News About Civil Nuclear Energy 03-JUL-09 en-us Madrid (AFP) July 2, 2009 - Spain's government said Thursday it would allow the country's oldest nuclear reactor to operate beyond its intended 40-year lifespan, reversing a policy of gradually phasing out nuclear power.]]> Seoul (AFP) July 2, 2009 - South Korea's foreign minister called Thursday for a new nuclear accord with the United States that would allow his country to reprocess plutonium for commercial civilian use.]]> Vienna (AFP) July 2, 2009 - Veteran Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano won the contest on Thursday to head the International Atomic Energy Agency, giving him a pivotal role in dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions.]]> Waterloo, Ontario (UPI) Jul 2, 2009 - A think tank says the Canadian uranium industry may be better served enriching the mineral itself rather than exporting the raw material and buying back enriched uranium.]]> Paris (AFP) June 30, 2009 - French state-controlled nuclear giant Areva said Tuesday it was opening its capital to new investors and would sell a subsidiary to raise money for massive investments in new nuclear technology.]]> Vienna (AFP) July 1, 2009 - Belgian candidate Jean-Pol Poncelet pulled out of the race to succeed Mohamed ElBaradei as head of the UN atomic watchdog on Wednesday, leaving only three candidates still in the running.]]> Helsinki (AFP) July 1, 2009 - Poor planning has led to rising costs and huge delays for a nuclear reactor going up in Finland, the country's biggest-ever construction project, officials said.]]> Paris (AFP) June 26, 2009 - The French state will sell a chunk of nuclear giant Areva to Asian and Middle Eastern investors to help finance the future of a group considered a jewel in the country's industrial crown, a report said Friday.]]> Luxembourg (AFP) June 25, 2009 - EU environment ministers on Thursday agreed to make international safety rules on nuclear power stations legally binding, a move which Brussels hailed as a model for the rest of the world.]]> Berlin (AFP) June 24, 2009 - A German atomic power plant at the centre of a national outcry over nuclear safety has reopened after a fire broke out there two years ago, its operator said Wednesday.]]>