Taipei [Taiwan], June 14 (ANI): Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has sharply criticised China's approach toward Taiwan, describing it as a strategy of 'fake integration and real pressure' designed to conceal China's long-term objective of annexing Taiwan, as reported by The Taipei Times.
According to The Taipei Times, the criticism came after Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning met with senior figures from Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) during the annual Straits Forum in Xiamen.
During the meeting, Wang reiterated Beijing's longstanding positions, including adherence to the 'one China' principle and the so-called '1992 consensus', which China continues to promote as the foundation for cross-strait relations.
According to the MAC, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has consistently imposed political preconditions on dialogue with Taiwan and refuses to recognise the reality of Taiwan's existence as a self-governing democracy.
The council argued that this refusal remains the primary obstacle to meaningful communication across the Taiwan Strait. Wang also promoted Chinese President Xi Jinping's framework for cross-strait relations, emphasising ideological unity, economic integration, cultural exchanges, and eventual national reunification.
Meanwhile, KMT Vice Chairman Chang Jung-kung stated that support for the '1992 consensus' and opposition to Taiwanese independence would help improve cross-strait exchanges and development. The MAC expressed regret that some Taiwanese political figures continue to echo Beijing's narratives.
It warned that such actions risk deepening domestic divisions, weakening Taiwan's democratic resilience, and creating the false impression internationally that Taiwan accepts China's political conditions.
The council further noted that Xi has redefined the '1992 consensus' as recognition that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China and should work toward unification. Combined with Beijing's promotion of the 'one China' principle and the 'one country, two systems' model, the framework effectively leaves no room for the continued existence of Taiwan, the MAC said, as highlighted by The Taipei Times.
While Beijing promotes economic integration and people-to-people exchanges, it simultaneously increases military pressure through frequent aircraft and naval incursions near Taiwan.
The council said these actions undermine regional stability and reveal the true nature of China's policy, as reported by The Taipei Times. (ANI)
Seoul [South Korea], June 14 (ANI): North Korea on Sunday declared that denuclearisation is an 'irreversibly finalised' matter, criticising the recent South Korea-US and US-Japan discussions that reaffirmed the goal of eliminating Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, as reported by the Yonhap News Agency.
An unnamed spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry issued the criticism after South Korea and the United States reiterated their shared objective of North Korea's denuclearisation during a bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group meeting on Thursday.
'It is an unreasonable talk and fantastic daydream to mention about disarming the other belligerent party's nuclear weapons,' the spokesperson said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
As per Yonhap, the spokesperson further asserted that North Korea's status as a nuclear-armed state cannot be altered by external pressure.
'The US and its vassal forces' meaningless rhetoric against the DPRK and cooperation in posing a nuclear threat to it can never affect the irreversible position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state,' the spokesperson said. 'The 'denuclearisation' is an irreversibly finalised matter.'
DPRK here refers to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The statement also criticised the recent US-Japan 'Extended Deterrence Dialogue', during which Washington and Tokyo reaffirmed their commitment to the 'complete denuclearisation' of North Korea.
No matter how hard the U.S., Japan and the ROK may quibble, they will never change the present position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state,' the spokesperson said as reported by Yonhap, using the acronym of South Korea's official name -- the Republic of Korea.
Earlier on June 8, North Korea and China vowed commitment to further spearheading their ties as the two countries marked 65 years of their treaty of friendship and eyed expanding cooperation across the sectors of economy, infrastructure, and deepening military and diplomatic ties, China Daily reported.
China Daily further noted that Xi Jinping reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening ties with North Korea during his two-day visit to Pyongyang, his first trip to the country in seven years.
During talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Xi expressed readiness to work closely with Pyongyang to strengthen top-level strategic coordination and deepen bilateral relations in what he described as a 'new era' of ties between the two nations.
Xi said China remains committed to preserving the traditional friendship between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), regardless of changes in the international landscape. (ANI)
Bill Gates has pointed out the growing concern over Donald Trump's administration picking up more and more equity stakes in private American companies, saying that the habit would end up rewarding ownership over engineering.
Speaking to CNBC, the Microsoft cofounder said that the trouble starts when the government starts favouring companies it partly owns over rivals with better technology.
"Government operates best when it's kind of predictable," Gates told CNBC, as he asserted that companies need to know what tariffs will look like for the next 20 years before they starts pouring billions into a plant.
