Our excursion into the world of economics, politics, and their impacts on the world we live in begins on a downbeat note from CNBC:
New report says millions of women at risk of falling into poverty, economic ruin
Although in recent decades women have made historic advances in nearly all areas of American public life, a staggering number of women across the country are still teetering on the verge of poverty and economic disaster, a new report released Sunday shows.
The report, co-authored by NBC News special anchor Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress, takes a wide-angle snapshot of a national economic crisis — seen through the eyes of women. The key findings paint a portrait of an estimated 42 million women — and 28 million dependent children — saddled with financial hardship.
“These are not women who are wondering if they can ‘have it all,’” Shriver wrote in her introduction to the report. “These are women who are already doing it all — working hard, providing, parenting, and care-giving. They’re doing it all, yet they and their families can’t prosper, and that’s weighing the U.S. economy down.”
The Guardian covers banksters being banksters:
Bank bonuses: brace yourself for the great Wall Street trousering
The big US banks are about to reward their employees again, to the tune of another £4bn
This is a big week. A very big week. A several-billion-dollar week, in fact, if you happen to be a Wall Street banker.
Yes, it’s the time of year when US banks reveal how much they’ve stuffed into their bonus pools and – by extension – how robust their employees’ trademark braces must be as we realise how much they trousered.
In the first nine months of 2013, the big US banks set aside about £40bn to top up their staffers’ meagre stipends. Analysts reckon Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs will pour in another £4bn when they report results this week – meaning little work will be done as bankers focus on pretending they got more than they actually did.
The Progressive has the spreadsheet:
Millionaires: Officially the Real Majority in Congress
For the first time ever, a majority of America’s elected officials in Congress are millionaires.
“Of 534 current members of Congress, at least 268 had an average net worth of $1 million or more in 2012,” a new analysis of financial disclosure forms by The Center for Responsive Politics explains. “The median net worth for the 530 current lawmakers who were in Congress as of the May filing deadline was $1,008,767 — an increase from the previous year when it was $966,000.”
The Senate is where most of the monied members reside, with a median net worth of its current members coming to over $2.7 million. Members of the House tended to be somewhat less wealthy, with a median income of $896,004. With the House and Senate totals averaged together, however, the median net worth in Congress comes out to $1,008,767.
On to Britain with union in name only from Sky News:
IDS Wants Two-Year Ban On Migrant Benefits
The Work and Pensions Secretary says he has held talks with other EU countries to forge alliances to prevent “benefit tourism”
EU immigrants may have to wait for up to two years to claim benefits in the UK – rather than the current period of three months, Iain Duncan Smith has said.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, the Work and Pensions Secretary said he had been speaking to other member states including Germany, Italy and the Netherlands who were supportive of the idea.
He said Britain should ask migrants to “demonstrate that you are committed to the country, that you are a resident and that you are here for a period of time and you are generally taking work and that you are contributing”.
BBC News follows up:
Nick Clegg backs ‘eminently sensible’ EU benefit changes
It is “sensible” to consider further curbs to the benefits EU migrants can claim, the deputy prime minister says.
It comes after Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said he was talking to other EU governments about trying to restrict access to welfare.
Nick Clegg told BBC Radio 5 live it was right to insist migrants “jump through hoops” before claiming benefits.
And The Observer delivers a setback:
Brussels slaps down British threats to rewrite immigration rules
President of European parliament says UK has ‘no chance of curbing basic principle of free movement’
Brussels has stepped up its fightback against UK attempts to curb EU immigration as leaders of the European parliament declared that rules on freedom of movement were completely non-negotiable, and made clear that attempts to change them would be blocked.
In the latest response to calls from UK politicians to unpick the EU treaties and rewrite one of its founding principles, the European parliament’s president, Martin Schulz, said that while he took UK demands for reform of the EU “very seriously” there was no question of the parliament agreeing to reopen the rule-book on free movement.
The Independent talks divorce:
House of Lords warned not to ‘ignore the public’s wishes’ on EU referendum debate
The House of Lords has been warned that it would be “ignoring” the wishes of ordinary people if it blocks a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.
