A message of solidarity to our Italian colleagues

On June 12 and 13 Italians will vote in a national referendum on nuclear power. A "yes" vote says "no" to nuclear power. Italians closed their nuclear program by national referendum in 1987. Now the Berlusconi government wants to revive it. Beyond Nuclear supports its Italian colleagues in pushing for a huge "yes" turnout to say "no" to nuclear power.

Italians say "no" to nuclear during soccer championship

Greenpeace unfurled a banner during the championship soccer game last Sunday, reading: "From Milan to Palermo, let's shut down nuclear." The tag line at the end reads, "the crazy ones are you if you don't vote to close nuclear in the referendum. The national referendum will be held June 12 and 13. In the last one in 1987, Italians voted to shut down their nuclear power program which has never since reopened.

French nuclear safety agencys calls for wider Japan evacuation

From the Times of India:  "Seventy thousand people living beyond the 20-kilometre no-go zone around Fukushima should be evacuated because of radioactivity deposited by the crippled nuclear plant, a watchdog said. Updating its assessment of the March 11 disaster, France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) highlighted an area northwest of the plant that lies beyond the 20-km (12 mile) zone whose inhabitants have already been evacuated. Radioactivity levels in this area range from several hundred becquerels per square metre to thousands or even several million bequerels per square metre, the IRSN report, issued late Monday, said.

Switzerland follows Germany in 100% nuclear phaseout

From Reuters: "The Swiss government decided on Wednesday to phase out nuclear power by 2034 after the Japan disaster shook public confidence in the industry, but said it will not shut any existing power plants prematurely.

The Swiss government suspended the approvals process for three new nuclear power stations in March pending a review into safety after the disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant.

Last weekend 20,000 people rallied against nuclear power -- the largest demonstration of its kind since the 1980s."

Leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea munch "cherries, tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers" grown in Fukushima as show of solidarity

The Atlanta Journal Constitution and The New York Times report that Premier Wen Jiabao of China, President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea, and Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan munched on "cherries, tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers," as well as leafy greens, all grown in Fukushima Prefecture since the nuclear power catastrophe began, in a nuclear evacuee shelter in Fukushima, Japan as a sign of solidarity and normality amidst the unprecedented disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. China and South Korea had previously expressed great alarm at Japan's discharge of large-scale hazardous radioactivity releases into the atmosphere and ocean. Both countries had banned certain Japanese food imports, especially from Fukushima prefecture. China had also taken action about contamination of its own food crops due to Fukushima fallout in the earliest weeks of the catastrophe. However, it must be remembered that Japan, South Korea, and China not only have many operating nuclear power plants already, but before the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, also had -- and may yet have -- dramatic expansion plans for nuclear power in their respective countries.