Germany « nuclear-news

German govt illegally dumping nuclear waste on rural Russians

Berlin breaks German law to dump nuclear waste on Russians, Indymedia NL (Nederland)Diet Simon / MONITOR – 21.11.2010 The German government is ridding itself of highly dangerous nuclear waste by dumping it on rural people in Russia who can’t defend themselves. They’ve already suffered terribly in Mayak, said to be the most radioactively contaminated place on the globe. See http://archive.greenpeace.org/mayak/mayakstory/index.htmlNow, hoping it will be out-of-sight-out-of-mind, German provincial and national authorities plan to send nearly 1,000 spent fuel rods there, probably next month. One of Germany’s leading political television magazines, Monitor, recently showed the horrific lives nuclear waste has caused people in the area. If you understand German, you may want to watch at http://www.wdr.de/tv/monitor/sendungen/2010/1118/atom.php5……… . Indymedia NL (Nederland) – Berlin breaks German law to dump nuclear waste on Russians

November 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

The halt on German nuclear transports to Russia

Thousands attend unprecedented anti-nuclear protests in Germany: Local action achieves global impact. Bellona, 19 Nov 10, GORBLEN, Germany .……..The deal that the Germans were preparing with the Russians involved the transportation of 951 spent nuclear fuel assemblies burnt in a research reactor in Rossendorf, Eastern Germany, from a temporary storage facility in Ahaus, Western Germany, to the chemical reprocessing plant Mayak in Russia for final disposal.On November 13, the German news agency DPA reported that authorities in Hamburg – namely, city mayor Christoph Ahlhaus – had refused to allow the port to be used as a transit point for the delivery.
“In October, another decision to refuse to participate in the transportation of nuclear waste had come from the authorities in Bremerhaven, also a port. Therefore, for the time being, there is no suitable seaport in Germany that would agree to serve as a transit harbour [for the waste]. The German government says shipping the 18 containers with nuclear waste may be postponed until April 2011,” the DPA report said (rendered here from the Russian translation). ……

Thousands attend unprecedented anti-nuclear protests in Germany: Local action achieves global impact – Bellona

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | AUSTRALIA, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Germany: nuclear wastes arrived, but anti-nuclear movement now mainstream

“The main difference between the ’70s and ’80s, when this all started, is today it’s a mainstream issue at the centre of the society,” …. “It is not just the ecological fringe.”

Despite protests, nuclear waste arrives in northern Germany – thestar.com. Michael Slackman New York Times, 9 Nov 10, lBERLIN—After three days of protests and occasional violent clashes with the police, a train hauling 123 tonnes of nuclear waste arrived Monday in northern Germany. Continue reading →

November 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Germany: costly transport of nuclear wastes through protest

17,000 policemen, at a cost of up to 50 million euros ($70 million), were used over the weekend to keep an estimated 35,000 people from blocking the path of the train,

Mounting disappointments boost anti-nuclear protests Deutsche Welle Ben Knight, 08.11.2010 “……..The ongoing civil disobedience campaign against a train delivery of nuclear waste to a storage facility in Gorleben is being reported as one of the biggest of its kind ever in Germany. Continue reading →

November 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

17,000 police can’t get nuclear waste train through German protest

Police used tear gas, baton charges, horses, water cannon, pepper spray and human brute force but wave after wave of protesters continued to swarm on the last stretch of track before the city of Dannenberg.

Fierce battles as nuclear ‘train of death’ held up in GermanyA nuclear waste train inching through Germany was unlikely to reach its destination until Monday after massive protests along every foot of railway line. Telegraph By Allan Hall in Berlin 07 Nov 2010 “….The security operation to ensure the cargo of reprocessed fuel from nuclear power stations in Germany reaches its destination is one of the biggest ever mounted with 17,000 police officers on duty. Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, Copenhagen, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Huge anti-nuclear waste protest for Germany

Tens of thousands of riot police will be escorting the nuclear waste convoy across Germany to the Gorleben dump.

Nuclear waste shipments to Gorleben have drawn repeated protests since 1980.

German anti-nuclear activists disrupt Berlin trains, Reuters BERLIN Nov 2 – German anti-nuclear activists on Tuesday took responsibility for setting a small fire in a Berlin rail station during rush hour that caused widespread disruption to commuters throughout the capital. Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Gloomy political future for Merkel’s govt on its pro nuclear decision

The opposition and some of the states are now considering appealing to the country’s constitutional court to overturn the bill, arguing that it should have been brought before the Bundesrat. And around 50 municipally-controlled energy suppliers also intend to campaign against the new law. They are concerned that the refocus on nuclear energy could endanger investment in renewable energy programs…..