Peers are debating the Conservatives’ bid to lay down in law a public vote on membership.
James Wharton, the Tory MP for Stockton South who steered the Bill through the Commons, said: “It is extremely important that the House of Lords recognise that this Bill, which has been passed through every stage of the democratically-elected House of Commons, needs to pass in order to give the British people a say on this very important issue.
“It would be strange indeed for the unelected House of Lords to block a Bill which is to legislate for a referendum.”
And The London Telegraph renegotiates:
Chancellor to back Britain staying in a ‘reformed EU’
George Osborne will say UK has allies in its push for more liberal regulations from Brussels
George Osborne is to say that Britain should remain in a reformed European Union and that the UK has allies in its push for liberalisation of regulations that could hinder growth.
In a major speech on Europe next week, the Chancellor will say that as the economic recovery puts Britain at the top of growth league in the European Union, the reform agenda is gaining momentum.
He will also make it clear that Britain is gaining support as it pushes for changes in the way the EU operates.
Sky News sells out:
Jaguar Land Rover: Record Breaking World Sales
Midlands-based manufacturer JLR sets sales records in 38 countries worldwide as demand rises sharply in the last year.
It is thought sales have been doing particularly well in Germany, as well as the rapidly growing developing economies of India and China.
In the UK Jaguar sales were up 15% and Land Rover sales were up 13%.
Globally Land Rover is proving the firm favourite among customers representing the largest share of sales with 348,383 sold in 2013, an increase of 15%. But demand for the luxury Jaguar has surged over the last 12 months, almost doubling its international sales to 76,668.
The Observer again, with inflation:
Childcare costs soar by 19% in just one year – survey
Parenting expert says increase is ‘triple whammy’ and financial burden on families is like a ‘second mortgage’
The cost of childcare in Britain has soared by 19% over the past year, according to research given exclusively to the Observer, which also found that a quarter of unemployed parents want to return to work but cannot afford to have their children looked after.
Findababysitter.com, a childcare search website, said parents were struggling with returning to work because of the availability and cost of childcare, which often amounted to a “second mortgage”.
The Observer again, with business as usual:
Lobbying bill will tarnish Britain, says UN official
UN rapporteur on freedom of assembly launches fierce attack on bill, while charities demand further concessions
A top UN official has made an outspoken attack on the government’s controversial lobbying bill, describing it as a “stain” on democracy that will undermine elections in the UK, as leading charities demand fresh concessions on the proposals from coalition ministers.
Before key votes on the bill in the House of Lords this week, Maina Kiai, the UN rapporteur on rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, says the legislation, if not amended further, will reduce the ability of people in civil society to express their views before elections, while doing little or nothing to tighten controls on corporate lobbyists.
In an article published on Sunday on this newspaper’s website, Kiai, a Kenyan lawyer appointed by the UN’s human rights council, said: “Although sold as a way to level the electoral playing field, the bill actually does little more than shrink the space for citizens – particularly those engaged in civil society groups – to express their collective will. In doing so, it threatens to tarnish the United Kingdom’s democracy.”
On to Sweden and raw reality from TheLocal.se:
‘Sweden’s mineral wealth is sold too cheaply’
Critics argue that Sweden is selling its vast mineral resources far too cheap, raising the idea that the country should follow neighbouring Norway and establish a wealth fund to invest for future generations.
While concession fees are kept deliberately low in order to attract miners, critics say all nine million Swedes could and should benefit the same way that their Norwegian neighbours all profit from their national oil wealth.
“This is something we own together,” said Jesper Roine, associate professor at the Stockholm School of Economics. Besides, he added, minerals have an intrinsic value even before they are dug out of the earth, and they should be priced accordingly, the way all other raw materials are priced.
Seeking alliance from The Independent:
France’s Marine Le Pen wants her far-right party to join forces with Ukip and destroy ‘European Soviet Union’
The leader of the France’s Front National believes the far-right party and Ukip share a common set of values and should join forces to bring down the “European Soviet Union”.
