France tweaks rules to keep nuclear plants running during heatwave
France tweaks rules to keep nuclear plants running during heatwave/node/2138746/world
France tweaks rules to keep nuclear plants running during heatwave
Air temperatures are expected to climb into the mid to high 30s Celsius this week across much of France, further warming rivers that EDF uses to cool reactors. (Reuters)
France tweaks rules to keep nuclear plants running during heatwave
High river temperatures have in recent weeks threatened to reduce France’s already low nuclear output at a time when nearly half its reactors are offline because of corrosion problems and maintenance
Updated 08 August 2022
Reuters
PARIS: France’s nuclear power regulator has extended temporary waivers allowing five power stations to continue discharging hot water into rivers as the country contends with a fourth heat wave of the summer and an energy crisis.
High river temperatures have in recent weeks threatened to reduce France’s already low nuclear output at a time when nearly half its reactors are offline because of corrosion problems and maintenance.
The ASN watchdog said on Monday it had approved a government request for the waivers introduced in mid July to be prolonged at the Bugey, Saint Alban, Tricastin, Blayais and Golfech power plants.
“The government considers that it is a public necessity to ... maintain the production of these five power stations until Sept. 11 despite the exceptional weather conditions,” ASN said in a statement.
Air temperatures are expected to climb into the mid to high 30s Celsius this week across much of France, further warming rivers that nuclear operator EDF uses to cool reactors.
Regulations typically require nuclear production be limited during times of high heat to prevent the hot discharge waters re-entering the rivers from endangering wildlife.
French nuclear availability has been at its lowest in at least four years this summer, forcing France to import power when usually it would be exporting to neighboring countries.
On some of the hottest days, France has bought 8 to 10 gigawatts, equivalent to the output from about 8 nuclear reactors.
EDF late on Sunday said it was lifting output restriction warnings at the Saint Alban and Bugey nuclear plants on the Rhone river.
River temperatures at both are expected to peak on Aug. 14.
Rejoicing Peruvians see Pope Leo XIV as one of their own after his many years in Peru
“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said elementary school teacher Isabel Panez
ope Leo XIV is a dual citizen of the United States and Peru, where he first served as a missionary and then as a bishop
Updated 7 sec ago
AP
LIMA, Peru: Peruvians were elated Thursday after a Catholic cardinal who spent years guiding the faithful in the South American country and who they see as one of their own was elected pope.
Pope Leo XIV is a dual citizen of the United States and Peru, where he first served as a missionary and then as a bishop. That made him the first pope from each country.
In Peru’s capital, Lima, the bells of the cathedral rang after Cardinal Robert Prevost was announced as Pope Francis’ successor. People outside the church quickly expressed their desire for a papal visit.
“For us Peruvians, it is a source of pride that this is a pope who represents our country,” said elementary school teacher Isabel Panez, who was near the cathedral when the news was announced. “We would like him to visit us here in Peru.”
This handout picture released on May 8, 2025 by Peruvian news agency Andina shows the then bishop Robert Francis Prevost during a visit to Chulucanas, Peru, in 2024. (AFP)
Leo, standing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time as pope, addressed in Spanish the people of Chiclayo, which sits just 9 miles (14 kilometers) from Peru’s northern Pacific coast and is among the country’s most populous cities.
“Greetings... to all of you, and in particular, to my beloved diocese of Chiclayo in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, shared their faith,” he said.
Thomas Nicolini, a Peruvian who studies economics in Rome, said he went to St. Peter’s Square as soon as he heard Prevost was the new pope.
“That’s a beautiful area, but one of the regions that needs lots of hope,” he said referring to Chiclayo. “So, now I’m expecting that the new pope helps as many people as possible, and tries to reignite, let’s say, the faith young people have lost.”
Diana Celis, who attended several Masses officiated by Prevost in Chiclayo, told The Associated Press that he would often repeat that he had “come from Chicago to Chiclayo, the only difference is a few letters.”
Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost has held Peruvian nationality since 2015, Peru’s national register agency confirmed Thursday. In 2014, he served as the administrator and later bishop of Chiclayo and remained in that position until Francis summoned him to Rome in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church.
“He will be very sensitive to the social doctrine of the Church and will undoubtedly be attentive to the signs of the times,” the Rev. Edinson Farfán, bishop of Chiclayo, told reporters.
A copy of the registry for Robert Prevost, who was elected as pope and choose the name Leo XIV, downloaded from the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status of Peru. (AP)
But a network of survivors of Catholic clergy sex abuse raised concerns about Prevost’s handling of complaints filed while he was bishop of Chiclayo in 2022. The Peruvian Bishops’ Conference did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP regarding the mishandling accusations alleged by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
Janinna Sesa, who met Prevost while she worked for the church’s Caritas nonprofit, said he is the kind of person who will “put on boots and wade through the mud” to help those most in need. She said he did just that in 2022, when torrential rains affected Chiclayo and nearby villages.
He also delivered food and blankets to the remote Andean villages, driving a white pickup truck and sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor. In those villages, Sesa said, Prevost ate whatever was offered to him, including the peasant diet consisting of potatoes, cheese and sweet corn. But, if the opportunity came up, he would enjoy carne asada – one of his favorite dishes – accompanied by a glass of Coca-Cola.
“He has no problem fixing a broken-down truck until it runs,” she said, highlighting his automotive interest.
Sesa added that Prevost was also the driving force for the purchase of two oxygen-production plants during the coronavirus pandemic, which killed more than 217,000 people across Peru.
“He worked so hard to find help, that there was not only enough for one plant, but for two oxygen plants,” she said.
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said Prevost’s election was a “historic moment” for Peru and the US
“He chose to be one of us, to live among us, and to carry in his heart the faith, culture, and dreams of this nation,” she said in a video message in which she also recalled that Prevost chose to become a Peruvian citizen “as an expression of his profound love for Peru.”
North Korea says leader Kim supervised missile tests simulating nuclear strikes against rivals
Updated 6 min 34 sec ago
AP
SEOUL, South Korea: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised tests of short-range ballistic missile systems that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against US and South Korean forces, state media said Friday, as the North continued to blame its rivals for escalating tensions through their joint military exercises.
The report came a day after South Korea’s military detected multiple launches from North Korea’s eastern coast and assessed that the tests could also be related to the country’s weapons exports to Russia during its war in Ukraine.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday’s tests involved a mobile ballistic missile system apparently modeled after Russia’s Iskander, as well as 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers that South Korean officials classify as ballistic due to their self-propulsion and guided flight. Both are part of a growing lineup of weapons systems that the North says could be armed with “tactical” nuclear weapons for battlefield use.
KCNA said the tests were intended to train military units operating missile and rocket systems to more effectively execute attacks under the North’s nuclear weapons control system and ensure a swift response to a nuclear crisis.
The agency criticized the United States and its “vassal states” for expanding joint military exercises on and around the Korean Peninsula, which the North claims are preparations for nuclear war, and said Thursday’s launches demonstrated the “rapid counteraction posture” of its forces.
Kim stressed the need to strengthen the role of his nuclear forces in both deterring and fighting war, and called for continued efforts to improve combat readiness and precision strike capabilities, KCNA said.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said multiple missiles of various types were launched from the area around the eastern port city of Wonsan on Thursday from about 8:10 to 9:20 a.m., with the farthest traveling about 800 kilometers .
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs, said in a briefing the North Korean launches were possibly intended to test the performance of weapons it plans to export, as the country continues to send military equipment and troops to fuel Russia’s warfighting against Ukraine.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters that none of the North Korean missiles reached Japan’s exclusive economic zone and there was no damage to vessels or aircraft in the area.
It was the North’s first known ballistic activity since March 10, when it fired several ballistic missiles hours after US and South Korean troops began an annual combined military exercise, and the country’s sixth launch event of the year.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile program and supply weapons and troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Thursday’s launch came a day after North Korean state media said Kim urged munition workers to boost the production of artillery shells amid his deepening alignment with Moscow.
