails in southern France. It was loaded with uranium oxide (U3O8), the destination was probably a uranium enrichment facility of URENCO in Germany or the Netherlands. Another possible destination could be also the temporary repository COVRA. AREVA refused to provide information about the intention of the shipment. The train crashed shortly after leaving the Tricastin nuclear complex at 5.30 PM. An inappropriate switch is supposed to be responsible for the derailment of the train. As usually "no radiation has been released". The accident occured not with maximum speed. Thus, it could have been worse. Later, when the railway labor union SUDRAIL published photos of the derailed freight cars, AREVA admitted a CASTOR container with high level radioactive waste to be involved in the accident. Due to the incident, another CASTOR had to wait at the railway station for several hours. The destination of both CASTOR containers was the La Hague reprocessing unit (France). Learn more: http://blog.eichhoernchen.fr/post/Kurzmeldung-Atomtransport-entgleist-in-Frankreich - 8. Saw against saw at power line construction - In Le Chefresne now the chain saw massacre of the La Bévinière forest for the construction of power lines particularly for atomic power stations has started. Following the call for decentralized actions in reaction of the felling some power line masts became victim of saw actions, too. Close to the construction site in Montabot a house was bought to build up a resistance center there. Learn more: http://antitht.noblogs.org/ - 9. Brochure "The Critical Question/Die Kernfrage" also translated into Czech and Slovenian language - The very well written brochure "The Critical Question", edited 2009 by the NGO "Women in Europe for a common future" was available in German, English and French already. This publication gives a comprehensive insight into the important areas of the nuclear industry with critical examples from around the world. Both translations (into Czech and Slovene) were part of a project of the NGO "Sonne+Freiheit", which was financially supported by the Upper Austrian regional government, where the greens are participating in a coalition government. Both publications will be obtainable also online through the website of the Austrian-Czech-NGO http://www.slunceasvoboda.eu/ learn more: http://www.wecf.eu/english/publications/2009/kernbuch.php - 10. CASTOR transport from Italy to La Hague - In January, a CASTOR transport with high level radioactive waste took place from Italy to the La Hague reprocessing unit in France. Anti- nuclear activists had announced protests and blockades - as they had taken place several times already in the past. Fearing these protests, the transport's route had been changed on short notice. Only anti- nuclear activists informed the public; authorities and nuclear industry did not. Learn more: http://champagne-ardenne.france3.fr/2013/01/15/passage-d-un-convoi-de-dechets-radioactifs-dans-la-marne-181363.html - 11. Czech Ministry agrees on two new reactor blocks in Temelín - The Czech Environmental Ministry has given its OK to the planned building of two new nuclear blocks at the already existing location of NPP Temelín. Thousands of comments by Czech and foreign NGOs and citizens were put aside, basic questions of a formally incorrect EIA-process have not been answered, like: which reactor types will be used (AP1000 from Westinghouse, EPR from Areva or MIR.1200 from Rosatom), what to do with the nuclear waste and who will be paying for the dismanteling and secondary investments like new roads and the necessary grid improvements. Besides that it is quite uncommon, that a leading person from the side of the investor (mainly state owned company ČEZ), Mr. Ivo Hlaváč, is changing his job to become vice ministry exactly for the period, when the investment project of his former company is being scrutinized by the Environment Ministry, his new employer. In the meanwhile he has returned back to his former company ČEZ. Czech NGOs like Calla and Jihočeské matky (Southern Bohemian mothers) now try to use legal means in order to bring this badly prepared project to an end. Edvard Sequens, Calla http://www.calla.cz/index.php?lang=eng/ - 12. Appeal trial against anti-CASTOR protesters in Caen (F) - They stopped the CASTOR transport to Germany in 2010 with a lock-on action in Caen. They were injured seriously when police tried to remove them from the tracks: third-degree burns, necessary skin grafting, tendons cut or burned by police, etc. The trials against police had been abandoned, while the victims again are faced with the courts. It will be the appeal trial, because the district attorney's office says 30,000 EUR fine and suspended sentences would not be strict enough. The appeal trial takes place on March 4, 2013 in Caen. Learn more: https://ganva.noblogs.org/post/2013/01/21/castor-2010-proces-en-appel-des-7-du-ganva-le-lundi-4-mars-2013/ - 13. Indian Relay Hunger strikes since 18/12/2012 against planned GE    NPP - The people of Kovvada village in the South Eastern Indian state of Andrha Pradesh, along with people from surrounding villages have sat on a Relay Hunger Strike since 18th