Marine Le Pen said she expected the “European system… to explode” and suggested Ukip might decide to form a partnership with the Front National and other far-right parties in the future to help make this happen.
However Ukip’s leader Nigel Farage, who insists his party is “strictly non-racist” and “libertarian”, dismissed the idea.
Spain next, and TheLocal.es, blinded by love:
In-love Spanish princess ‘innocent’ of graft: lawyer
Spain’s Princess Cristina loves and trusts her husband “come hell or high water” as he faces a corruption probe and is innocent of wrongdoing herself, her lawyer said Friday.
King Juan Carlos’s youngest daughter, the blonde-haired, 48-year-old Cristina, was summoned this week to appear on March 8th at a court in Palma de Mallorca as a suspect in alleged tax and money-laundering crimes.
Cristina is suspected of being tied to the activities of her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, a 45-year-old former Olympic handball player who has been under investigation since 2011 over the suspected embezzlement of money from public bodies.
El País chats up:
Royals relieved that Cristina will testify in tax fraud case
Princess drops appeal plan after being made aware of need to address growing scandal by king’s palace circle
Spain’s royal family is relieved that Princess Cristina will not appeal the preliminary charges against her and will instead testify in court over allegations of tax fraud and money laundering.
Her decision is “very positive,” said the Royal Household in a statement Saturday.
Cristina de Borbón’s lawyer had said on Tuesday that they would appeal the judge’s decision to make her a formal target in the investigation, as had occurred on a previous occasion in April 2013. But on Friday Miquel Roca announced in writing that his client was renouncing this right and would testify voluntarily on March 8.
thinkSPAIN sets limits:
Out-of-work Spaniards abroad see healthcare entitlement capped at 90 days
LONG-TERM dole claimants in Spain will lose their entitlement to free medical care via their European health cards after they have been out of the country for three months in a new government ruling.
This does not apply to students or tourists, but does apply to Spaniards and other EU nationals resident in Spain and entitled to healthcare cover there who leave the country with the intention of this being a longer-term arrangement.
After 90 days, they will be required to have registered as residents in the country they have travelled to and secured their entitlement to healthcare in their destination.
TheLocal.es protests:
Crowds defy Madrid in sensitive Basque demo
Tens of thousands of protesters in Spain’s Basque Country defied Madrid on Saturday by holding a mass demonstration marked by tensions over jailed members of the armed separatist group ETA.
Crowds filled the streets in the northern city of Bilbao in a march for “human rights, understanding and peace”, after a judge banned another demonstration planned to demand concessions for the prisoners.
The treatment of imprisoned ETA convicts is one of the most delicate issues in a standoff between the authorities and western Europe’s last major armed secessionist movement.
Europe Online has numbers:
Poll: Spain’s Socialists more popular than ruling conservatives
Spain’s opposition Socialists have the lead over the ruling conservative party for the first time since its election defeat two years ago, an opinion poll showed Sunday.
The survey published in El Pais newspaper showed 33.5 per cent of voters support the Socialists while 32 per cent were behind Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s People’s Party (PP).
Elections are scheduled for next year.
On to Italy and a Bunga Bunga blast from AGI:
Beppe Grillo decries continued presence of Berlusconi
Beppe Grillo, the leader of Italy’s anti-establishment Five Star Movement, decried Silvio Berlusconi’s continued presence on the Italian political scene.
“There’s a guy walking around Italy with the arrogance of someone who has gone unpunished. The Five Star Movement kicked him out of parliament after 20 years of dividing up Italy with the PD (centre-left Democratic Party). But it’s as though he never left. Actually, he’s risen from the ashes as Mr Renzi (leader of the Democratic Party) considers him his main interlocutor for the new electoral law. The dummy from Florence and the author of the pig’s ear of an electoral system (which changed Italy’s majority system into a proportional one) united for a New Italy. Isn’t it just wonderful?” he posted on his blog.
TheLocal.it covers a shakeup shakeup:
Mayor of Italy earthquake town quits over graft
The mayor of the Italian town of L’Aquila, which was partially destroyed in a 2009 earthquake that killed 309 people, stepped down Saturday following a corruption scandal involving members of his team.
“I have no legitimacy left. I am tired. I am angry. I have suffered a full-on media attack. That is why I am resigning,” Massimo Cialente told reporters. “I have understood that I am no longer useful in this town and I am maybe even an obstacle,” he added.
Four people from his administration were placed under house arrest Wednesday for alleged bribery linked to reconstruction contracts following the earthquake in the central Italian town.
Four more have been notified they are under investigation, including deputy mayor Roberto Riga and a local official in charge of restoring damaged monuments.
After the jump, the latest from Greece, Ukrainian protest, wealth and servitude in the Gulf, an Argentine appeal, Pakistani peace talks, Indian uncertainty, Thai troubles, Chinese “reforms,” Japanese numbers, and Fukushimapocalypse Now!. . .
On to Greece, with a visit in the works from ANA-MPA:
Stournaras: “Troika to Athens next week”
Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ meeting with Government Vice President Evangelos Venizelos and Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras was concluded on Saturday afternoon at the Maximos Mansion.
The meeting focused on the restart of negotiations with the troika of Greece’s lenders.
According to Stournaras, they discussed all issues given that Athens had send on Friday all the data regarding the fiscal gap to the troika representatives of Greece’s lenders and is now awaiting their arrival in Athens. Stournaras expressed his opinion that the troika will probably come to Athens next week.
euronews incarcerates:
Golden Dawn members remanded after court appearance
Two new members of the Greek far-right Golden Dawn party have been remanded in custody after appearing in court on Saturday.
Three other party members, including its leader, were jailed in October.
They, and the two remanded on Saturday, are waiting a trial on charges of running or participating in a criminal group.
On to the Ukraine with EUbusiness:
50,000 Ukrainians protest opposition leader’s beating
An estimated 50,000 pro-Western Ukrainians massed on Sunday in the heart of Kiev amid swelling anger over the bloody beating of prominent former minister turned opposition leader Yuriy Lutsenko.
The 49-year-old member of jailed ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko’s cabinet was transferred out of intensive care on Saturday evening after being attacked by truncheon-wielding police during a small protest the night before.
“He received about 10 blows to the head,” the former interior minister’s spokeswoman said. “No one is allowed to see him except for his closest relatives.”
Nearly 20 activists were injured when they tried to prevent the police from moving to jail three young men who were sentenced to six years for allegedly plotting to blow up a statue of Soviet founder Lenin in 2011.
Money in the Gulf with Want China Times:
Dubai property market attracting more Chinese investors
The bubble created in Dubai’s real estate market burst in 2008, but the sector is now making a comeback, attracting global investors including those from China, reports Shanghai’s China Business News.
Housing prices in Dubai have surged by nearly 30% over the past year, with Dubai-based real estate developers, such as Nakheel Properties, recruiting salespeople that can speak Chinese to attract Chinese investors entering the market.
Although their number still lags behind investors from Europe, the United States, Russia and India, Chinese investors represent the future, the paper said.
Süddeutsche Zeitung enserfs:
Western Culture In Abu Dhabi Breeds Exploited Workers
In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the French Louvre, the American Guggenheim and other branches of imported high culture are envisioned as a massive hub of Western refinement on Saadiyat Island, also known as “Happiness Island.”
But the construction workers are living like slaves, sometimes forced to toil for an entire year to pay off their “employment fee.” Their passports are seized, and they live involuntarily in unsanitary conditions, fearing deportment at the slightest sign of dissatisfaction.
This is far from being a new phenomenon in the Gulf States, where foreign workers are normally subject to the principle of sponsorship and stripped of all their rights. Two years ago, artists were already threatening to boycott the new exhibition spaces in Abu Dhabi, refusing to display their work in buildings constructed by an exploited labor force. The Lebanese-American artist Walid Raad said that anyone working with bricks and mortar deserves the same level of respect as someone working with a camera or paintbrush.
On to Argentina and a court case from BBC News:
US Supreme Court to hear Argentina case
The US Supreme Court has agreed to rule on whether Argentina’s assets are protected from hedge funds seeking to be paid back. The long-running legal saga started after Argentina’s record debt default more than 11 years ago.
