Taiwan to Hold Referendum on Restarting Closed Nuclear Reactor
Taiwan will hold a national referendum on restarting a nuclear reactor that it shut down just last week, potentially opening up a pathway to reverse the government's anti-nuclear policy.
The Aug. 23 poll will decide whether the Maanshan nuclear power plant, the territory's last one to be shuttered, should resume operations if there are no safety concerns, according to a statement from Taiwan's Central Election Commission late on Friday.
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CNN
18 minutes ago
- CNN
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawyers ask judge to sanction Trump administration
Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia have asked a judge to put severe sanctions on the Trump administration, saying federal officials violated court orders to prove the steps they were taking to attempt to get the wrongfully deported man out of El Salvador for weeks, before he was returned to face criminal charges. It's the latest move in the court fight over Abrego Garcia and whether the Trump administration appropriately handled the political and legal maelstrom. Abrego Garcia's lawyers say the Trump administration's violations of the court have been 'egregious' because it repeatedly refused to provide any evidence around how it was complying with court orders. 'The Government did virtually nothing,' they said in a court filing late Wednesday night. 'Nearly sixty days, ten orders, three depositions, three discovery disputes, three motions for stay, two hearings, a week-long stay, and a failed appeal later, the Plaintiffs still have seen no evidence to suggest that the Defendants took any steps, much less 'all available steps,' to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the United States 'as soon as possible' so that his case could be handled as it would have been had he not been unlawfully deported,' Abrego Garcia's attorneys wrote. Documents the administration turned over to Abrego Garcia's team in recent weeks had largely been already in the public record, and assertions that the State Department was discussing his return with the Salvadoran government were vague, the lawyers added. Abrego Garcia was returned to the US last week to face new federal criminal charges that accuse him of trafficking undocumented migrants across states. He is currently in federal custody and has a court hearing set for Friday in Tennessee — where he is charged — so that he may enter a plea and for a judge to decide if he will remain behind bars in the US. But District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland had spent weeks before the indictment was unsealed demanding the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and lawyers from the Department of Justice produce records and statements showing how the efforts were unfolding behind the scenes. 'The lengths the government has gone to resist discovery relating to these core questions raises a strong inference that the Government is trying to hide its conduct from the scrutiny of this Court, the Plaintiffs, and the public,' Abrego Garcia's lawyers wrote. 'What the Government improperly seeks to hide must be exposed for all to see.' Abrego Garcia's attorneys want Xinis to fine the government and some of its officials and either again order the administration to turn over documents or bring in a third-party 'special master' investigator to look at the administration's compliance with the court's orders. Abrego Garcia was mistakenly sent to the CECOT prison in El Salvador in March, despite a US immigration court order that said he could not be deported there for his own safety. Even President Donald Trump himself resisted stepping in, despite court orders that Abrego Garcia be returned and given due process. The case has become emblematic of the Trump administration's hasty attempts to send migrants out of the US without proper constitutionally-guaranteed proceedings. It's also among a small group of cases related to the hardline immigration approach where judges are now considering sanctions or even holding federal officials in contempt of court for failing to abide by judicial orders. Weeks ago Xinis told the Trump administration it must 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's return and provide information about how it was doing so. She also ordered a handful of administration officials to sit for depositions. While those sworn interviews happened behind closed doors, the officials refused to answer many questions, citing privileges, Abrego Garcia's attorneys wrote on Wednesday. 'More than 90 times, the Government instructed them not to answer on the basis of an asserted privilege,' Abrego Garcia's lawyers told the judge about the depositions. 'And when they did answer, the witnesses uniformly testified that they lacked personal knowledge of the very topics concerning which they had previously provided sworn declarations.' The lawyers also argue that the DHS' top attorney, acting general counsel Joseph Mazzara, may have given untruthful testimony. The Trump administration hasn't yet responded to the accusations made in court. CNN has also reached out to DHS for comment.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
We will do everything we can to save Alexander Dennis jobs, vows Swinney
