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Panicked Workers Fled Fukushima Plant in 2011 Despite Orders, Record Shows

At the most dire moment of the Fukushima nuclear crisis three years ago, hundreds of panicked employees abandoned the damaged plant despite being ordered to remain on hand for last-ditch efforts to regain control of its runaway reactors, according to a previously undisclosed record of the accident that was reported Tuesday by a major Japanese newspaper. The newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, said that the episode was described by Masao Yoshida, the manager of the Fukushima Daiichi plant at the time of the accident, in a series of interviews conducted by government investigators several months after the March 2011 disaster. The newspaper said it had obtained a copy of a 400-page transcript of the interviews, which had been referred to in government accounts of the accident but had never been released in its entirety. Such a transcript could represent the only testimony of the accident left by Mr. […]

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China, Russia ink long-awaited gas deal

China and Russia on Wednesday inked the long-awaited gas deal in Shanghai, ending the decade-long natural gas supply talks between the two neighbors. The deal came one day after visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "significant progress" had been made over the price in the lengthy talks. Two documents, China and Russia Purchase and Sales Contract on East Route Gas Project and a memorandum, were signed at a ceremony attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Over the past years, talks, which started in 2004, have stalled over price. The gas supply deal was signed on the sidelines of the fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, a regional security summit which Putin and Xi are attending. China and Russia have vowed to strengthen cooperation in energy and infrastructure in Russia. According to […]

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China Signs Non-Dollar Settlement Deal With Russia’s Largest Bank

Slowly – but surely – the USD’s hegemony is being chipped away whether by foreign policy faux pas, crossed red-lines, or economic fragility. However, on Day 1 of Vladimir Putin’s trip to China it is clear that the two nations are as close as ever. VTB – among Russia’s largest banks – has signed a deal with Bank of China to pay each other in domestic currencies, bypassing the need for US Dollars for “investment banking, inter-bank lending, trade finance and capital-markets transactions.” Kirill Dmitriyev the head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund notes, “together it’ll be possible to discuss investment in various projects much more efficiently and clearly,” as Russia’s pivot to Asia continues to gather steam. As RT reports , Day 1 for Putin is going well… VTB, Russia’s second biggest lender, has signed a deal with Bank of China, which includes an agreement to pay each other […]

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China to delay Russia gas deal in blow to Vladimir Putin

China will not reach an agreement to import natural gas from Russia’s during a state visit by President Vladimir Putin this week despite strenuous Russian efforts to secure what has been portrayed as a key test of closer Sino-Russian ties. As Moscow’s relations with the West have deteriorated over the crisis in Ukraine, Mr Putin has sought to show the world and the Russian people that he has alternative friends to the east. Russian media, officials and Mr Putin himself have repeatedly said the 30-year, $456bn deal would be signed during the president’s visit to Shanghai, which ends on Wednesday evening. But PetroChina , the listed subsidiary of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp, China’s largest oil company, told the Financial Times on Wednesday that the deal would not be signed on this visit. “We won’t be signing [on this visit],” said Mao Zefeng, spokesman for PetroChina. “At the moment […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Russia, China Vow to Reach a Gas Deal

The leaders of China and Russia pledged to deepen energy ties during the first day of a state visit by President Vladimir Putin but failed so far to reach a final agreement to pipe Russian gas to China, signaling that disagreements over price remain an obstacle to the long-stalled deal. Officials from both countries have raised expectations that a deal could finally come together during Mr. Putin’s visit this week to Shanghai, where he and China President Xi Jinping are participating in a regional security conference. The prospect of exporting Russian natural gas to energy-hungry China has been under consideration for years, but pricing has served as a major barrier. Following their meeting on Tuesday, the Chinese and Russian leaders signed a joint statement calling for Russian gas supplies to begin being exported to China as quickly as possible, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency. Mr. Putin will […]

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Russian, Chinese gas deal is 'massive,' energy minister says

A "massive" contract in the works for Chinese energy has nothing to do with challenges in the European gas sector, Russia’s energy minister said Tuesday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the Kremlin aims to sign sweeping oil and natural gas contracts with China. In an interview the Russia-24 TV channel, he said bilateral economic initiatives with Beijing are part of a broad agenda. "That is why we sign these massive contracts to supply gas, oil, construct infrastructure pipelines — they lay the foundation not for the present day, and neither it is associated with the situation around the European partners today," he said . "This is due to the development of relations with Asia-Pacific countries in general, with such key partners as China." Russian President Vladimir Putin is putting the final touches on a contract with China that envisions natural gas deliveries and associated […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Russian, Chinese gas deal is ‘massive,’ energy minister says

A "massive" contract in the works for Chinese energy has nothing to do with challenges in the European gas sector, Russia’s energy minister said Tuesday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the Kremlin aims to sign sweeping oil and natural gas contracts with China. In an interview the Russia-24 TV channel, he said bilateral economic initiatives with Beijing are part of a broad agenda. "That is why we sign these massive contracts to supply gas, oil, construct infrastructure pipelines — they lay the foundation not for the present day, and neither it is associated with the situation around the European partners today," he said . "This is due to the development of relations with Asia-Pacific countries in general, with such key partners as China." Russian President Vladimir Putin is putting the final touches on a contract with China that envisions natural gas deliveries and associated […]

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Chinese rig a serious issue, Vietnam says

The situation surrounding China’s decision to send an oil rig into waters disputed with Vietnam is growing unpredictable, a Vietnamese legislator said Tuesday. Members of the Vietnamese National Assembly met Tuesday in Hanoi to discuss National Offshore Oil Corp. to deploy rig HD-981 about 120 miles off the coast of Vietnam. National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said the situation in the South China Sea was getting complicated. "China’s recent deployment of a giant oil rig and its protective armada in Vietnam’s [exclusive economic zone] seriously violates Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty," he said . A government report submitted Tuesday to the assembly says Vietnam reserves the right to maintain a posture of self-defense in the event the situation escalates. China says it’s operating within its territorial waters. The U.S. government has weighed in , saying it has no stance on claims to the South China […]

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China’s Thirst for Coal is Drying Up

As the ‘ airpocalypse ‘ news out of China continues to grow, what we predicted more than a year ago is now increasingly obvious – China’s seemingly endless coal demand is a , and the Chinese coal boom is over . What we often hear about a never-ending demand for coal in China has turned out to be just a desperate attempt by a flailing industry seeking to convince investors and politicians that they have a future in a cleaner, greener 21st century. But as frustration with deadly coal pollution grows along with China’s booming clean energy industry, this looks increasingly doubtful. Since news of the airpocalypse first broke, the Chinese public has become increasingly adamant that dangerous air pollution from coal-burning power plants be curbed. In response, China’s State Council announced a detailed plan — The Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan — that aimed to cut […]

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House stumps for natural gas infrastructure

WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) –The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee says it’s time to build domestic natural gas infrastructure before winter energy demands increase. The committee said legislation passed in the House in late 2013 — the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Act — would facilitate the construction of gas pipeline infrastructure needed to keep supplies moving when demand is at its highest. "Even as we enter the hot summer months, we know winter will come again soon," a committee statement read Monday. "And the only way to bring down heating prices in the future is to build new infrastructure now." The bill would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to make a decision on new pipelines within 12 months. Detractors of the measure said FERC already acts quickly and, if passed in the Senate, the bill would do little to address high heating costs across the board. Nevertheless, […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple