France's love affair with nuclear power will continue, but change is afoot

Anmar Frangoul

© Provided by CNBC The Belleville Nuclear Power

 Plant in Belleville-sur-Loire, France.

Last December, French President Emmanuel Macron signaled that nuclear would continue to play an important role in his country's energy mix.
CNBC takes a look at the role nuclear could play in the energy future of both France and the wider world.

France is recognized for being a hotbed of culture, gastronomy and style. The country is also something of a world leader in another field: nuclear power.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, France is home to 56 operational nuclear power reactors, second only to the U.S., which has 94.

Together, these French facilities have a combined capacity of 61,370 megawatts (MW). And when it comes to nuclear's share in French electricity production, the IAEA says it was 70.6% in 2019, the highest in the world.

Below, CNBC's "Sustainable Energy" takes a look at the role nuclear could play in the energy future of both France and the wider world.
A major player

Peter Osbaldstone, a research director at research group Wood Mackenzie, told CNBC via email that France was "by far the largest nuclear power generator in Europe."

"The emissions intensity of French power is lower than its major neighbours, the market having a relatively small part of overall supply met by fossil fuels," he went on to explain.

"With low-marginal cost nuclear being so prominent in the mix, French wholesale power prices tend to be lower than in neighbouring markets as well," he added, going on to note that this factor also influenced end-user prices, which were also comparatively low.

Andrew Lever, a director at the Carbon Trust, an advisory firm, told CNBC that France had "enjoyed a low reliance on fossil-based power generation."

"Therefore, from a carbon reduction perspective, it is starting from a lower base point relative to other economies who are more reliant on fossil fuel-based generation," he added.
Macron's mission

Last December, French President Emmanuel Macron signaled that nuclear would continue to play an important role in the country's energy mix.

According to a translation of his remarks published by Reuters, Macron said the French nuclear industry would "remain the cornerstone of our strategic autonomy."

Macron's comments suggest France will continue its relationship with nuclear power long into the future, but change is nevertheless afoot. Indeed, by 2035 the government wants to cut nuclear power's share in its electricity mix to 50%. A mixed picture, then.

For his part, Wood Mackenzie's Osbaldstone said the 50% target did not mean the technology had fallen entirely out of favor, noting that in 2019 the French government had "instructed EDF to explore the possibility of constructing six new reactors across three sites." The utility, he added, was "due to respond by mid-2021."

The challenges of decarbonization

The International Energy Agency states that "nuclear power has historically been one of the largest contributors of carbon-free electricity globally" and adds that it also has "significant potential to contribute to power sector decarbonisation."

It should be noted, however, that while the IEA says it produces carbon-free electricity, many regard nuclear as a non-renewable source. This is because they argue uranium, the metal crucial to nuclear power generation, will eventually run out.

The Carbon Trust's Lever told CNBC that for any economy, the level of investment needed to decarbonize energy supply was "massive."

And while the cost of renewable technologies like solar photovoltaic and onshore and offshore wind had enjoyed "a substantial reduction," the same could not be said for "new nuclear" where there had "been a lack of consistent cost reduction."

"From a new build perspective, there are risks of delays in construction and cost management, which in turn present risks to the cost of transition and ultimately energy costs for consumers," Lever said.

"In addition, potentially high decommissioning and waste disposal costs mean a key risk in the future is that nuclear becomes a relatively expensive and unsustainable technology relative to renewable based alternatives."

France looks set to maintain a close relationship with nuclear power going forward, but its neighbor Germany is taking a different route.

In response to the Fukushima disaster of 2011, when a powerful earthquake and tsunami resulted in a meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government developed plans to shut down the country's nuclear plants by the end of 2022.

Just last week, Reuters reported that Germany had agreed to pay four firms — Vattenfall, RWE, E.ON and EnBW — total compensation of almost 2.6 billion euros (around $3.09 billion) for the early closure of their nuclear plants.

Critiques and concerns

While Macron appears to be backing nuclear, it goes without saying the technology is not favored by all.

Critics include Greenpeace. "Nuclear power is touted as a solution to our energy problems, but in reality it's complex and hugely expensive to build," the environmental organization's website states.

