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Toby Talbot/AP/Press Association Images

Amazon announces investment in France, sees 2,500 jobs

The internet giant is planning to open a fourth despatch centre in the country – despite an ongoing tax dispute with the French government.

THE US INTERNET giant Amazon said today that it would open a fourth despatch centre in France with the likely creation of 2,500 jobs, as it negotiates a tax dispute with the French government.

The facility would improve the handling of orders from customers in northern France but also in Europe and the world, Amazon said.

The company, which began life early in the Internet boom by selling books online but now offers a wide range of goods, already has three distribution hubs in France.

The fourth should open in the second half of next year the company said, in a job-creation investment contrasting with widespread gloom over job losses in France.

The new centre will be sited at Lauwin-Planque in the north of the country. Amazon opened its first French distribution centre in 2007.

Each of the three existing centres employs up to 1,400 people, the company said.

Amazon said that the new unit would be developed up to 2015 when the target was for it to employ up to 2,500 people.

The French newspaper Le Figaro had got wind of the investment last week and reported that a problem with the French tax authorities which were claiming $252 million (€194 million) in back tax was unlikely to derail the investment.

The new centre is to be developed and managed by property agents Goodman.

- © AFP, 2012

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    Mute Chris Massey
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    Jan 25th 2013, 8:56 AM

    私たちは別のチェルノブイリをしたくない

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    Mute Pierce2020
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    Jan 25th 2013, 9:07 AM

    Fair enough

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    Mute Paul Laffan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 9:09 AM

    Totally agree. Well said.

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:00 PM

    チェルノブイリは50人が死亡した。

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    Mute Paul McGovern
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    Jan 25th 2013, 9:26 AM

    Surely nuke generally refers to nuclear weapons, no?

    It’s shoddy, unnecessary use of slang either way.

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    Mute Kevin Smyth
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:38 AM

    Let us all know if you find any spelling mistakes in the article, Heir Paul.

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    Mute Paul McGovern
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:58 AM

    I don’t know why I’m answering you Kevin but here goes.

    There is a big difference between a spelling mistake and a misuse of language. One of them can mislead the reader and one generally doesn’t. Can you guess which is which?

    The headline of this article would lead one to believe a nuclear weapons plant was being closed down which obviously isn’t the case, particularly because Japan don’t produce nuclear weapons AFAIK.

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    Mute Metassus
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:01 PM

    That’s “Herr”, Herr Kevin. JFYI. :)

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    Mute Johnny Moran
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:47 AM

    Totally agree with Paul ….
    The word nuke should not of been used in the headlines.Theres a big difference in a nuclear bomb and a nuclear power plant.

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NukeNuke may refer to: [edit] Science. Nuclear weapon (or, when used as a verb, the act of deploying one) …

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:55 AM

    Yeah that’s what the focus should be on !

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    Mute Seamus Baxter
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    Jan 25th 2013, 9:05 AM

    全く違う

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    Mute Chris Massey
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    Jan 25th 2013, 9:09 AM

    No need for that Seamus!

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    Mute Harry C
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:15 AM

    Sure that big ball of light in the sky is spuing radiation every minute of the day. Don’t be scare mongerin!!

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    Mute Sinead Fox
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:27 PM

    The radiation in the sky causing the blue fin tuna who spawn around Japan and are fished around west coast America to contain massive levels of radiation!?? Mutated worms… Flowers… Etc etc

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:01 PM

    Sinead, can you direct us to some place to support your statement, “blue tuna has ….massive doses of radiation”.

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    Mute Jay Christo
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:46 PM

    From the article based on the PNAS paper you posted Sinead

    “The levels of radioactive caesium were 10 times higher than the amount measured in tuna off the California coast in previous years. But even so, that’s still far below safe-to-eat limits set by the US and Japanese governments.”

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jan 25th 2013, 2:04 PM

    Sinead be careful what you read. I recently watched a documentary about the high levels of radiation around chernobyl & research on animals living there. It turns out that the wild life around the plant is thriving including fish but does contain high levels of radiation. However its not affecting their young & because animals have a shorter life than humans not allowing cancers to develope

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 2:04 PM

    Sinead, radioactivity can be measured in unbelievably small amounts. At very low levels radioactivity is not dangerous, if it was we wouldn’t be here. We live in a radioactive world. You have about 1,000,000,000 atoms of radioactive Uranium in your body. You need to educate yourself on this matter so you are not unnecessarily frightened, and not on nonsensical anti-science web sites, to understand why this is so.

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 2:12 PM

    Sinead, where does it say in that newspaper article, “massive levels of radiation”? All they are saying is that they can detect radioactive caesium which they know comes from Japan. It is probably very minuscule amounts, the EXACT opposite to massive amounts as you claimed.

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    Mute Sinead Fox
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    Jan 25th 2013, 9:53 AM

    Worst atomic crisis in a generation!?? That should say ever! and still hemmorhaging nuclear waste!!

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    Mute Christopher Duffin
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:24 AM

    Never heard of Chernobyl no?

    21
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    Mute Sinead Fox
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:51 AM

    Not been keeping up to date on Fukushima no!?? worse than Chernobel ever was and still spewing radiation…… So yes…. by far worst ever and that’s hoping that reactor 4 doesn’t go too as that contains new fuel rods that will make the damage so far look like child’s play….

