Friday, January 05, 2007

Canberra to sell uranium to China

By Robert Hudson,
WNS Canberra Correspondent

CANBERRA - Australia will soon be able to export uranium to China, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has said. The two countries signed an agreement earlier this year, which means the exports can begin in 30 days, he said. Australia has 40% of the world's recoverable uranium, while China needs a huge amount of energy for its large population and rising economy. Beijing is keen to increase its use of nuclear power, to cut down its dependence on fossil fuels. Two bilateral nuclear treaties - the Australia-China Nuclear Transfer Agreement and the Nuclear Co-operation Agreement - were signed in April during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Canberra.

The two countries had previously failed to reach a deal amid concerns China would use the uranium in its nuclear weapons programme. But these agreements are designed to ensure that any uranium exported to China will just be used for peaceful purposes. Australia already exports uranium to more than 30 countries, but only does so under strict conditions. India has also tried to buy Australian uranium, but unlike China it has yet to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation and has so far failed to win approval for the purchase.

China is desperate for energy to fuel its booming economy. The old coal mines that the country relies on cannot keep up with demand and there is not enough oil to go around. With power shortages and blackouts in big cities common, the government is looking for new sources of energy and nuclear is top of the list. Beijing wants to build 40 to 50 nuclear reactors over the next 20 years and a steady supply of uranium is vital.

posted by wnsworld @ 11:07 PM 0 comments

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Fiji coup leader sworn in as PM

By Malenie Judy,
WNS Pacific Bureau Chief

SYDNEY - The leader of a coup in Fiji, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has been sworn in as interim prime minister, one month after overthrowing the government. Cmdr Bainimarama deposed prime minister Laisenia Qarase and named himself the country's president. However, Cmdr Bainimarama on Thursday returned executive authority to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. An interim government is to be appointed and is expected to be dominated by the military.
It will remain in power until elections.

Mr Bainimarama said at a short swearing-in ceremony on Friday: "In all things, I will be a true and faithful prime minister." Mr Qarase remains banished on an outlying island. In a national address on Thursday, Cmdr Bainimarama said he had returned "all executive authority" to Mr Iloilo. The move did not affect his control over the government, but still had important significance, correspondents say. Cmdr Bainimarama did not explain why he made the decision but reports suggest he was trying to appease Fiji's powerful Council of Chiefs, which represent the country's indigenous majority.

The council has been critical of the army's actions, and had objected to the treatment of Mr Iloilo, whom Council members first appointed seven years ago. Soon after he was reinstated, President Iloili made a nationwide address publicly supporting the coup, and saying that, given the circumstances, he would have taken the same actions as Cmdr Bainimarama. "I fully endorse the actions of the commander and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces in acting in the interest of the nation and in upholding the constitution," he said. The military had long accused Mr Qarase's administration of being corrupt, and adopting racist policies against the ethnic Indian minority. Caretaker Prime Minister Jona Senilagakali, who was chosen by the army in the days after the coup, has resigned.

posted by wnsworld @ 11:03 PM 0 comments