British MPs and members of the European Parliament have signed a letter from South Asian anti-nuclear groups to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing "deep concern" over human rights and environ

British MPs address letter to Manmohan, Jayalalithaa

Express deep concern over human rights and environmental issues around the plant

British MPs and members of the European Parliament have signed a letter from South Asian anti-nuclear groups to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing “deep concern” over human rights and environmental issues around the controversial Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) which they argue “violates” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s safety guidelines.

There will be no compromise on the safety of atomic plants and it will be harmful to close the additional source of energy. It will be harmful for the country to pass ordinance on denial of nuclear power, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

After the Fukushima accident in Japan in March 2011, the Prime Minister said, he ordered a complete review of the 20 operating nuclear reactors across the country and none of them reported any incident. “Our view is that when it comes to safety, there will be no compromise.”

A.P. Shah surprised that State Human Rights Commission has not intervened

Japan began a recess from nuclear-generated electricity, its first in more than four decades, after its sole operating power reactor was halted for scheduled maintenance last night.

Hokkaido Electric Power Co's Tomari No 3 reactor in northern Japan stopped generating electricity yesterday, and fission ceased this morning, said Satoshi Takada, a spokesman for the utility.

Barring an unexpected turnaround, Japan this weekend will become a nuclear-free nation for the first time in more than four decades, at least temporarily.

Energy-poor Jordan said on Sunday a Russian firm and a French-Japanese consortium are to compete to build the kingdom’s first nuclear plant.

Upset with the Tamil Nadu government for going back on its assurances, the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) on Monday announced that it would resume an indefinite hunger strike from May 1 against the two 1,000 MW plants at Kudankulam.

"We have decided to go on hunger protest once again from May 1 onwards as the state government has gone against its assurances given to us. A large number of women will be participating in the hunger protest," PMANE leader M. Pushparayan told agencies over phone from Idinthakarai, a fishing village near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

Instead of coercing the people fighting against injustice and life-threatening projects like Kudankulam Nuclear Power Projects, these people should be protected in a democratic set-up, social activist Neeraj Jain said.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, Mr. Neeraj, who was here to deliver lecture at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, told reporters that countries like India and China alone were ambitiously pursuing nuclear power programmes even as nuclear energy was gradually losing its popularity in other countries across the globe, especially in Europe, after several nuclear disasters, particularly after Fukushima accident.