The country objected to a lower court ruling that gave creditors the power to pursue its non-US assets. Argentina’s petition to the highest US court also has the support of the US government.
In 2002, Argentina defaulted on some $100bn (worth £60.7bn in 2014) of debts and has since restructured its debt twice, cancelling around 75% of the nominal value of the bonds.
About 92% of the country’s bondholders agreed to write off most of the amount owed to them. But hedge funds NML Capital and Aurelius are demanding 100% repayment of the $1.3bn, plus interest.
Asia next, starting in Pakistan with Xinhua:
Pakistani minister says talks with Taliban groups underway
A key Pakistani cabinet minister on Sunday said that negotiations are underway with different Taliban groups and hoped some good outcome.
Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the government welcomes those Taliban groups who will respond talks offer positively and those who will shoot bullets, government will wage a war against them.
“The government will go after them wherever they are,” the minister told a news conference in Islamabad.
India next, and a QE beneficiary from the Financial Express:
Reserve Bank of India net buyer of US dollars in November
The Reserve Bank was a net purchaser of dollars in November for the second consecutive month.
In November, the central bank bought USD 17.787 billion from the market while it sold USD 7.7 billion, thereby becoming a net buyer of the greenback in November, RBI data showed.
In October, the RBI, after a gap of five months, became the net buyer of dollars, buying USD 9.510 billion and selling USD 5.58 billion during the month.
The Economic Times writes off environmentalists:
Fear psychosis responsible for delays in green nod: Veerappa Moily
The delays in green nod for projects, partly blamed for the economic slowdown, were today attributed by Environment Minister M Veerappa Moily to “fear psychosis” among bureaucrats and his predecessors.
Moily, the Oil and Petroleum Minister who took additional charge of the ministry three weeks back, suggested that clearances are affected because rules are complicated and the competent authority has discretionary powers.
“You can’t blame anybody. The environment is such there is a fear psychosis, particularly after 2009 created because of the CAG reports, court verdicts, court proceedings. There are issues like the National Green Tribunal, CBI inquiry. Not only on this (environment) thing, but all matters,” he told PTI in an interview here.
And the Times of India drills:
India encouraging oil exploration through policies: PM
India is encouraging domestic and global companies to explore potentially hydrocarbon-rich areas through stable and enabling policies towards achieving its goal of self-sufficiency in hydrocarbons by 2030, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Sunday.
He was inaugurating the 11th International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition “ Petrotech-2014″ at the India Exposition Mart here, organized by state-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. It will conclude January 15.
“We are encouraging domestic and global companies to explore potentially hydrocarbon-rich areas in the framework of a stable and enabling policy environment,” Manmohan Singh said.
Thailand next, and a showdown in the works from the Bangkok Post:
Protesters move in early for Bangkok shutdown
Anti-government protesters began their Bangkok shutdown at several locations late Sunday afternoon ahead of the planned Monday operation, prompting bus services to be rerouted swiftly as police set service points near the seven protest sites.
The People’s Democratic Reform Committee protesters began blocking traffic and setting up stages at Pathumwan intersection, Lat Phrao intersection, Chaeng Wattana Road and Victory Monument before 8pm Sunday. More roads around Lat Phrao were closed after midnight.
As the protesters have moved into their marked locations ahead of the planned Bangkok shutdown, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority decided to reroute many of its bus services and started to use the expressway to deliver passengers at major spots with the possibility of connection to other modes of transport such as the BTS skytrain and the MRT underground service.
More from Channel NewsAsia Singapore:
Protesters mobilise ahead of planned Thai capital “shutdown”
Thai anti-government protesters began mobilising in Bangkok on Sunday, a day ahead of their planned “shutdown” of the capital as they step up efforts to topple the government and halt upcoming elections.
Demonstrators, who have vowed to disrupt the vote, began packing possessions and equipment at their main Bangkok rally site as they prepared to fan out to seven locations across the city on Monday in an attempt to choke off transport into the capital.