"It also creates huge amounts of hazardous waste," it adds. "Renewable energy is cheaper and can be installed quickly. Together with battery storage, it can generate the power we need and slash our emissions."
The global picture

As governments around the world look to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable sources of energy, the debate surrounding nuclear power's role in the planet's energy mix will continue.

Just last month Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire, told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin that nuclear power would "absolutely" be politically acceptable again. Gates is also the founder and chairman of TerraPower, a company focused on nuclear innovation.

Is then, the transition away from fossil fuels to renewables possible without nuclear?

"Any low-emissions source, like nuclear, can of course play a role in the energy transition," Wood Mackenzie's Osbaldstone said, before going on to outline some of the challenges ahead.

"However nuclear new-build costs are high, the technology requires strong political support and regulatory frameworks in host countries," he added, explaining that generators were "typically large and relatively inflexible in operation — these features reduce the number of possible applications for nuclear."

New tech including small modular reactors, or SMRs, "could go some way to addressing these shortcomings, potentially opening up a larger role for the source. But SMRs remain very much on the drawing board at the moment."

 

US Senate panel chief queries viability of peace process

Pajhwok Monitor

10 Mar 2021 - 11:58

KABUL (Pajhwok): An influential American lawmaker has urged the Biden administration to rethink the May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

Bob Menendez, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, also accused the Taliban of failing to honour their commitments under the peace deal they signed with the US in Doha last year.

Reuters quoted Menendez as telling journalists on Tuesday” “I’m very concerned about the viability of the peace process in Afghanistan.”

With intelligence reports indicating the militant movement’s failure to meet its promises, the deadline for troop withdrawal would have to be reconsidered, he argued.

“If the Taliban are confirmed as not meeting their commitments, which I personally believe they’re not, then we may have to reconsider the May 1 deadline,” the Senate panel chief remarked.

About 2,500 US soldiers are currently stationed in Afghanistan. Under the US-Taliban pact, all troops will have to be pulled out by May 1.

PAN Monitor/mud

Foreign troop exit: Berlin averse to May deadline

Pajhwok Monitor

3 Feb 2021 - 11:10

KABUL (Pajhwok): Germany believes the exit of international forces from Afghanistan should be linked to the success of ongoing peace talks in Doha.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas suggested on Tuesday the pullout of foreign troops from the war-devastated country should not be based the May deadline.

Under the US-Taliban peace pact of February 29, 2020, all foreign troops are supposed to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of April this year.

However, the Biden administration, hinting at a review of the agreement, says the militant movement has failed to honour its commitment to reducing violence.

Speaking at an event organised by German media outlets, the minister argued the intra-Afghan peace talks would not conclude at the end of April.

The Associated Press quoted Maas as saying: “Our fear is that the Taliban could use this as a reason to leave the peace talks and seek a military solution.”

The foreign minister maintained: “We must couple both processes, the withdrawal of foreign forces with the peace negotiations. We don’t have to hang on slavishly to the date of the end of April…”

Behind the US, Germany is the second-biggest troop contributor to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.

Maas called for an agreement with the United States, the Afghan government and the Taliban on the issue of troop pullout.

PAN Monitor/mud

How will US-India ties impact Pakistan?: Dawn contributor

The paper says that America lacks both the will and the capacity to influence India's position on the Kashmir dispute.

Chinese trucks parked at Gwadar port, Pakistan,

as part of the trade convoy on 13 Nov 2016.PHOTO: DAWN

Javid Husain

PUBLISHED MAR 2, 2021, 

ISLAMABAD (DAWN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) -The inauguration of the Biden administration has predictably generated a heated debate on America's likely policy concerning Pakistan.

Any analysis of the emerging scenario must be firmly grounded in strategic realities rather than in wishful thinking.

The end of the Cold War had already reduced Pakistan's importance in America's strategic calculations.

On top of that, there is now growing strategic divergence between Pakistan and the US because of the development of the Indo-US partnership as an essential element of the US policy of containment of China, on the one hand, and the deepening cooperation between Pakistan and China on the other.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a prime example of growing Pakistan-China cooperation.

Additional factors which will influence US policy on Pakistan are India's economic weight with a GDP of US$2.6 trillion (S$3.46 trillion), its increasing global political influence as evidenced by its current membership of the UN Security Council and G20, and its position as the world's largest democracy despite the setbacks caused by the rise of Hindutva under Narendra Modi.

