Crisis in Japan Not Affecting U.S. Insurance Companies Badly

Stocks in European insurers and power companies tumbled Monday while solar and wind shares advanced as markets tried to forecast how they will fare given the disasters and nuclear crisis in Japan.Explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station northeast of Tokyo after Friday's 8.9-magnitude quake and horrifying tsunami have thrown a stark spotlight on the nuclear sector.With debate still simmering over an extension of German nuclear power plants, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared a three-month moratorium on plans to extend their operation.

CLICK TO ENLARGEA look at the nuclear crisis in 2011.

After the Fukushima nuclear crisis triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami Japan has been strongly divided on nuclear power. Many Japanese will only consider a nuclear future for Japan if the technology is proven to be free of threats of radioactive contamination and runaway chain reaction meltdowns. Nuclear fusion offers the promise of nuclear power without melt-downs or widespread contamination even after the worst natural disasters.

Eight US Navy sailors are suing Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) for hundreds of millions of dollars over allegations the Japanese firm lied to them about radiation dangers after a tsunami-triggered meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Workers at a quake-hit nuclear plant in Japan on Tuesday began removing highly radioactive water from a reactor turbine building, a key step towards restoring cooling systems, the government said.The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeast coast of Japan on March 11 knocked out power systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing cooling systems to fail and triggering a series of explosions.