US envoy reassures Panamanians about contentious military deal
The agreement allows US military personnel to deploy to Panamanian-controlled bases along the canal
Updated 24 min ago
AFP
PANAMA: The new US ambassador to Panama on Thursday reassured its citizens that an agreement signed by the two countries last month does not permit the return of American military bases.
US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to “take back” control of the Panama Canal from what he calls excessive Chinese influence has caused alarm in the Central American nation.
The agreement signed by Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and President Jose Raul Mulino’s administration allows US military personnel to deploy to Panamanian-controlled bases along the canal for training, exercises and “other activities.”
“Nowhere” does the agreement “talk about opening military bases,” Trump’s ambassador, Kevin Cabrera, told a news conference.
This agreement “will strengthen our cooperation against drug trafficking and protect the canal,” which the United States built and controlled until 1999, he added.
The recent deal has sparked protests from Panamanians who oppose any perceived infringement of their country’s sovereignty after a 1989 US invasion to depose then-leader General Manuel Noriega.
Cabrera said that “false” information was being spread about the agreement “for political reasons.”
Mulino on Thursday ruled out canceling the pact, which he said did not allow “any form” of US military base in his country.
“There is no cession of territory here,” he told a news conference.
Ransomware group Lockbit appears to have been hacked, analysts say
Lockbit is one of the world’s most prolific cyber extortion gangs and it has survived past disruptions
Updated 19 min 10 sec ago
Reuters
WASHINGTON: The ransom-seeking cybercriminals behind the extortion group Lockbit appear to have suffered a breach of their own, according to a rogue post to one of the group’s websites and security analysts who follow the gang.
On Wednesday one of Lockbit’s darkweb sites was replaced with a message saying, “Don’t do crime CRIME IS BAD xoxo from Prague” and a link to an apparent cache of leaked data.
Reuters could not immediately verify the data, which appeared to capture chats between the hackers and their victims, among other things. But others who sifted through the material told Reuters it appeared authentic.
“It’s legit,” said Jon DiMaggio, the chief security strategist with the cybersecurity company Analyst1.
Christiaan Beek, senior director of threat analytics at cybersecurity firm Rapid7, agreed the leak “looks really authentic.” He said he was struck by how it showed Lockbit’s hackers hustling even for modest payouts from small businesses.
“They attack everyone,” he said.
Reuters could not immediately reach Lockbit or establish who had apparently leaked their data. Some darkweb sites associated with Lockbit appeared to be inoperative on Thursday, displaying a note saying they would be “working soon.”
Lockbit is one of the world’s most prolific cyber extortion gangs — diMaggio once called it “the Walmart of ransomware groups” — and it has survived past disruptions. Last year British and US officials worked with a coalition of international law enforcement agencies to seize some of the gang’s infrastructure. A few days later, the group defiantly announced it was back online, saying, “I cannot be stopped.”
Behind the bravado, diMaggio said this week’s hack was an embarrassment.
“I think it will hurt them and slow them down,” he said.
US military to ‘immediately’ start removing 1,000 trans troops
Updated 37 min 7 sec ago
AFP
WASHINGTON: The US military will “immediately” start the process of removing some 1,000 transgender troops and will force out those who do not leave voluntarily by early June, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January banning transgender military service, and the US Supreme Court ruled this week that the ban could take effect while litigation challenging it plays out.
“The Military Departments will immediately begin processing for separation service members who previously self-identified for voluntary separation prior to March 26, 2025,” a memo from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
Approximately 1,000 troops who identified as having gender dysphoria diagnoses fall into that category, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
There were a total of 4,240 currently serving troops with such diagnoses as of late last year, according to a senior defense official, and the memo said those who do not voluntarily leave by June 6 for active-duty troops and the following day for reserves will be removed.
“On conclusion of the self-identification eligibility window, the Military Departments will initiate involuntary separation processes,” the memo said.
In his January 27 executive order, Trump stated that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
The Pentagon followed that up with a memo issued in late February stating that it would remove transgender troops from the military unless they obtain a waiver on a case-by-case basis, as well as prevent transgender people from joining.
Transgender Americans have faced a roller coaster of changing policies on military service in recent years, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit them to serve openly, while Trump has sought to keep them out of the ranks.