And South China Morning Post frets:
Countdown begins for Thailand protesters’ shutdown amid worries it will lead to coup
Anti-government demonstrators fan across Bangkok as they hope to block all traffic into the city
Residents of Thailand’s congested capital are bracing for worse traffic chaos than usual, with anti-government demonstrators planning to occupy major intersections on Monday in what they describe as an effort to shut down Bangkok. There is concern that violence may ensue and possibly trigger a military coup.
The protesters are trying to force caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign and have her government replaced by a non-elected interim administration to implement reforms they say are needed to stop corruption and money politics.
Indonesia next, and a major policy shift from the Mainichi:
Indonesia implements ban on unprocessed ore export
An Indonesian law banning the export of unprocessed minerals took effect Sunday, with the government aiming to boost local operations and create more jobs and mining companies warning of losses and layoffs.
Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed the decree after a meeting of Cabinet members late Saturday. It followed days of intense negotiations involving government officials, entrepreneurs and experts to explore ways to minimize the impact of the ban.
Ministry of Finance ordered customs officials in seaports across the country to supervise all export activities to make sure no ores are shipped out beginning Sunday.
Off the China and a debt dilemma from Want China Times:
Maturing of municipal bonds puts pressure on Chinese cities
Municipal bonds worth 285 billion yuan (US$47.1 billion) will be due in 2014 and bonds worth 140.6 billion yuan (US$23.2 billion) will be due in 2015, according to Shanghai-based China Business News. The total outstanding amount of municipal bonds in the nation is estimated in a range of 2.7-3.3 trillion yuan (US$447-546 billion), the paper reported.
In January alone, nine municipal bonds will mature, all for infrastructural projects, including four for highways and railways, two for hydraulic and power facilities, and three for basic industries. Heading the batch is the 09 Jintou MTN1 bond, totaling 2 billion yuan (US$331 million), with interest of 3.9% per annum and an AAA credit rating.
According to a study of the Bank of Nanjing, some municipalities have become heavy debtors, such as Xining in Qinghai province and Lanzhou in Gansu province, both with outstanding municipal bonds amounting to over 300% of their annual financial income, as well as Yichun in Heilongjiang province, Nanning in the Guangxi autonomous region, Huzhou in Zhejiang province, and Nanjing, all with outstanding bonds/financial income ratio exceeding 100%, in addition to Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province and Hefei in Anhui province, with a bonds/financial income ratio of over 90%.
China Daily offers numbers:
Securities regulator shares audit data with US counterparts
The China Securities Regulatory Commission has shared the audit details of four Chinese companies listed abroad with overseas regulators, in a further move to crack down on illegal activities and protect the interests of investors, the watchdog said on Friday.
In May, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the CSRC, China’s Ministry of Finance, the audit regulator in the United States and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in the US.
Since March 2013, the CSRC has been making available to foreign counterparts the audit details on Chinese companies listed abroad and is also seeking cooperation projects with overseas regulators.
Want China Times rolls:
China becomes Rolls-Royce’s major market: Jinghua Times
China has become the major market for the British luxury car brand Rolls-Royce since 2013, the Beijing-based Jinghua Times reports.
Rolls-Royce has its dealerships showrooms in more than 40 countries across the world and launched 15 more during 2013, with seven of them in China, upping the total number in China to 20.
The luxury car brand made the report of its revenue public for 2013 on Jan. 9. The report said that a total of 3,630 new cars were sold in 2013, and that China has become the major market for the company, followed by the United States.
And Xinhua deregulates:
Streamlined approvals urged for businesses going abroad
An expert has urged China to cut red tape for Chinese enterprises looking to go global.
Huo Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a think tank of the Ministry of Commerce, made the remarks in a program on Chinese reforms aired on Sunday on Xinhua’s TV network CNC.
The government should loosen its policy for Chinese firms’ investment abroad and speed up the approval process they’re required to go through, Huo said.
On to Japan with Fukushimapocalypse Now!
