For the past 40 years, the French state-owned company Areva has been mining uranium for Europe's nuclear power needs in Niger, one of the poorest countries on Earth. One local activist is taking on the company, claiming that water and dust have been contaminated and workers are dying as a result of its activities.
Africa
Tuareg Activist Takes on French Nuclear Company
Friday, November 12, 2010
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German's trial over Libya nuke program nears end
Saturday, October 11, 2008STUTTGART, Germany: A German engineer has acknowledged that he helped procure parts for a centrifuge system that authorities say was meant for Libya's now-abandoned nuclear weapons program, a court said Thursday.
Gotthard Lerch went on trial in June, accused of supplying Libya with sensitive technology in the knowledge that the country was seeking atomic weapons. Prosecutors have accused him of playing a key role in the network led by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.
UN watchdog says black market nuclear network had sophisticated information
Friday, September 12, 2008VIENNA, Austria - The International Atomic Energy Agency says a black market nuclear network operating from Pakistan had substantial and up-to-date information on how to make an atomic bomb.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog says much of the sensitive information was passed on to customers in electronic form.
The time bomb
Wednesday, August 27, 2008Since the end of the cold war, the United Nations has logged more than 800 incidents in which radioactive material has gone missing, often from poorly guarded sites. Who is taking it - and should we be worried? Julian Borger investigates.
CIA used Swiss to thwart foreign nuclear programs: report
Monday, August 25, 2008WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Central Intelligence Agency recruited a family of Swiss engineers to help it thwart the Libyan and Iranian nuclear programs as well as an underground supply network of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, The New York Times reported on its website late Sunday.
The newspaper said the operation involved Friedrich Tinner and his two sons, who have been accused in Switzerland of dealing with rogue nations seeking nuclear equipment and expertise.
Discovering Estonia: Sillamae and the old nuclear plant
Saturday, July 26, 2008The first time I heard about Sillamae I was at Tallinn bus station on my way for getting into the night bus to Latvia. An old Russsian-speaking man approached me for a cigarette and started with a story that, a bit because the enormous amount of alcohol he must have drunk before coming to me and a lot because of my inability of decoding that beautiful language Russian is, I did not really get.
I was almost just arrived here in Estonia and, my fault, I have to admit that, at that time, I even ignored the existence of such a place.
Bulgaria sends uranium fuel to Russia
Monday, July 21, 2008WASHINGTON -- Bulgaria has sent its remaining highly enriched uranium to Russia for safeguarding from terrorist or other potential misuse.
Nearly 14 pounds of the spent fuel were received Thursday at a Russian nuclear facility, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced. A first shipment of 37.3 pounds of fresh uranium fuel was sent to Russia in December 2003.
France signs Algeria nuclear deal
Saturday, June 21, 2008France and Algeria have signed an agreement on civil nuclear co-operation during a visit to Algiers by the French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon.
Mr Fillon described the agreement as a sign of a "transformation" in the countries' ties.
Relations were very bad for years after the Algerian war of independence forced France to abandon its treasured colony.
Swiss to investigate shredding of files in nuclear smuggling case
Wednesday, May 28, 2008BERN, Switzerland: A powerful Swiss parliamentary committee is investigating why files in a high-profile nuclear smuggling case were secretly destroyed on government orders last year, officials said Tuesday.
The parliamentary committee charged with overseeing intelligence issues said it will collect further evidence on how the files were destroyed and publish a report before the fall.
Papers on nuclear smuggling ring shredded
Wednesday, May 21, 2008The government ordered the destruction of documents on an alleged international nuclear smuggling network involving three Swiss engineers, it has been confirmed.
The head of a parliamentary control committee said the material was shredded last November.
