Members of the Mescalero Apache tribe in New Mexico, us, have successfully warded off an us attempt to turn their land into a radioactive waste dump. In early February, representatives of the tribe voted down a proposal to store several thousand tonnes of spent nuclear fuel rods in the region.

Advocates of the deal said that had the proposal been accepted, it would have earned the Apaches around us $250 million for a storage period of around 40 years. What is more, it would have definitely helped alleviate their 36 per cent unemployment and 50 per cent poverty rates.