StraightGoods.ca

Department of Energy says Fukushima meltdown has decreased demand for enriched uranium.

from Grist

"In comic books, radioactive disasters make stuff be massive. But in the real world, the Fukushima meltdown of 2011 is having the opposite effect on the worldwide nuclear power sector.

"The sector is rapidly shrinking from the Hulk that it used to be, leading the U.S. government to announce on Friday that it is jumping out of the unprofitable uranium enrichment business.

"The Energy Department is closing the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in western Kentucky at the end of the month. The plant opened in the 1950s to help the nation develop its nuclear arsenal, and in the 1960s it began enriching uranium for power plants. Federal officials say the refinery’s operations, which were privatized in the 1990s, are no longer sustainable. …"

Full story

Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey finds credit score best on financing, fees and account managers.

from Credit Union Times

"When it comes to financing, fees and account managers, Canada’s credit unions do a better job of meeting the needs of small businesses compared to banks, according to a new report.

"The Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed nearly 13,000 small business owners and found that credit unions achieved the highest overall score of 7.4 out of 10.

"The greatest strengths were in financing with a score of 6.0, 7.5 for fees and 7.2 for account managers. …"

Full story

Climate Change Secretary says target is ambitious but achievable, will require an increase in renewable energy.

from The Independent

"Britain has challenged Europe to sign up to an ambitious target of cutting carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030.

"Ed Davey, the Climate Change Secretary, called on fellow EU governments to sign up to the target as part of a global climate agreement in 2015.

"The proposal marks a shift in the UK's position after internal coalition wrangling over climate change. The British government wants the EU to agree to 40 percent reduction of carbon emissions from 1990 levels, with an 'ambition' for it to be extended to 50 percent when the agreement is reached in two years. …"

Full story

Labourers at construction giant Arabtec in the UAE complain of low pay, poor conditions and lack of annual leave.

from Al Jazeera

"A strike by low-wage workers at Arabtec – the construction giant building the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, a branch campus of New York University and a series of other megaprojects – has ended after police entered labour camps and immigration services issued a series of deportation notices.

"United Arab Emirates security forces converged on camps operated by Arabtec on Monday, workers told Al Jazeera, and labourers continue to receive deportation orders as part of the fallout. Arabtec workers interviewed by Al Jazeera say they earn between $102-$325 per month, and send as much as they can back to their families in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other countries.

"Arabtec officials have said they were paying the workers according to their contracts. Unions and strikes by foreigners – who make up more than 90 percent of the private-sector workforce – are illegal in the UAE and across the oil-rich Gulf states.

"Human rights groups liken the situation faced by workers to a form of 21st-century servitude, as labourers cannot change jobs without the permission of their sponsor and their migration status is controlled by employers. …"

Full story

Report on disaster reveals that simple building inspections could have saved lives.

from Salon

"A government investigation into the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Sava,Bangladesh, found that cheap building materials and a series of other construction-related violations were at fault for the disaster that killed 1,127 people.

"As reported by the Associated Press:

“'The owner used extremely poor quality iron rods and cement,' committee head Khandker Mainuddin Ahmed told The Associated Press a day after submitting the report to the government. 'There were a series of irregularities.'

"The report found that building owner Sohel Rana had permission to build a six-story structure and added two floors illegally so he could rent them out to garment factories. Past statements from authorities said the owner had permission for a five-story structure and added three floors illegally. …"

Full story