2 w. ago Japan prepares to restart world’s biggest nuclear plant after years of caution

The Japanese governor overseeing the region that is home to the world’s largest nuclear power plant is set to give the approval this week for its restart, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday. The approval will clear one of the remaining milestones in Tokyo Electric Power Company’s quest to bring the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant back online, more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster led to its shutdown. Niigata prefecture Governor Hideyo Hanazumi is set to announce his approval...

Events

2 w. ago Trump thought Epstein’s ghost was gone, it could haunt him in midterm election

President Donald Trump was eager to claim victory this week after the record-long US government shutdown ended on his terms. But almost immediately, the White House was forced to battle a familiar bogeyman: Jeffrey Epstein. A trove of emails released by Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday reignited questions about Trump’s relationship with the disgraced financier and how much the president knew about Epstein’s alleged abuse of girls. While the White House swiftly dismissed...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump signs bill to end shutdown, China leads patent race: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump signs funding bill to end longest US government shutdown US President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the record-breaking US government shutdown after the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan funding deal on Wednesday. 2. China dominates global patent race with record filings China submitted the highest number of patent applications in...

Politics

3 w. ago End of shutdown starts long process of rebooting the US government

The longest government shutdown in US history has ended, but it could take days - and in some cases a week or more - before normal operations resume. Payroll systems must be updated to pay out weeks of back wages. Backlogs of grant disbursements, loan applications and customer calls that went unanswered for 43 days would need to be cleared. Delayed environmental permits, workplace inspections and contracting activities have stacked up across federal agencies. The work of reopening the government...

Politics

3 w. ago US House votes to end longest government shutdown, sending bill to Trump

The record-breaking US government shutdown is expected to end after the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan deal on Wednesday. In a vote of 222-209, the lower chamber advanced a measure that would extend government funding until January 30, 2026, reverse firings made during the shutdown, and ensure furloughed workers receive back pay. All but six Democrats voted against the bill on Wednesday, and only two Republicans did the same. The bill does not include Democrats’ demands on...

Politics

3 w. ago US Supreme Court lets Trump continue food aid cuts, even as shutdown nears end

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday extended an order blocking full Snap payments, amid signals that the government shutdown could soon end and food aid payments resume. The order keeps in place at least for a few more days a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing. The order will expire just before midnight on Thursday. The Senate has...

Events

3 w. ago End to US government shutdown in sight as Senate passes bill

The longest-ever US government shutdown appeared headed towards a resolution on Monday after the US Senate voted to pass a compromise budget measure. The 60-40 vote passed with the support of nearly all of the chamber’s Republicans and eight Democrats, who unsuccessfully sought to tie government funding to health subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year. Since October 1, the first day of the shutdown, more than a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits...

Politics

3 w. ago End to US government shutdown in sight as Senate passes funding bill

The longest-ever US government shutdown moved forward on Monday toward an eventual resolution, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in a 60-40 vote passing a compromise deal - sparking intraparty backlash. Since October 1, the first day of the shutdown, more than a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits and services have been increasingly disrupted. Severe impacts on air traffic have begun to mount in recent days, with more than 1,000...

Politics

3 w. ago End to US shutdown in sight as Senate passes deal, sending it to House

The longest-ever US government shutdown moved toward an eventual resolution on Monday, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in a 60-40 vote passing a compromise deal - sparking intraparty backlash. Since October 1, the first day of the shutdown, more than a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits and services have been increasingly disrupted. Severe impacts on air traffic have begun to mount in recent days, with more than 1,000 flights...