NHK WORLD gives us our first headline:
Foreign experts to advise Fukushima dismantling
A Japanese research institute on nuclear decommissioning will ask 3 non-Japanese experts for advice on scrapping reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. It’s been nearly 3 years since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused nuclear meltdowns.
The International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning was set up last year to support the government in dismantling the crippled reactors.
It is comprised of Tokyo Electric Power Company, which is the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi, and other utilities, as well as makers of nuclear plant equipment.
NHK WORLD opens the rolls:
Nuclear industry holds recruiting event in Tokyo
A nuclear industry organization held a recruiting event in Tokyo on Sunday.
Students who will graduate in the spring of 2015 gathered for the event featuring 22 companies and organizations. They included utility firms and reactor manufacturers.
The annual event is held in Tokyo and Osaka. It attracted 420 people, slightly more than the 388 who came last year, but still about one-fifth of the number before the nuclear accident in Fukushima.
Some companies are visiting universities around the country to recruit students.
From Bloomberg, another fuel, another problem:
Duke Fracking Tests Reveal Dangers Driller’s Data Missed
When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared that a group of Texas homes near a gas-drilling operation didn’t have dangerous levels of methane in their water, it relied on tests conducted by the driller itself.
Now, independent tests from Duke University researchers have found combustible levels of methane in some of the wells, and homeowners want the EPA to re-open the case.
The previously undisclosed Duke testing illustrate the complaints of critics who say the agency is reluctant to sanction a booming industry that has pushed down energy prices for consumers, created thousands of jobs and buoyed the economy.
And another energy source, other problems, via the Los Angeles Times:
After a building boom, solar energy’s prospects now aren’t as sunny
The pace of solar development has slowed to a crawl, with a number of companies going out of business and major projects canceled.
Five years after the Obama administration’s renewable energy initiative touched off a building boom of large-scale solar power plants across the desert Southwest, the pace of development has slowed to a crawl, with a number of companies going out of business and major projects canceled for lack of financing.
Of the 365 federal solar applications since 2009, just 20 plants are on track to be built. Only three large-scale solar facilities have gone online, two in California and one in Nevada. The first auction of public land for solar developers, an event once highly anticipated by federal planners, failed to draw a single bid last fall.
From the McClatchy Washington Bureau, yet another fuel, still more problems:
Should we blast Atlantic with air guns to map oil drilling potential?
The Obama administration is nearing a decision on allowing seismic testing off the Atlantic Coast, a critical step in opening waters off Virginia, the Carolinas and elsewhere to oil drilling.
A study of what the controversial seismic tests would do to whales, dolphins and fish is on track for release at the end of February, an Interior Department official told lawmakers Friday. The proposal received more than 55,000 public comments.
The tests are being considered from Delaware to Florida’s Cape Canaveral, although most of the push for offshore drilling is in the areas off North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Walter Cruickshank, deputy director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said the tests would reveal just how much oil and natural gas lies in the nation’s mid and south Atlantic.
No environmental groups were invited to testify at Friday’s House of Representatives hearing on air guns, chaired by Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican drilling supporter from Colorado. But Oceana campaign director Claire Douglass said in an email that air gun blasts 100,000 times more intense than a jet engine pose threats to marine mammals, including the endangered right whale.
And for our final item, some good news from the London Telegraph:
Rice and maize improved – without using GM
Two bits of good news for world food supplies broke this week. The official US Department of Agriculture has developed a rice that secretes chemicals that naturally keep weeds at bay. And scientists at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation have released 10 varieties of drought-resistant maize. But here’s the surprising bit: both were bred through conventional techniques, not genetic modification.
As it happens, this was also the week in which Environment Secretary Owen Paterson told the Oxford Farming Conference that Europe risked becoming “the museum of world farming” unless it embraced GM, while Tory MP George Freeman, who published a report on the subject yesterday, warned it could face a new ‘’dark age’‘ without the technology.
These are not isolated incidents.
As I’ve reported before, most new crop breakthroughs are now achieved through non-GM techniques. And so far the controversial technology has proved disappointing. Despite a vast research effort, only two types of GM crops have spread widely, and neither do much to combat hunger.