The Scottish Government will do 'everything we can' to support jobs at bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis, the First Minister has said. The company announced on Wednesday it is proposing to consolidate its UK operations at a single site in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The decision puts 400 jobs at risk at its facility in Falkirk in another blow to the Forth Valley, which has already seen more than 400 jobs go at the Grangemouth refinery this year. Speaking at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, John Swinney said he is 'deeply concerned'. He told the chamber: 'This issue has been occupying a great deal of the focus and the attention of the Deputy First Minister and I and the UK Government ministers since we became aware of the situation over the last few weeks, and then ultimately to the decision that was announced yesterday.' He said his Government has 'supported' the manufacturer. But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused Holyrood ministers of overlooking Scottish industry in favour of ordering buses from China, while pointing to the order from Alexander Dennis of around 160 vehicles by the publicly-owned network in Greater Manchester. In Scotland, public service buses are procured by private operators, who then run them on routes across the country. Mr Swinney said state aid regulations – in the form of the UK-wide Subsidy Control Act – prevent the Government from directly procuring from a single supplier like Alexander Dennis. He quoted a joint letter from the UK and Scottish governments, which pledged to 'work closely with Alexander Dennis at this challenging time'. He added: 'That's us indicating that we're keen to do everything we can to find a way through the Subsidy Control Act provisions, so the Government can continue to operate within the law, which we must do, but also, we can support manufacturing in Scotland, which is my priority.' Speaking to journalists after First Minister's Questions, Mr Swinney said the possibility of a furlough scheme for staff impacted by the announcement – as suggested by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray on Wednesday – is on the table. In the chamber, Mr Sarwar said: 'If John Swinney can't figure out a way to order buses in Scotland, I suggest he picks up the phone to (Greater Manchester Mayor) Andy Burnham and see how he managed to do it. 'Almost five times as many bus orders from Manchester.' Mr Sarwar's claim stems from the second phase of the Scottish Government's green bus initiative ScotZEB, which ordered 44 buses from Alexander Dennis. However, according to a press release from the time, 137 buses were ordered from the firm in the first phase, amounting to a total of 181. In a statement, Mr Burnham – who has visited the Falkirk site – said: 'Our iconic Bee Network buses are a bit of Scotland right here in Greater Manchester. 'We have over 160 Alexander Dennis buses criss-crossing our city-region every day – connecting our communities to opportunity. 'If Greater Manchester can invest in world-class Scottish bus manufacturing, then why can't the SNP Scottish Government?' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Starmer accused of using private school VAT raid to ‘house illegal migrants'
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of using private school VAT cash to 'house illegal migrants' after he suggested the policy would fund Labour's house-building Prime Minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter, yesterday that the decision to levy 20pc VAT on private school fees had allowed the Government to make the 'largest investment in a generation' to affordable housing. Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, accused Sir Keir of taxing children's education to build homes which would be 'given away' to migrants. Labour has long-maintained that its controversial VAT raid, which has already seen dozens of schools close as a result, would be used to improve state schools. But this week it was forced to abandon its manifesto promise to hire 6,500 new state school teachers. Yesterday, the Prime Minister tweeted how the 'tough choice' on VAT had paid off. Ms Trott described the post as 'madness.' She told The Telegraph: 'Labour needs to come clean with the public. Not only have they broken their promise to hire 6,500 more teachers but now they are taxing British children's education to build homes that will be given away to illegal migrants. 'The sums don't add up. It's children, parents and teachers in the state sector who'll pay the price for Labour's ideological agenda.' The Treasury hopes to raise £1.5bn from its VAT raid this year, rising to £1.7bn by 2029-30. In December, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told reporters 'every single penny' of the £1.5bn it hoped to raise from the private school VAT raid would be ring-fenced for state education. In an interview with ITV, Ms Reeves was asked: 'Will all of that money be ring-fenced for state schools?' She replied: 'Yes, every single penny of that money will go into our state schools to ensure that every child gets the best start in life.' Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said her party had opposed the VAT raid because it was 'terrible policy'. She said: 'It has forced schools to shut, sending thousands of pupils into state schools that are now struggling for space, teachers and money you didn't account for. 'You said every single penny would go into state schools, but now it's housing?' Questions have also been raised over whether the Government's forecasts are accurate. It was revealed last week that four times as many pupils left private schools last year than was predicted. In the spending review, Labour said it would spend £4bn by 2029-30 on its Affordable Homes Programme. It also vowed to stop housing asylum seekers in hotels by 2029, raising suggestions these people would instead be moved into social housing. Rachel Reeves said she was providing a 'cash uplift' of more than £4.5bn for schools between now and 2029. However a large proportion of this is as a result of the decision to extend free school meals to 500,000 more children. When this figure is removed, the core budget for schools will rise by 0.4pc over the next three years. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said: 'Throughout the debate on VAT, schools were promised that the money raised – if any – would go to state education. We have seen the rhetoric on this watered down to 'public services' and now the revelation that it will now pay for housing. 'We are in the worst-case scenario, one that we have warned about since the introduction of this policy: real damage has been done to independent education without any benefit to state schools, who are also facing further cuts. It is children who will lose out as a result.' The Treasury was approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