Events

3 w. ago Trump tells air traffic controllers to return to work amid flight cancellations

US President Donald Trump on Monday demanded air traffic controllers return to work as travellers endured another day of flight cancellations, which the administration ordered to manage staff shortages during the government shutdown. Threatening to curtail the pay of any controller who did not go back, Trump said he would award US$10,000 bonuses to those who have not taken time off during the 41-day shutdown and would welcome the resignations of the rest. “All Air Traffic Controllers must get...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump threatens unpaid US air traffic controllers over shutdown absences

US President Donald Trump on Monday demanded air traffic controllers return to work as travellers endured another day of flight cancellations, which the administration ordered to manage staff shortages during the government shutdown. Trump’s comment came after the US aviation system has suffered serious disruptions in recent days as air traffic controller absences soared while they work without pay. Some are absent as they need to work second jobs or cannot afford child care. An airline trade...

Events

3 w. ago US shutdown may be nearing end as Senate Democrats support funding deal

The record-breaking US government shutdown is nearing an end after a group of moderate Senate Democrats agreed to support a deal to reopen the government and fund some departments and agencies for the next year, people familiar with the talks said. Under the agreement, Congress would pass full-year funding for the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and Congress itself, while funding other agencies through January 30. The bill would provide pay for furloughed government workers, resume...

Politics

3 w. ago US shutdown may be near end as some Senate Democrats support funding deal

The record-breaking US government shutdown is nearing an end after a group of moderate Senate Democrats agreed to support a deal to reopen the government and fund some departments and agencies for the next year, people familiar with the talks said. Under the agreement, Congress would pass full-year funding for the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and Congress itself, while funding other agencies through January 30. The bill would provide pay for furloughed government workers, resume...

Politics

3 w. ago US Senate clears first hurdle to end longest government shutdown

The US Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a now 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel. In a procedural vote, senators advanced a House-passed bill that will be amended to fund the government until January 30 and include a package of three full-year appropriations bills. If the Senate eventually passes the amended measure, it still must be approved by the House of Representatives...

Politics

3 w. ago US air travel will fall to a trickle due to shutdown, transport secretary says

As the federal shutdown continues, US flights will be reduced to “a trickle” in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday because of rising air traffic control staffing shortages, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in remarks that were broadcast on Sunday. Major airlines were dealing with a third day of government-mandated flight cuts after thousands of delays and cancellations snarled traffic on Saturday. The shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic...

Society

3 w. ago Shutdown chaos could see US air travel fall to a ‘trickle’, transport secretary warns

Airlines cancelled more than 2,700 US flights on Sunday and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned air travel will fall to a “trickle” in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday as air traffic control staffing shortages surge during the federal shutdown. Major airlines were dealing with a third day of government-mandated flight cuts after thousands of delays and cancellations snarled traffic on Saturday. The shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic...

Events

3 w. ago Shutdown forces some overseas US military bases to stop paying workers

The longest US government shutdown on record is doing more than grind activities to a halt at home; an ocean away in Europe, local workers at US military bases have started to feel the pain. Thousands of people working at overseas bases in Europe have had their salaries interrupted since the shutdown began almost six weeks ago. In some cases, governments hosting the US bases have stepped in to foot the bill, expecting the United States to eventually make good. In others, including in Italy and...

Events

4 w. ago SF’s China Beach Reopens Amid Government Shutdown, Because Someone Did a GoFundMe

SF’s China Beach Reopens Amid Government Shutdown, Because Someone Did a GoFundMe  SFist

Politics

4 w. ago US cuts over 1,000 flights due to shutdown, with Thanksgiving just weeks away

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the US on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid a federal government shutdown. Forty airports were slated for the cuts, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. With Republicans and Democrats in a bitter stand-off, particularly over health insurance subsidies, federal agencies have been grinding to halt since funding lapsed...

Events

4 w. ago US government shutdown muddies China trade as agricultural officials miss expo

The ripple effects of the record-breaking US government shutdown have spread beyond Washington, denying US agricultural officials an opportunity to deepen cooperation with Chinese companies at a high-profile trade fair even as bilateral tensions show signs of easing. The Post learned on Thursday that, because of the shutdown, representatives from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) did not attend this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. This marks the first absence of...

Politics