Japan nuclear plant safe again after 12-year review
Tokyo — Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved the safety review of Hokkaido Electric Power’s No 3 reactor at the Tomari nuclear power station after more than 12 years of review, a prerequisite for it restarting operations.
The reactor closed in 2012 as part of a broader push to improve safety in the wake of a huge earthquake the previous year that disabled cooling systems at Tokyo Electric Power Co’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing the world’s worst radioactive material leakage in 25 years.
At its regular meeting, the NRA concluded that safety measures at the Tomari reactor met the new regulatory standards and that the plant had passed the examination, a spokesperson said. Reuters
German cabinet approves 2026 budget and borrowing
Berlin — The German cabinet approved a 2026 draft budget on Wednesday featuring record investment and three times as much borrowing as last year, as it aims to bolster infrastructure and defence.
Europe’s largest economy, which has gone from powerhouse to eurozone laggard, is throwing off decades of fiscal conservatism in an effort to revive growth, modernise crumbling infrastructure and scale up military spending.
The government will borrow €174.3bn in 2026 compared with €50.5bn in 2024 under the former government, while investment will be at €126.7bn, the highest to date.
“It is right that we invest in our security and that we address our investment backlog that has built up over many years,” finance minister Lars Klingbeil told reporters in Berlin. Reuters
EU states keen on borrowing to boost defences
Brussels — Eighteen EU states have so far shown an interest in taking out loans worth a total of at least €127bn from a fund aimed at boosting the bloc’s defences, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
The fund, known as Security Action for Europe, is ultimately expected to generate €150bn in defence investments. Countries have until November 30 to submit their requests.
The commission said the initial “strong interest” allowed it to prepare to raise funds on capital markets.
The countries that have so far shown interest are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Finland. Reuters
Thailand warns after Cambodia breaches ceasefire
Bangkok — Thailand’s military accused Cambodian forces on Wednesday of breaching a ceasefire agreement at three separate locations along the disputed border, warning that continued aggression could compel Thai forces to respond more decisively.
The allegations come less than two days after both governments agreed to a ceasefire brokered in Malaysia, which came into effect at midnight on Monday. Its aim is to stop fighting and prevent escalation of their deadliest conflict in more than a decade after five days of intense fighting that has killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 civilians on either side.
The truce came after a sustained push from Malaysian Premier Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump, with the latter warning Thai and Cambodian leaders that trade negotiations would not progress if fighting continued.
Thailand and Cambodia face a tariff of 36% on their goods in the US, their biggest export market, unless a reduction can be negotiated. After the ceasefire deal was reached, Trump said he had spoken to both leaders an
d instructed his trade team to restart tariff talks. Reuters
Electricity demand to rise, renewables to surpass coal
Paris — Global electricity demand is forecast to increase at one of the fastest sustained rates in over a decade, driven by increased industrial use as well as data centres and electric vehicles, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday.
It said demand would rise by 3.3% in 2025 and 3.7% in 2026, well above the 2.6% recorded between 2015 and 2023 and that investment was needed in grids, storage and making the electricity system more flexible.
At the same time, renewable energy is expected to overtake coal as the world’s largest source of electricity by the end of 2025 or in 2026 at the latest, depending on weather and fuel price trends, the IEA said.
Nuclear power output is also projected to reach record levels, supported by reactor restarts in Japan, steady generation in the US and France, and new capacity in Asia, the report said.
Gas-fired generation is set to continue to displace coal and oil in the Middle East and Asia, the IEA said. Reuters
Three-day hearing into Black Hawk crash begins
Washington — The National Transportation Safety Board opened a three-day investigative hearing Wednesday into the fatal collision in January between a US Army helicopter and an American Airlines plane that killed 67 near Reagan Washington National Airport.
The NTSB will review the Army Black Hawk helicopter air data systems and altimeters as well as the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of Washington airspace and air traffic. One key focus is the performance of the helicopter altimeter and the helicopter’s altitude at the time of the crash. Reuters
Nigerian nurses strike for more pay and staff
Lagos — Nurses in Nigeria’s public hospitals started a seven-day "warning" strike on Wednesday, demanding improved remuneration, better working conditions and increased recruitment, after a two-week ultimatum to the government expired without resolution.
The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives warned that if their demands weren’t met by next week, the union will embark on an indefinite strike, the first in more than two decades. A meeting on Tuesday between the union and a government delegation led by labour minister Muhammad Dingyadi ended in a stalemate.
The union is pushing for the recruitment of more nurses, pointing to a sharp decline in personnel as more than 42,000 nurses have left Nigeria for jobs abroad in the past three years, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. Reuters
US Steel names three American directors
US Steel said on Wednesday it had appointed three American directors to its board, more than a month after Nippon Steel closed its $14.9bn acquisition of the company.
The company, which is now a subsidiary of Nippon Steel, said its board now has seven directors, four of whom are US citizens, including three independent US directors. The appointments include John Donovan, a member of the US government’s national security telecommunications advisory committee from 2019-23, and Robert Stevens, former CEO of defence group Lockheed Martin. Timothy Keating, a retired US Navy admiral who previously served as the Pentagon’s director of joint staff and as commander of the US Pacific Command, was also named to the board.
Nippon signed a national security agreement with the Trump administration last month to get the go-ahead for its acquisition of US Steel. Reuters
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