By way of comparison, Pakistan's economy is in dire straits with a GDP of only US$285 billion, there is political instability and its journey as a functioning democracy has been interrupted several times in the past.

Still, as a nuclear power with considerable military strength, Pakistan's importance in strengthening regional peace and stability cannot be ignored.

The Biden administration's initial policy statements clearly show that it is determined to continue the policy of developing a strategic partnership with India in pursuit of the policy of containment of China.

It is worth underscoring that the US policy of developing strategic cooperation with India had been supported by the Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump administrations.

Unsurprisingly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at his confirmation hearing stated that America's relations with India were "a bipartisan success story".

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at his confirmation hearing assured Congress that the Biden administration would "operationalise India's Major Defence Partner status".

The increased presence of Americans of Indian origin in powerful positions in the Biden administration may reinforce the trend of deepening cooperation between the two countries, especially in military, nuclear and high-tech areas thereby upsetting further the strategic balance in South Asia to Pakistan's disadvantage.

In short, India is likely to be given the central role in the US Indo-Pacific strategy which will also involve the strengthening of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad involving India, Japan, US and Australia as affirmed by President Joe Biden in his recent telephone conversation with Prime Minister Modi.

Consequently, it would be unrealistic to expect that under Mr Biden, the US would resume large-scale economic and military assistance to Pakistan or would be helpful in the search for a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The harsh reality is that America lacks both the will and the capacity to influence India's position on the Kashmir dispute.

It will, therefore, continue paying lip service to the need for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute while being supportive of Indian hegemonic designs in South Asia.

However, there are several areas in which the two countries can engage in mutually beneficial cooperation.

Currently, the Biden administration is reviewing the deal signed by the US and the Afghan Taliban in February last year aimed at American military withdrawal from Afghanistan, an end to terrorism originating from Afghanistan, and a peace settlement between the Taliban and the Kabul regime.

It is in the mutual interest of Pakistan and the US to promote the ongoing intra-Afghan dialogue for achieving these goals.

The same can be said about Pakistan-US cooperation for combating terrorism from which both countries have suffered grievously.

Pakistan would be well advised to remove ambiguities in its policies concerning this issue.

Other areas in which Pakistan and the US can engage in mutually beneficial cooperation are the prevention of nuclear proliferation, promotion of peace and stability in South Asia, the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean regions, climate change, promotion of human rights and strengthening of bilateral cooperation in economic, commercial, technical and cultural fields.

The test of Pakistan's diplomacy would lie in its ability to reconcile the elements of divergence and cooperation into a coherent whole mindful of both the potential and limitations of the Pakistan-US relationship.

The writer is a retired ambassador and author. He is president of the Lahore Council for World Affairs. The paper is a member of The Straits Times media partner Asia News Network, an alliance of 23 news media organisations.

GUNRUNNER US SUPPLIES AGRESSIVE IMPERIALIST INDIA 

India to buy first US armed drones to counter China, Pakistan: Sources

The Indian government is in the midst of a 10-year, US$250 billion military modernisation.PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI (BLOOMBERG) - India plans to buy 30 armed drones from the United States to boost its sea and land defences as tensions persist with neighbours China and Pakistan, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

The South Asian nation will approve next month the US$3 billion (S$4 billion) purchase of 30 MQ-9B Predator drones manufactured by San Diego-based General Atomics, the officials said, asking not to be identified for speaking with the media. The deal would add to India's military capabilities as the drones it has now can only be used for surveillance and reconnaissance.

India is emerging as a strategic defence partner for the US, particularly in countering Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean and some areas of South-east Asia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is in the midst of a 10-year, US$250 billion military modernisation.

"US-India relations in the present day are the result of decades of dedicated efforts by both countries," Mr Vivek Lall, chief executive for General Atomics, said in an e-mail.

"The fact that defence cooperation remains high on the list of priorities for the bilateral relationship, is a sign of our mutual security objectives," he said.

The spokesmen from India's Defence Ministry and US Pentagon officials did not respond to requests for comment.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to visit India this month, according to local media, while President Joe Biden will soon join counterparts from India, Japan and Australia in the first-ever meeting of top leaders of the "Quad" bloc.

The leaders will meet virtually on March 12, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs, which said they would discuss issues including supply chains, maritime security and climate change.

The MQ-9B drone can fly for about 48 hours and carry a payload of about 1,700kg. It will give the Indian Navy the ability to better monitor Chinese warships in the southern Indian Ocean, and equip the army to engage targets along the disputed India-Pakistan border in the Himalayas.

Last year, India leased two unarmed MQ-9 Predators as border tensions with China threatened to spin into a full-blown conflict. In the end they were not deployed after the Air Force expressed apprehension about drones manned by US personnel flying over the border.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for PERMANENT ARMS ECONOMY 

Microsoft Responds to China Cyber Attack by Expanding Business in China

Hack of 60,000 customers won't affect Microsoft's cozy relationship with CCP

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and Chinese premier Li Keqiang in 2017 (Thomas Peter/AFP via Getty Images)

Yuichiro Kakutani - MARCH 9, 2021 5:20 PM

Microsoft responded to a Chinese government hack that compromised more than 60,000 of its customers by expanding operations in the repressive regime.

Microsoft acknowledged on March 2 that Chinese "state-sponsored" hackers used vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange's software to install malware and access the emails of thousands of victims. The tech company has nevertheless barreled forward in its Chinese business plan, announcing on March 4 that it will expand its cloud computing service Azure. The move is meant to "empower" Chinese citizens, who live in a country with some of the most heavily censored and monitored webspace in the world.

"Our intelligent, trustworthy, and neutral cloud platform has been empowering hundreds of thousands of developers, partners, and customers from both China and the world to achieve more with technical innovation and business transformation," Alain Crozier, Microsoft's head for the Greater China Region, said in a statement.

The Azure expansion is the latest sign that the Chinese hacking campaign has had little impact on Microsoft's decades-long relationship with China. The U.S.-based tech company has outsourced a large portion of its research and development department to the authoritarian country, where it has had a presence since 1992. The company also partnered with a Chinese military university to conduct research into artificial intelligence.

Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment.

The global cyber attack has claimed a number of high-profile victims, including the European Banking Authority and thousands of businesses. The Biden White House said the hackers remain an "active threat" and that companies should patch up their softwares as soon as possible. The Chinese government has so far denied responsibility for the hacking campaign.

The Azure expansion plan will build a new cluster of data centers in northern China, speeding up the cloud service for Chinese users in the region, according to a press release. The cloud service employs Chinese company 21Vianet as a local partner. As China's leading data service provider, 21Vianet also conducts business with other Chinese tech companies such as Alibaba and Huawei, which U.S. officials say act as conduits for Chinese state espionage.

The Azure cloud computing service includes facial recognition software, a feature that might be attractive for authoritarian regimes. The company touts that "no machine learning expertise is required" to operate the program, which can search through a repository of up to one million people. Chinese authorities are increasingly using facial recognition to police their citizens, including the Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang.

Microsoft has nurtured a close relationship with Chinese entities over the course of nearly three decades, counting more than 17,000 partners in the authoritarian country. Despite the pandemic, Microsoft has continued to recruit even more local business partners. In December, Microsoft said it partnered with Huawei's spinoff company to build laptops in the country.

Microsoft also built its largest R&D base outside of the United States in China, employing more than 3,000 engineers and researchers located across four separate Chinese cities. The American company said its Chinese R&D division will contribute to China's prosperity.

"Microsoft Asia-Pacific R&D Group's teams are spread across the region … Located in tech parks and recognized hubs for innovation, these campuses are strategically positioned to take advantage of— and contribute to— China's rapid transformation to an innovation economy," the company said on its website.

Microsoft Responds to China Cyber Attack by Expanding Business in China - Washington Free Beacon

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Calls for Scottish minister to provide assurance over potential steel company meltdown

The future of Scotland’s surviving steel and aluminium plants have been thrown into doubt after the collapse of a finance firm, which also potentially exposes the Scottish Government to its massive losses after it guaranteed to underwrite a hydro-electric power station and aluminium smelter near Fort William in a deal to save the plants.

Sanjeev Gupta at the Lochaber plant.

Demands have now been made for economy secretary Fiona Hyslop to appear in Parliament to explain the the impact of Greensill Capital entering administration on the Liberty Steel businesses in Scotland.

It is understood that billionaire steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, who owns Liberty Steel, owes Greensill more than £3 billion.

