topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2138.81 0.91
DAX 6394.51 0.86
IBEX 30 6533.2 -0.15
CAC 40 3078.12 0.99
FTSE 100 5410.15 1.10
AEX 295.92 1.08
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13225.46 0.54
TSX Composite 11576.47 0.09
ASX 4120.2 0.96
Hang seng 18800.99 0.47
Straits Times 2787.22 0.52
ISEQ 20 504.56 0.72
You are here: Home News Spanish News Anti-nuclear activist, in acrobatic feat, stops German...

Spanish News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


29/04/2009Anti-nuclear activist, in acrobatic feat, stops German nuclear train

This is the third time that the French activist has succeeded in blocking trains from leaving the Gronau processing plant in western Germany.

Berlin -- A French anti-nuclear activist nicknamed the "unbending squirrel" managed to stop a train carrying uranium from a German processing plant in spectacular fashion, police said on Tuesday.

Cecile Lecomte, 27, abseiled down from a motorway bridge near the western city of Muenster overnight Monday to Tuesday to hang suspended over a rail line, forcing the 25-wagon train carrying the enriched nuclear fuel to stop.

Police climbing specialists then had to abseil down to the woman to remove her. It was the third time that Lecomte had succeeded in blocking trains from the Gronau processing plant in western Germany.

Police said that the train was headed for France but a protest group, AKU Gronau, said it was going to Russia.

Polls show that a majority of Germans remain opposed to nuclear power and believe the technology remains highly dangerous because of potential accidents and terrorist attacks.

Shipments of waste to the Gorleben storage site for nuclear waste regularly spark angry protests.

Former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government decided to mothball the last of Germany's 17 nuclear reactors -- which produce a quarter of Germany's power, compared to 80 percent in France -- by about 2020.

But current Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives say that going back to nuclear, as fellow EU member Italy is doing, would reduce Germany's dependency on oil and gas imports from Russia and the Middle East.

The conservatives, who argue that abandoning nuclear power undermines the goal of cutting greenhouse gases, want to look at extending the life of some nuclear power stations.

AFP/Expatica


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

Technology in Spain

Sat phones/internet links

English in Spain

What is the best travel insurance cover to Spain?

American in Spain

U.S. citizens, plan to vote in 2012? Did you know...

Relocation to Spain

thinking of moving to madrid

Jobs in Spain

Job Agencies or how to find work.

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Editor's Guide: Getting Started in Spain

Expatica's Getting Started section will provide practical information on how you can open a bank account, exchange your driving licence, improve your Spanish, and more.

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Groups and Clubs in Madrid

Here's a guide to an extensive list of groups and clubs in Madrid for expats, from sports groups to social and family gatherings.

Groups and Clubs around Spain

Groups and Clubs around Spain

A brief introduction to our Tax section for Spain, from help with inheritance tax to accounting advice.

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Groups and Clubs in Barcelona

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in Spain, from what to ask the experts to opening a Spanish bank account.