Muehleberg peaceful anti-nuclear protest in May (©2011 Herbi Ditl, flickr.com/photos/herbivore)

Update 2  19:20  BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss ruling seven-member Federal Council Wednesday afternoon voted to end the country’s nuclear energy programme by 2034. The decision requires approval by Parliament.

Five existing nuclear power stations will be closed as their licenses, which will not be renewed, come to an end.

Europe finalizes nuclear station “stress tests”

The European Union, also Wednesday afternoon, put the finishing touches on its stress tests programme for nuclear facilities, to test their ability to withstand terrorist attacks and natural disasters. “The tests, which follow two months of wrangling, will also address resilience to more common threats such as forest fires, transport accidents and the loss of electrical power supplies,” reports The Guardian in the UK. Tests must begin by 1 June.

Switzerland’s Federal Council, in setting out its new 2050 energy strategy, will look to guarantee that the country’s energy needs are met through a combination of:

• greater economies through more efficient use of energy supplies
• developing hydraulic power and renewable energy supplies
• as needed, producing combustible gas for electricity
• imports.

The government has noted the urgent need to rapidly develop electricity networks and to increase energy research.

The WWF promptly issued a statement congratulating the government on its decision but noting that the parliament could take this a step further when it votes 8 June, in particular in setting an earlier date of 2029 to end the nuclear programme, pointing out that several environmental groups recommended this to the government in early May, outlining their reasons.

The council said Wednesday afternoon in its statement that it sees no reason to advance the date, and that recent checks on the safety of the plants shows they are very secure. The plants have a 50 year life and will come to the end of their terms in 2019, for Beznau, 2022 for Beznau II and Mueleberg , 2029 for Goesgen and 2034 for Leibstadt.

Five states on high alert

India will rethink its strategy for countering terrorism attacks, officials have said, following the second major Maoist attack in two months, where 50 people (figure: Times of India)  were killed in Chhattisgarh when a landmine was exploded under the bus in which they were traveling. The state, in the centre of the country, is rich in minerals. Five Indian states are on high alert, with Maoists declaring two days of attacks.

Links to other sites: Reuters, Times, India, Wall St Journal

US President Barack Obama is widely expected to announce Tuesday 1 December that the US will send up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He phoned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sunday and met at the White House with top military and diplomatic officials to brief them and order them to implement a new strategy, the White House announced, without confirming the actual number of troops. He then spent much of Monday discussing US strategy with Afghanistan allies, including Australia, Canada and the UK, in what White House spokesperson Robin Gibbs called “an international effort.” Obama will give a speech at the West Point military academy Tuesday explaining why the US is involved in Afghanistan and announcing details of the new strategy. The head of the US military programme in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal,  has requested 40,000 troops.

Links to other sites: CNN, New York Times, NPR, Times, UK