The World from Berlin: Extension of Nuclear Lifespans Is ‘Pure Conservatism’ – SPIEGEL ONLINE – 29 Oct 10, “…..lGermany may be facing into a winter of discontent following the dismantling of a plan to phase out nuclear energy in just over a decade. Continue reading →

October 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, reactors, renewable energy | Leave a comment

Massive anti-nuclear protest in Munich

Tens of thousands take part in Munich anti-nuclear protest | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 09.10.2010Richard Connor (dpa/AFP) Opponents of the German government’s plans for nuclear power claim success after a major demonstration in Munich. The event was the largest of its kind in Bavaria for more than two decades. Tens of thousands of people turned out on the streets of Munich on Saturday against the nuclear power policy of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government.A focus of the protest was the formation of a human chain, about 10 kilometers long, through the center of the city…..Tens of thousands take part in Munich anti-nuclear protest | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 09.10.2010

October 11, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

German Chancellor Merkel’s nuclear policy likely to be derailed

the German federal government’s own Advisory Council on the Environment stated that “By 2050, Germany’s energy needs can be supplied 100% through electricity derived from renewable energy sources,” however, “the federal government must set the course for the conversion of the energy system now.”

Germany’s Burgeoning Anti-Nuclear Movement Promises to Derail Merkel’s Energy Policy, THE HUFFUNGTON POST, Tina Gerhardt, 28 Sept 10, Merkel’s decision has reignited Germany’s anti-nuclear movement. A poll conducted last week by ZDF television found sixty-one percent of Germans oppose the plan of Merkel’s center-right coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU) and Free Democrats (FDP). Continue reading →

September 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics, Uranium | antinuclear, nuclear, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Greens surge ahead in Germany due to anti-nuclear stand

Surveys have shown a majority of Germans are opposed to extending nuclear lifespans and Merkel faces a battle to get the planned measures through parliament. The SPD and Greens have said they will go to court to stop the extensions becoming law.

German Greens Hit Record, Pull Level With SPD: Poll Planet Ark: 23-Sep-10 GERMANY : Erik Kirschbaum Germany’s Green Party has drawn level for the first time with the main opposition Social Democrats, a leading poll showed, propelled by its campaign against government plans to extend the use of nuclear energy. Continue reading →

September 24, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics | antinuclear, nuclear | Leave a comment

Young and old protest against nuclear power in Germany

thousands of young people joined in as well, along with many middle-of-the road Germans who had never been at a protest before….the protest is a strong signal that a broad spectrum of Germans is opposed to extending nuclear lifetimes,

Most Germans Don’t Want Nuclear Power’ – SPIEGEL ONLINE , 20 Sept 10, Anti-nuclear campaigners demonstrating in Berlin on Saturday sent a powerful message of opposition to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to extend the lifetimes of German reactors. Media commentators say she would be unwise to ignore it, because her own supporters don’t want nuclear power either. Continue reading →

September 21, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, nuclear, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Call for referendum on Germany’s nuclear power plants

“Angela Merkel’s nuclear deal brings people onto the streets because when a government leader makes deals in the backroom that call into question the security of old nuclear plants, this is a recipe for political disenchantment,”

German Opposition Seeks Nuclear Referendum, NYTimes.com, By JUDY DEMPSEY September 20, 2010 * BERLIN — In what is seen as a direct challenge to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s energy strategy and style of leadership, the opposition Social Democrats called Monday for a referendum on the future of the country’s nuclear power plants………….. Continue reading →

September 21, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, reactors | Leave a comment

Berlin protest as thousands reject nuclear power

the anti-nuclear movement has not seen such strong public support since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union, in 1986.

Berlin / Munich – Two Cities / Different Crowds, EU Australia Online , September 19th, 2010 Weekend events in Germany saw a large protest in Berlin over nuclear power stations,…….CONFRONTATION OVER NUCLEAR STATIONS Crowds estimated at between 40-100000, depending on who was counting, paraded to the office of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, in Berlin, objecting to government plans for extending the life of ageing nuclear power plants. Continue reading →

September 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Anger rising against German government’s astonishing concessions to nuclear industry

The government is making astonishing concessions to the industry…for example..by spending more on nuclear safety they will be able to spend less on alternative energy.

Coalition Fission – Merkel’s Nuclear Plan Encounter Mounting Opposition :: Free Internet Press, 13 Sept 10 “……The agreement Merkel reached with the utility executives last week includes substantial concessions to the industry. Continue reading →

September 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Merkel bypasses German Parliament in move to prolong nuclear power

Merkel has indicated that she believes she will be able to bypass the Bundesrat because the new deal prolongs the phase-out period, but does not actually overturn the 2002 law. This apparent skipping of parliamentary process in such a significant policy for Germany’s energy future will form the crux of the anti-nuclear lobby’s opposition……..The Social Democratic Party and the Greens have made it clear that if the deal goes ahead they will make it a major issue in the next election and overturn it if elected.

Germany’s ‘hot autumn’ of nuclear discontent, Sydney Morning Herald, James Norman and Dave Sweeney, September 15, 2010, “…….. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat coalition will move a new accord to extend the life-span of Germany’s 17 existing nuclear power plants by 12 years ….