Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 09:22:39 -0400 1 13-MAY-1996 17:20 China set to be flexible on peaceful nuclear tests GENEVA, May 13 (Reuter) - China said for the first time on Monday it was prepared to show "flexibility" on its demand that a nuclear test ban treaty allow peaceful nuclear explosions -- provided other nuclear powers make concessions. Sha Zukang, China's ambassador to the Disarmament Conference, also revealed Beijing had formally backed a plan to wrap up the negotiations with a global pact by the end of June. --- -- - 2 13-MAY-1996 06:02 Negotiators from 38 countries meet in Geneva on Tuesday to begin a final push for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, facing an end-June deadline. China is the only declared nuclear power holding out against a treaty banning all blasts. Beijing is widely expected to carry out two explosions at its Lop Nor test site in the northwestern region of Xinjiang this month or next. --- -- - 3 12-MAY-1996 10:15 French protester abandons perch on nuclear plant TOULOUSE, France, May 12 (Reuter) - Three people from a local environmental group broke into the Golftech nuclear power plant and climbed on the 180-metre cooling tower on Thursday, aiming to expose lax security that they said could lead to radioactive theft or terrorist attacks, as the last, the last left his makeshift camp late on Saturday. --- -- - 4 12-MAY-1996 05:11 Final push starts for total nuclear test ban pact GENEVA, May 12 (Reuter) - Officials from 38 countries begin a final push this week to agree by the end of June on a comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) prohibiting underground nuclear blasts. China is the only country which doesn't suspend tests during the negotiations. India fears a test ban pact now would freeze the advantage of the declared nuclear states. --- -- - 5 11-MAY-1996 13:21 French protesters back militant atop N-power plant TOULOUSE, France, May 11 (Reuter) - About 200 anti-nuclear protesters gathered outside a French atomic power plant on Saturday to show support for a defiant activist camped atop a cooling tower after breaking into the plant two days ago. --- -- - 6 11-MAY-1996 12:38 Italians take to streets in anti-nuclear rally ROME, May 11 (Reuter) - More than 50,000 Italians marched through the centre of Rome on Saturday calling for a cleaner, non-nuclear environment a decade after the Chernobyl disaster. --- -- - 7 10-MAY-1996 22:55 China says observes nuclear non-proliferation pact BEIJING, May 11 (Reuter) - China strictly observes the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. "The nuclear cooperation between China and the countries concerned is exclusively for peaceful purposes," Xinhua quoted the Foreign Ministry official as saying. --- -- - 8 10-MAY-1996 10:22 Slovenia ecologists say atom-plant closure doomed LJUBLJANA, May 10 (Reuter) - The Slovenian Ecological Movement, said it would never be able to obtain enough signatures to force a nationwide referendum on shutting down the Krsko power plant (NEK) within 10 years. The plant, about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Ljubljana, started operating in 1983 and is scheduled to close in 2023. --- -- - 84 11-MAY-1996 01:05 China vows to stick to nuclear accord BEIJING, May 11 (UPI) -- Beijing responded to a U.S. decision against imposing economic sanctions on China for selling nuclear components to Pakistan with a pledge Saturday to refuse to help other nations develop nuclear weapons. --- -- - 67 10-MAY-1996 19:35 Tornado forces reactor shutdown By United Press International A string of powerful storms battered the Midwest Friday, forcing a utility company to shut down a nuclear power plant in northwestern Illinois after an apparent tornado struck a reactor building. The outer layer of sheet metal covering the cement secondary containment building was blown off by winds of more than 70 mph. --- -- - 39 13-MAY-1996 03:16 Fuel cell power plant begins operation By LIDIA WASOWICZ UPI Science Writer PALO ALTO, Calif., May 13 (UPI) -- The world's largest direct fuel cell power plant has begun operations, generating electricity in a test of this environmentally friendly energy source, officials said Monday.