Asia Pacific

Power Company Predicts 9 More Months of Fukushima Drama

Staff / Truthdig Apr 18, 2011 After five weeks of struggling to avoid a total meltdown at the quake- and tsunami-battered Fukushima nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. has announced that it could be nine months before it is able to cool damaged reactors completely. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Fukushima Gets Upgraded to Chernobyl-Level Emergency

Staff / Truthdig Apr 12, 2011 Japanese officials have revised the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant to level 7, making it the second such disaster in history, the only one since the Chernobyl meltdown. It had previously been described as being on the scale of Three Mile Island, a smaller event. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

China on U.S. Human Rights Scolding: Look Who’s Talking

Staff / Truthdig Apr 11, 2011 The US and China are bickering again over human rights after the U condemned the arrest of Chinese dissidents Beijing dismissed Washington's latest criticism and said the U is beset by violence, racism and torture and thus has no authority to condemn the actions of other governments Above, Ai Weiwei, a jailed activist . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Japan Rocked by 7.1 Quake

Staff / Truthdig Apr 8, 2011 This time, fears of another devastating tsunami were thankfully unfounded after another big earthquake -- a 7.1 this time -- shook Japan late Thursday, but workers at the trouble-plagued Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant didn't take any chances. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Some Progress, but More Worry, at Japanese Plant

Staff / Truthdig Apr 7, 2011 Although a stopgap measure has apparently plugged the leak in Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, keeping more radioactive water from spilling into the Pacific, the crisis has shifted over to Reactor 1, which could be headed for a blowup. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Asia Pacific

When China Rules the World

Martin Jacques / Truthdig Dec 17, 2009 China will soon become "the most powerful and influential country in the world," says celebrated journalist Martin Jacques. But to what end? Dig deeper ( 30 Min. Read )

The High Price of Diplomacy With China

The Center for Investigative Reporting Apr 24, 2008 Two investigative reports uncover the Bush administration's efforts to suppress legal proceedings against high-ranking Chinese officials -- former Trade Minister Bo Xilai and Beijing's Olympic Organizing Committee President Liu Qi -- accused of torturing religious group members. Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Politics

Israel’s Barrier to Peace

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Jul 26, 2006 Chris Hedges, the former Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times, argues that there can be no hope for peace in the Middle East as long as America continues to aid Israel in its dehumanizing practices.The former Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times and author of the bestseller "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning" examines the way Israel's security wall has ripped a mortal gash in the lives of Palestinians residing in its shadow, and argues that there can be no hope for peace in the Middle East as long as America continues to aid Israel in its dehumanizing practices. Dig deeper ( 34 Min. Read )

TD Original

In Response to…

Orville Schell / Truthdig Dec 3, 2005 Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

In Response to…

Orville Schell / Truthdig Dec 3, 2005 I would agree that things in China have gone far better than anyone predicted during the dark post-1989 days But, what explains that success? Good visionary planning? Strong leadership? A national psyche exhausted by any kind of turmoil? Good luck? The danger is that even the best economy tends to be cyclical, and it is far from clear that China has the political legitimacy, deeply enough rooted political institutions, or shared set of values to help it survive a downturn As to Wintermute and whether Taiwan is worth fighting for I personally do not believe that any functioning democracy is worth throwing over the side to keep some other sort of the peace - commercial or otherwise We Americans forget. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

TD Original

China: Boom or Boomerang

Orville Schell / Truthdig Dec 3, 2005 At the same time that China is recording huge increases in trade surpluses and currency reserves, deadly riots are breaking out on the outskirts of some of the country's largest cities. In this Dig, scholar Orville Schell challenges the current wisdom about China being an inevitable superpower and unstoppable economic force.Schell challenges the current wisdom that China is an inevitable superpower and unstoppable economic force. Dig deeper ( 16 Min. Read )