However, he has moved to quell concerns, telling workers’ unions that his parent firm GFG Alliance was in the process of securing alternative funding and would survive the collapse of its major backer.

Mr Gupta, who was hailed as the “saviour of steel”, said some of Liberty Steel's UK operations were loss-making and this needed to be addressed.

Speaking after crisis talks with unions following specialist bank Greensill Capital going into administration, Mr Gupta said his group was taking "prudent steps" to manage cash and was seeking new funding.

The failure of Greensill has left many fearing that thousands of jobs at Liberty Steel’s assets in the UK could be at risk. These include those who work at the Lochaber aluminium smelting plant, to which the Scottish Government has provided more than £500 million of guarantees, and the steel plant in Motherwell.

It is believed Mr Gupta persuaded the Scottish Government to give a 25-year guarantee tied to the hydro-electric power station and aluminium smelter.

Using the guarantee, which committed the Scottish Government to buying the plant's electricity if the smelter shut down, finance firm Greensill issued about £575m of top-rated bonds in 2017 to Swiss fund manager GAM.

In return, Mr Gupta pledged to save 170 jobs at the smelter and create 2,000 more at a separate aluminium-wheel factory, which would make two million aluminium wheels a year by 2020.

The factory has not been built and it is understood Mr Gupta is considering opening a water bottle factory instead.

However, after administrators were appointed on Monday, Greensill said in a court filing that Mr Gupta's operations were in "financial difficulty" and defaulting on debt.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said it was now vital that Ms Hyslop make a statement to Parliament on the future of Liberty Steel’s Scottish sites.

"The Scottish Government once again find themselves mired in murky business,” he said.

"When the Government provided guarantees in December 2016, they made big promises about a shining future for the Lochaber smelter. Now it seems that the smelter's parent firm are in trouble and Scottish taxpayers could be on the hook.

"Just as with the BiFab yards in Fife, the Scottish Government are good at handing out money to financiers and hopeless at providing high wage, highly-skilled jobs for Scottish workers.

"The economy secretary needs to come to Parliament and explain what's next for workers and taxpayers."

Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston said the news of the collapse of Greensill had come as a “complete shock” as just "a matter of weeks ago came the positive news of an expansion at Lochaber”.

"It is a vital local industry which employs almost 200 workers and it's incumbent on the SNP to explore all options to ensure the survival of this site and those in Motherwell and elsewhere in the UK,” he said. “We need to do everything possible to preserve jobs."

His colleague, Scottish Conservative finance spokesperson Murdo Fraser, said the government’s finance minister Kate Forbes needed to “provide urgent clarity, specifically in relation to how much taxpayers' money may be at risk and what is being done to address that”.

"As seen with BiFab, the ferries fiasco and other scandals, this SNP Government has a reverse Midas touch when it comes to business,” he said.

"They must explain what is going on, the terms of these agreements and do everything possible to insulate public funds from unnecessary loss."

Greensill Capital, which has funded Mt Gupta's businesses expansion, was tipped into administration last week when one of its main backers, Credit Suisse, suspended £7.2bn of investment funds.

Greensill had used that investment to fund its supply chain finance deals, which provided huge sums to Mr Gupta's business.

In a statement after a meeting with union representatives, a spokesperson for GFG said: “Sanjeev had a productive meeting with the unions to discuss the plan to make the parts of the UK businesses facing weak market conditions more financially sustainable and address the disruption caused by the situation at Greensill.

“Liberty Steel Group has provided significant support to the UK speciality steel business, which has seen the demand for some products fall by 60 per cent following the downturn in the aerospace sector due to Covid-19.

“As part of the prudent steps we are taking to manage cash, we are discussing new opportunities with customers and suppliers to improve cash flow and looking to secure additional working capital facilities to support the business.”


In a joint statement, unions Community, GMB and Unite said: “The meeting was positive and constructive and it is clear Mr Gupta intends to secure a refinancing of the debt to provide the business with the necessary liquidity going forward.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Funding sources available to the GFG Alliance are commercial matters for the business.

“The Scottish Government has a comprehensive security package relating to the guarantee Scottish ministers provided to the Lochaber aluminium smelter in 2016.

“We maintain regular dialogue with the GFG Alliance covering a range of its industrial interests in Scotland across steel, aluminium and renewable energy production.”