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:03 AM

    Waste of time Sinead … People in this country won’t even recognise the fact that there was a meltdown in sellafield ( fuel rods were just buried ) never mind the other side of the world

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    Mute Christopher Duffin
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:10 AM

    Really? We can attribute a good 4,000+ deaths to Chernobyl. Not one from Fukushima.

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    Mute Christopher Duffin
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:12 AM

    You wanna back that up Chino?

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:53 AM

    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire
    Yes I do want to back it up

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    Mute Christopher Duffin
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:07 PM

    The Windscale fire? Really? You’re citing that as a meltdown at Sellafield?

    There was no meltdown ffs, it was a fire. And it wasn’t even Sellafield.

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:13 PM

    Oh ok then sellafield wasn’t called windscale and a nuclear reactor going on fire because fuel rods overheated isn’t a meltdown ! Good man

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:17 PM

    The accident occurred when the core of the Unit 1 nuclear reactor at Windscale, Cumberland (now Sellafield, Cumbria) caught fire, releasing substantial amounts of radioactive contamination into the surrounding area

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    Mute Christopher Duffin
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:22 PM

    No Chino, it is not. A meltdown occurs when the fuel melts through the containment vessel. Which didn’t occur at Windscale.

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:36 PM

    Ok Your right what was I thinking … Oh wait was the fuel removed in 2008 like it was supposed to be and why did they have to wait so long to think about removing it

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    Mute Christopher Duffin
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:41 PM

    Because you can’t just waltz in when you feel like it and remove the fuel. You have to be sure it’s stable and cool enough to be removed and contained safely.

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:44 PM

    The reactors at Three Mile Island, unlike those at Windscale and Chernobyl, were in buildings designed to contain radioactive materials released by a reactor accident.

    If the building isn’t ‘designed’ to contain a radioactive breach … ah I’m wasting my time anyway. You were wrong when you said windscale wasn’t sellafield but you kept going anyway … Good luck and remember ‘ your always right regardless of the fact that your not’

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:07 PM

    Chino, only about 50 people died as a result of Chernobyl’s release of radiation. There isn’t a shred of evidence that any other people died or will die. The 4,000 figure you quoted is misquoted. That’s the MAXIMUM that the UN said could die, not the number expected to die. All recent research points to the ability of humans to repair small damage done by low levels of radiation or to put it another way, a low dose of radiation, even a continuous low does, is harmless. That no doubt disappoints you as well Sinead.

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:19 PM

    Thanks William … Eh I didn’t misquote any number of deaths because I never mentioned anything about deaths !

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    Mute Kevin Smyth
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:37 AM

    Didn’t the Chinese offer monetary support in the ‘wake’ (pun intended) of the Fukushima tsunami? Who knew the Chinese had such a good sense of humour.

    The Chinese won’t forget ‘Unit 731′, where the Japanese were kind enough to perform vivisection, free of charge. /shudder
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

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    Mute King Olaf
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    Jan 25th 2013, 2:03 PM

    Jesus christ, that was disturbing read.

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:37 AM

    When Chernobyl happened the priority was to build a ‘shield’ around the reactor, people put their lives at risk to build a cover over the damaged building …. Fukushima is still bleeding radiation into the atmosphere and nobody seems to be questioning it !!! Ah but sher it’s only a bit of radiation

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:02 PM

    Chino, correct, it’s only a bit of radiation. Most of the radiation that is now released into the atmosphere is from burning coal.

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    Mute Chino Moreno
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:27 PM

    I suppose you are opposed to wind farms !

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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:10 PM

    Fukushima can’t be that dangerous if all it takes to protect the PM is the same face mask the Japanese use to prevent pollutants caused by burning fossil fuels from getting into their lungs. As an aside there are hundreds of thousands of people killed worldwide every year from these pollutants.

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    Mute Dr.fury
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    Jan 25th 2013, 1:33 PM

    Hairy japanese bastards

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jan 25th 2013, 9:40 AM

    Most of these plants get products from them reprocessed which in turn can be used for weapons. So its not an incorrect use of the word.

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    Mute Paul McGovern
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    Jan 25th 2013, 10:21 AM

    Oh for god’s sake.

    Is it a nuclear weapons plant?

    No, it’s not.

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    Mute Tim O'Sullivan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:07 AM

    @Mjhint: Actually no, its a myth, you cant build a nuclear bomb using spent fuel from a civilian reactor, here is why.

    Its true that plutonium is produced as waste by civilian reactors, but its not weapons grade, the isotope profile is completely wrong and would not work in a bomb.

    Only military reactors can produce weapons grade material, they are designed to be run on a super short fuel, specially to create the necessary ratio of Pu239 to Pu240

    A civilian reactor is just not designed to run that way.

    http://depletedcranium.com/why-you-cant-build-a-bomb-from-spent-fuel/

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Jan 25th 2013, 11:29 AM

    Thanks my information was incorrect so. I have been looking a people promoting thorium power plants & they have said the origional purpose of these older type reactors was to make weapons as well as power generation.

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    Mute Tim O'Sullivan
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    Jan 25th 2013, 12:09 PM

    @Mjhint, in that case you are also correct, solid fuel Uranium reactors were the first to be built precisely because they could produce materal for the manhattan project (the first were exclusively military, like B reactor at Hanford) , it was only about a decade later that they considered building reactors for civilian power gereration and so significantly changed the designs to suit that application.

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