Uzbekistan

Nuclear waste dumps threaten environment

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

MAILUU-SUU, 10 September 2008 (IRIN) - "I carry clean [drinking] water with my truck to the villages upstream almost on a daily basis. I was born here and I remember that in the past the road on this side of the river was closed to traffic. They say that was because of some mines and radioactive waste tailings," Bakyt told IRIN in Kairygach, about 10-15 minutes' drive from Mailuu-Suu.

There are some signs warning about radioactivity - meaning there are waste dumps located not far from the road and the river. Actual waste dumps are natural or artificial holes filled with the toxic waste and covered with soil as a protective cover.

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The time bomb

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Since 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.

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Bulgaria sends uranium fuel to Russia

Monday, July 21, 2008

WASHINGTON -- 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.

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Mitsui signs accord to explore Uzbekistan uranium

Thursday, July 17, 2008

TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) - Mitsui & Co, Japan's second-largest trading firm, and Uzbekistan agreed on Thursday to look at forming a joint venture for the exploration of uranium in the Central Asian country.

Securing new exploration projects in Central Asia is key to Japan, which relies on nuclear power for over 25 percent of its electricity. It currently imports some 60 percent of its uranium from Australia and Canada.

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