Opposition against nuke plant gains momentum
The opposition against the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in Ratnagiri district (India) gained a little more momentum on Monday. Doctors and environmental activists addressed about 300 people at the Vanamali Hall at Dadar on Monday on the possible effects of radiation arising from a nuclear power plant. Project affected people of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station, the oldest in India, shared their experiences and grievances related to the project.
“There is a European Parliament Report of 2004 which stated that there’s more carbon emitted from the uranium fuel cycle as compared to fossil fuels,” said Girish Raut, an environmental activist.
U.S. Lawmakers and Egyptian Officials Met 250+ Times in 2010
Newly released lobbying records show just how close the U.S. government has been to the Mubarak regime. According to the Sunlight Foundation, nearly 250 meetings between Egyptian officials and U.S. lawmakers and their aides took place in the first seven months of 2010 alone. For years, Mubarak has employed a team of Washington-based lobbyists, including former Democratic Congressman Toby Moffett, former Republican Congressman Bob Livingston and Democrat Tony Podesta, whose brother John served as former President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff. The Unites States also has close ties to Mubarak’s new vice president, Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s former intelligence chief. Suleiman played a key role in the U.S. extraordinary rendition program. He also underwent training in the 1980s at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School and Center at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Suleiman has been placed in charge of reaching out to Egyptian opposition groups.
Yemeni President to Step Down in 2013
The fallout from the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia continue to spread across the region. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, another key U.S. ally, said today he will not seek to extend his presidency when his current term ends in 2013. Saleh has ruled the Yemen for 32 years. Yemeni opposition groups are planning to a stage a large rally, dubbed a Day of Rage, on Thursday. On Tuesday, Jordanian King Abdullah dismissed his government and appointed a new prime minister.