#SPACERACE2.0

Russia and China are going to build a Moon base together, and NASA isn’t invited

A shot of the lunar surface. Image source: NASA

By Mike Wehner @MikeWehner
March 9th, 2021 BGR

The United States and Russia might be old Cold War enemies — and tensions between the two countries in the present day aren’t exactly great, either — but when it comes to space exploration, NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos have long been allies. That relationship, like any, has not been perfect, but it’s still a bit of a shock to see that Russia now plans to start a lunar base and, instead of NASA, it is choosing China’s space program as its partner.

As Ars Technica reports, the agreement was announced by Roscosmos, with the heads of the Chinese National Space Administration and Russia’s Roscosmos signing off on the deal. The facility is to be known as the “International Lunar Science Station,” and while many of the details are still to be worked out, NASA isn’t currently in the loop.

It’s no secret that China is rapidly advancing its space exploration programs. The CNSA is attempting to make up for decades US and Russian space superiority and, to be totally fair, it’s doing one heck of a job. China has already accomplished a number of “firsts,” including landing a spacecraft and rover on the far side of the Moon for the first time in history, as well as returning lunar samples from the surface of the Moon remotely in a matter of days.

China has said that it wants a constant presence on the Moon, but plans were scarce. Now, with Russia and China shaking hands on a deal to build a lunar base, it would seem as though there’s nothing standing in either country’s way. This, of course, puts NASA and the United States in a very difficult spot.

The International Space Station exists because of both the United States (NASA) and Russia (Roscosmos). Partner organizations like the European Space Agency and Japan’s JAXA have also played a part, but the orbiting laboratory wouldn’t exist in its current state without both NASA and Roscosmos doing most of the planning, upgrading, and heavy lifting. China is not allowed on the International Space Station, and that’s a decision that was made early on. In recent years, the European Space Agency has tried to mend ties between the scientific bodies in the US and China, asking that China be allowed to send astronauts to the ISS and conduct science there. The United States said no.

So, now that Russia and China are going to play ball in space — with China, the ESA, and Russia all conducting various missions in partnership with one another over the years — NASA is essentially the odd one out. NASA has its own plans for a return to the Moon with the Artemis program, but Russia has not pledged to follow the “Artemis Accords,” which is an agreement between partner nations to share scientific data and abide by a specific code of conduct. China never had a chance to pledge its signature due to NASA being prohibited from working with China as part of a law passed by Congress in 2011.

Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and future tech. Most recently, Mike served as Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and countless other web and print outlets. His love of reporting is second only to his gaming addiction.

ANTHROPOMORPHISM KIND OF

Fantasy creature from The Neverending Story 'spotted' in Taiwan's rocky terrain

MARCH 08, 2021

By VIVIAN HSIAOTHE CHINA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Many claimed the boulder bore a striking resemblance to the lucky dragon "Falkor" from "The Neverending Story."
Facebook/愛天樂 and Contantin Film

TAIPEI — Foreigners living in Taiwan are often attracted to the island’s rich ecology, and they sometimes find scenes that remind them of home.

An expat recently shared a picture of a rock bearing a striking resemblance to a dog’s head, which evoked childhood memories and struck a chord with other social media users.More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite.

According to CNA, the photo was originally captured by social media user “Ai Tien Le” at the “Ruifeng Bridge” in Ruifeng Village, Meishan Township, Chiayi County.

They had gone to take pictures of the rocks in the stream and accidentally came upon a large one, which they then posted on Facebook.

It received numerous positive comments, and the dog-shaped rock was also praised as very cute.

Ai Tien Le explained that they had travelled to the area on Jan. 29, and parked their car at the top of the river.

After further inspection, they realised that the big boulder in the middle of the river closely resembled that of a sleeping dog sipping the river’s water.

The photo also attracted the attention of foreign social media users who claimed that the “dog” actually looked like the lucky dragon “Flalkor” in the 1984 German fantasy film “The Neverending Story.”

In the movie, Falkor had the body of a dragon complete with scales, with a benevolent dog’s head. It also played a huge part in the film, helping the young boy complete his adventures, becoming a beloved character of many.

PHOTO: Contantin Film

The Falkor-like boulder received widespread attention online with one commenting that they are happy to know its final resting place.

