Nuclear protests

Several hundred protestors have gathered near the Gorleben nuclear waste storage facility in northern Germany on Sunday to demonstrate against plans to extend the period the site can be used as a storage site.

Hours after the shipment of nuclear waste arrived at Gorleben on Tuesday, the state government of Lower Saxony began exploring the possibility of using the former salt mine for longer-term nuclear waste storage.

The renewed protests come after demonstrators successfully delayed the shipment of nuclear waste to Gorleben from France last week by blocking road and rail routes on the way.

French police under fire

Special forces of the French police have come under fire in Germany for taking aggressive action against some protestors in Germany. Photos published by German media show uniformed officers of the French CRS under direction of German federal police engaging protestors.

The German Interior Ministry has admitted that the French police were involved in confrontations with protesters, but said they were merely helping German police contain an emergency situation.

According to an agreement signed in 2008 by several European countries, including France and Germany, police may not actively engage in law enforcement across an international border unless an emergency situation exists.

Racy offer

Meanwhile, provocative German author Charlotte Roche has made German President Christian Wulff a sexual offer should he refuse to sign a law that would extend the life of Germany's nuclear reactors.

Roche told the German news magazine Der Spiegel, "I would offer to go to bed with him if he didn't sign it."

Wulff has until the end of the year to decide whether to sign into law a proposal by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to push back the closure of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants by an average of 12 years. The proposed law has been sent to his office without being voted on by the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament that represents the German states.

Roche added that she had her husband's approval for the offer and that it was up for the First Lady Bettina Wulff to give her consent.

The author took part in last week's antinuclear protests. She is best known for her 2008 sexually explicit bestseller "Wetlands."

Author: Matt Zuvela (dpa, dapd, AFP)

Editor: Sean Sinico