Miscellaneous News
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
I would say it's weak leadership.
Retiring these existing nuclear reactors early was madness.
The huge upfront capital costs had already been paid for and they now generate reliable electricity very cheaply - cheaper than solar or wind.
And they actually do generate minimal nuclear waste.
They originally got shut down due to a knee-jerk political reaction.
I think they should have been allowed to run to the end of their planned service lives and then shut down.
I initially misread that as ‘Trump overcame the last Empire’ and think that’s a fucking great byline for his 2024 campaign. Someone should register the domain name now! Thank me later.
the author of the article says that the truth, and not just any truth, but the Truth in capital letters triumphed over a pagan empire (the Roman Empire) ...
... And this happened (ca. 300-600) when the Roman imperial religion changed its fantasy literature by adopting delirious and bloody Aramaic fantasies from the time of the Persian Empire.
"since Truth overcame the last great pagan empire." (The American Conservative, 2022, August 20)
This is the size of the colossal American delirium-delusion that swims and drowns in an oceanic ignorance.
Let's not judge them or impose our concepts of morality on them, that would be cultural imperialism.
I notice @Broccoli is silent. Maybe his wife didn't come home last night?
These are long term decision and the people running them may have already made up there mind for retirement.
than another issue is that these are mostly over 30 years old. we dont know the condition of them. whether they will become unreliable like French as they get older.
German engineering is always unreliable and expensive to maintain over longer term.
I am sure German government has extensive data about maintenance as decision to abandon them was made years ago and the condition of labor in post vaccine covid environment.
Japan considers deploying long-range missiles to counter China: Report
Japan is considering the deployment of 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to boost its counterattack capability against China, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday (Aug 21).The missiles would be existing arms modified to extend their range from 100km to 1,000km, the daily said, citing government sources.
The arms, launched by ships or aircraft, would be stationed mainly around the southern Nansei islands and capable of reaching the coastal areas of North Korea and China, the Yomiuri said.
Representatives from Japan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Japan, which interprets its war-renouncing postwar constitution to mean it may use its military only for self-defense, has and taken a more assertive strategy in recent years.
But it has refrained from deploying long-range missiles, among its limits on weapons that can strike targets on foreign soil.
Regional tensions ratcheted up this month after a visit by , speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to Taiwan, which is self-ruled but claimed by China.
Beijing and into Japan's exclusive economic zone.
Taiwan set to welcome more foreign delegations despite Chinese pressure
Eric Holcomb, governor of the US state of Indiana, arrived in Taiwan on Sunday night, kicking off a string of foreign visits that defy China’s increasing attempts to deter third countries from engaging with Taipei. “I’m proud to be the first governor to visit Taiwan since before the pandemic,” Holcomb tweeted.
He is scheduled to meet Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen and sign an economic co-operation agreement with cabinet officials on Monday before travelling to South Korea.
A bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers led by Keiji Furuya of the ruling Liberal Democratic party will also visit Taipei on Monday, and a US Congressional delegation is due to arrive at the weekend, the fourth trip by American envoys in a matter of weeks.
Beijing is expanding its campaign of military threats and sanctions in response to the trip by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this month to any high-level foreign visits to Taiwan, testing governments’ willingness to risk falling out with China.
Parliamentarians and cabinet members from the US, Europe and Japan have been visiting Taiwan regularly for many years. Beijing has consistently opposed such exchanges but did not retaliate with military threats or sanctions until recently. When a Japanese delegation visited on July 27, just a week before Pelosi’s visit, it did not trigger a harsh Chinese response. But when a Lithuanian deputy minister travelled to Taipei shortly after Pelosi’s departure, Beijing imposed sanctions on her. When another US Congressional delegation came last week, China announced another round of military exercises around Taiwan.
Observers said Beijing was unlikely to succeed in further isolating Taiwan with such moves. “China is trying to deter them from coming, but they are failing,” said Vincent Chao, a former head of the political department at Taiwan’s quasi-embassy in Washington who is running in local elections this year. The Japanese government has not expressed concerns about Furuya’s trip as they see it as business as usual, according to officials.
But Tokyo is wary that the tensions over Taiwan could disturb the delicate balance in its relationship with China. “This happens to be the 50th anniversary of Japan-China [diplomatic relations]. There is pressure from the business community, but also we as diplomats prefer a stable relationship with China,” said a senior government official. “From that perspective, we should not encourage Japanese lawmakers to visit Taiwan.” Japan has been one of the most vocal among US allies in condemning China’s recent military exercises, especially after five missiles landed in the country’s economic exclusive zone.
But Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has also stressed the need for the two countries to maintain dialogue. On Wednesday, Japanese national security adviser Takeo Akiba held a seven-hour meeting with Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign policy official, to discuss Taiwan, North Korea and Ukraine.
As governments and public opinion in the US, Japan and Europe have turned more antagonistic towards Beijing, democracies have engaged more with Taiwan to highlight shared values and tap its experience with Chinese economic statecraft and disinformation campaigns. The stream of western visitors to Taipei has been growing as a result.
Taiwan has hosted 14 parliamentary or government delegations from countries with which it does not have diplomatic relations this year, including 19 members of the US Congress. Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, 58 members of Congress have visited and the annual number has more than doubled during this period.
Central and eastern European legislators and government officials have also become frequent visitors, as they have become disappointed over the benefits of economic engagement with China and pushed back against Beijing’s harsh political demands. Another Lithuanian delegation is expected when the country opens its representative office in Taipei next week. A group of Canadian lawmakers and two delegations from the German parliament are planning to visit in October.
Another Lithuanian delegation is expected when the country opens its representative office in Taipei next week. A group of Canadian lawmakers and two delegations from the German parliament are planning to visit in October.
Non paywall:
Financial Times is japanese owned so a very heavy anti-China bias but still provides some information.