December 2012 and will be shortly completing 50 days of Relay Hunger Strike against the proposed Nuclear Power Park which is being constructed by GE. read more: http://www.dianuke.org/kovvada-update-50-days-of-hunger-strike-against-proposed-ge-reactors/ - 14. Japanese financial support for Visaginas NPP was a rumour - Rumours that Japan’s Ministry of Finance and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will give an export credit for Visaginas NPP in Lithuania have been denied. The officials from the Ministry and JBIC confirmed to Japanese NGOs that there are no negotiations on the project. Even if Hitachi would apply for the money, there is little chance they would get it, because it does not meet environmental and social criteria set for such projects. To start with, implementation of the project would be counter the results of the referendum, held in October 2012, where majority of voters said "No" to new NPP in Lithuania. Meanwhile, following the referendum, Lithuanian Parliament ordered Lithuanian Government to develop "a cost-optimal and consumer-friendly strategy for provision of electricity" till May 15th, 2013. Read the investigative report here: http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2013/hitachi_still_seeks_backing - 15. Upcoming events - (just an extract, tell us your events for the next newsletter) more events: http://upcoming.nuclear-heritage.net 2013:             Protests against the CASTOR transports from Jülich to Ahaus (D) 09/03/13 at 12 PM: Fukushima commemoration national march and rally in                   London (UK) 09/03/13:         Protests on Fukushima anniversary at the uranium enrichment facility in Gronau, at the Gundremmingen NPP and Grohnde NPP (D) 09/03/13 at 11 AM: Human chain on Fukushima anniversary in Freiburg (D) 09/03/13:         human chain to encircle the nuclear decision makers in Paris (F) 10/03/13 at 2 PM: Rally against the Tihange NPP in Huy (B) 12/03/13-13/03/13: Joint event on public participation in decision making in the nuclear domain in Luxembourg 13/03/13-15/03/13: Nuclear industry's ETRAP 2013 - 5th International Conference on Education and Training in                   Radiological Protection in Vienna (A) 29/03/13-07/04/13: Radioactive Exposure Tour from Melbourne to                   Adelaide (AUS) 09/04/13-10/04/13: International conference: "Energiewende – Think                   European!" at Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung in Berlin (D) 15/04/13-26/04/13: Anti-nuclear Walk for Life in the nuclear heartland of Europe (Alpes de Haute Provence, Gard,                   Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse) (F) 26/04/13-28/04/13: Atomic Ciné film festival at Andorra in Helsinki (FIN) 29/05/13-04/06/13: 3rd International Uranium Film Festival for a                   Global Nuclear-Free Future in Rio de Janeiro (BR) 12/06/13-15/06/13: Uranium Exposium in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (CDN) summer 2013:      Walk For A Nuclear Free Future from Minnesota to                    Buffalo (USA) 06/08/13-09/08/13: Joint Anglo-French Fast Action Against Nuclear Weapons 2013 at the Burghfield nuclear base (UK) and at the Eiffel Tower in Paris (F) 14/10/13-16/10/13: European Commission EURADWASTE '13 conference in                   Vilnius (LT) 11/11/13-13/11/13: InSOTEC second Stakeholder Seminar in Berlin (D) 12/12/2013:       Global Action Day Against Nuclear Power 2013 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 http://www.greenkids.de/europas-atomerbe/index.php/Nuclear_Waste_Transport_to_Ahaus http://www.fukushima2013.com/ http://www.contratom.de/2012/12/18/aufruf-zu-protest-zwei-jahre-fukushima-atomanlagen-abschalten/ https://www.facebook.com/events/465363570190270/ http://chainehumaine.org/ http://www.stop-tihange.org/ http://www.unece.org/ppdm_nuclear.html http://www.etrap2013.org/ http://www.foe.org.au/anti-nuclear/issues/oz/radtour http://www.boell.de/calendar/VA-viewevt-de.aspx?evtid=12394 http://coordination-antinucleaire-sudest.net/2012/index.php?post/2012/11/14/Du-15-au-26-avril-2013-:-Marche-antinucl%C3%A9aire-pour-la-vie-et-l-arr%C3%AAt-imm%C3%A9diat/inconditionnel/d%C3%A9finitif-du-nucl%C3%A9aire http://atomic-cine.org/ http://www.nonuclear.se/en/kalender/Intl_Uranium_Film_Festival_2013 https://sites.google.com/site/cleangreensaskca/Home/huesss-campaign/Uranium%20Exposium.jpg?attredirects=0 http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Walk_For_A_Nuclear_Free_Future_2011-2015/Minnesota-Buffalo http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Joint_Anglo-French_Fast_Action_Against_Nuclear_Weapons_2013 http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/euratom-fission/fisa-euradwaste-2013_en.html http://www.nonuclear.se/en/kalender/insotec_sem2_2013 http://www.nuclear-heritage.net/index.php/Global_Action_Day_Against_Nuclear_Power_2013 http://www.greenkids.de/europas-atomerbe/index.php/Gorleben_Castor_Resistance_in_Germany_2014 - 16. 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 9th issue of the NukeNews will be 28th of April, 2013. Spread the word and learn more about the NukeNews: http://NukeNews.Nuclear-Heritage.NET