With the boulder’s new identity, fans of the movies will surely trek to the area to see for themselves the legendary character of their childhoo

Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins | Pew Research Center

CLIP & SAVE

Broad Public Support for Coronavirus Aid Package; Just a Third Say It Spends Too Much

Pew Research

More Americans say the Biden administration made a ‘good faith’ effort working with opposition than say the same of GOP leaders

How we did this


As the House of Representatives prepares to give final approval to the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, a sizable majority of U.S. adults (70%) say they favor the legislation. Only about three-in-ten (28%) oppose the bill, which provides economic aid to businesses, individuals and state and local governments.

While congressional votes on the legislation have been deeply divided along partisan lines, 41% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents support the measure. The bill draws overwhelming support from Democrats and Democratic leaners (94% favor).


In assessing the proposed spending in the aid package, 41% of Americans view it as about right, while another 25% say it spends too little; only a third of Americans say the legislation spends too much money. Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to view the spending in the bill as excessive (61% of Republicans vs. 11% of Democrats).

The new national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted on the Center’s nationally representative American Trends Panel March 1-7, 2021, among 12,055 adults, finds that a majority of the public (57%) says the Biden administration made a good faith effort working with Republican congressional leaders on the coronavirus aid package.

By comparison, 42% say GOP leaders made a good faith effort to work with the White House on the pandemic relief bill, with a 55% majority saying they did not work in good faith.
Across demographic groups, large shares of the public support the federal aid package


While most Americans favor the coronavirus aid package, there are demographic differences in the levels of support.

Three-quarters of women say they favor the aid package, while a smaller majority of men (66%) say the same.

While overwhelming majorities of Black (91%), Hispanic (80%) and Asian American adults (76%) say they favor the economic package, that compares with a smaller majority of White adults (63%).

There are also substantial differences in views of the economic stimulus package by household income. About eight-in-ten Americans in lower-income households (82%) favor the bill, compared with two-thirds of middle-income and 60% of upper-income Americans.

Although a 57% majority of Republicans say they oppose the proposed stimulus bill, there is a substantial ideological divide within the GOP: Roughly seven-in-ten conservative Republicans (69%) say they oppose the economic package, while the balance of opinion is reversed among moderate and liberal Republicans, 61% of whom say they favor the aid bill.

By contrast, there is near-universal support for the economic bill among Democrats: More than nine-in-ten (94%) say they favor the COVID-19 economic aid package.


Among Republicans, there are wide differences in support for the economic package by household income. A 63% majority of lower-income Republicans and Republican leaners (who make up 25% of all Republicans and Republican leaners) say they favor the proposed economic package. By comparison, 37% of Republicans in middle-income households (50% of Republicans) and just 25% of upper-income Republicans (21% of all Republicans) favor the bill.

There are no substantial differences by income among Democrats.

About four-in-ten Americans (41%) say the proposed spending on the bill is about right, while a third say the proposed spending in the bill is too much and a quarter say the amount of allocated money is too little.


While about four-in-ten of those in all income groups say the spending in the aid package is “about right,” Americans with lower incomes are more likely than others to say the amount of spending in the COVID-19 economic package is “too little” (and less likely to say it is “too much”).

About four-in-ten lower-income Americans (37%) say the bill spends too little, compared with 22% of middle-income and 13% of upper-income Americans. Conversely, 46% of upper-income Americans say the bill spends too much; just 20% of lower-income Americans say this.

Partisans also differ in these views: A majority of Democrats (56%) say spending for the bill is about right, with a third saying it is too little and just 11% saying it is too much. In contrast, most Republicans (61%) say the bill is spending too much.

Reflecting the income pattern among all Americans, within both partisan groups, those with lower incomes are more likely than those with higher incomes to say the proposed spending on the economic bill is not enough.

For example, while more than a quarter of lower-income Republicans (27%) say the proposed spending in the aid package is too little, just 11% of middle-income and 6% of upper-income Republicans say the same. Fully 81% of upper-income Republicans say the proposed spending in the economic aid package is too much, a view held by 42% of lower income Republicans.

Similarly, lower-income Democrats (42%) are more than twice as likely as upper-income Democrats (20%) to say that spending is too little. Still, half or more Democrats across income levels say the level of spending is about right.

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Most Americans support $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package; just a third say it spends too much | Pew Research Center

1/3 IS THE GOP BASE