The German government said yesterday it would lift its two-year-old ban on the shipment of nuclear waste and allow the transport of some spent fuel staring in August. The head of Germany's Nuclear Safety Agency, wolfram Konig, said the government has approved five rail shipments from three nuclear power plants from August. Four of Germany's 19 nuclear power plants are near their capacity to store spent fuel rods, and have said they would have to shut down unless they can transport the waste.