“Is Washington helping a nascent technology for the good of the country and treating all companies equally, or is it building a portfolio it then wants to protect?” Gates questioned. He added that the rules of the game were “pretty unclear” right now.
In light of Gates' comment, let's take a look at the companies in which the Trump government currently owns equity shares:
Intel
In August 2025, the US government took a 9.9% stake in Intel — paying $20.47 a share for $8.9 billion worth of stock, according to a Times of India report.
Since then, the holding has quadrupled in paper value to $36 billion.
Quantum Computing Firms
In May, the US federal government's Commerce Department lined up $2 billion in equity, across nine quantum computing firms:
In Critical Minerals
Apart from tech and chip manufacturing units, the US government has also invested heavily in rare-earth metals. The US government owns:
roughly 15% of MP Materials,
10% of USA Rare Earth through a $1.6 billion debt-and-equity package,
10% of Korea Zinc's Tennessee smelter joint venture,
10% of Trilogy Metals with warrants for another 7.5%, and
5% of Lithium Americas
The US government is also in talks to buy a stake in Greenland's Tanbreez deposit, run by Critical Metals.
Artificial Intelligence Companies
President Trump is now turning to AI, evident from his recent call to meet top AI executives, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to discuss “giving something back to the public.”
On the one hand, OpenAI's Sam Altman has been floating the idea of ‘Public Wealth Fund' since 2021, where AI firms would donate equity to a government-run vehicle that pays dividends to the public.
On the other hand, Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed a one-time 50% tax paid in stock.
KEY POINTS
PORTLAND, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Military helicopters are seen at the Smyrtos vessel outside the harbour, on June 14, 2026 in Portland, England. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the early hours of Sunday, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence said.
"In the first UK-led operation of its kind, the vessel SMYRTOS was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency," the MoD said in a statement.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he directed the interception as the tanker attempted to pass through the English Channel.
"This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide," Starmer said in a post on X.
The vessel will be held off the U.K.'s south coast while investigations continue, the MoD said.
The U.K. has sanctioned more than 500 vessels in its attempt to tackle the shadow fleet, Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said in the MoD's statement.
European countries have been getting tougher on ships in their waters that attempt to transport Russian oil in violation of international sanctions.
Russia condemned on Wednesday a European Union decision to authorize EU vessels in the Mediterranean to stop and inspect foreign ships suspected of being part of a shadow fleet transporting Russian oil.
The EU said on Monday it had expanded the mandate of Operation IRINI, its naval mission in the Mediterranean that was originally set up to enforce a United Nations arms embargo on Libya.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this posed a threat to maritime security and accused the EU of intimidating civilian vessels.
She said there was no such thing in international law as a "shadow fleet", and this term was a "political fabrication" by the EU.
According to U.S.-based think tank the Atlantic Council, the number of vessels in the shadow fleet has grown significantly since Western governments imposed a $60-a-barrel price cap on Russian oil exports in December 2022.
Shipping broker BRS estimated in August 2025 that vessels engaging in illicit trading, some of which may be sanctioned, represent 18.2% of global oil tanker tonnage.
– Reuters contributed to this story.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/14/uk-forces-board-sanctioned-russian-shadow-fleet-oil-tanker.html
Updated 3:04 AM EDT, Mon June 15, 2026
Key developments
• Diplomatic breakthrough: The US and Iran say they have reached an agreement that will take effect on Friday. President Donald Trump said the US is lifting its naval blockade on Iranian ports, and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen after the agreement is signed. The full text has not yet been released.
• What comes next: The US and Iran have offered conflicting accounts of the next steps after a signing ceremony on Friday. Iran’s deputy foreign minister said negotiations will begin when the US releases billions in frozen funds, but an American official has rejected the claim.
• Lebanon conflict: Israel has yet to comment on the agreement. Israeli forces launched airstrikes in Beirut earlier Sunday before news of the agreement. Trump criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him “a very difficult guy.”
• Oil prices down: Brent crude and US crude prices fell on Sunday after the agreement was announced.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/14/world/live-news/iran-war-trump-israel
In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, vessels are pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP)
Iran’s Fars news agency reports, quoting what it says is an informed source, that Tehran added a clause on imposing maritime service fees to the framework deal with the United States shortly before its announcement.
“In the final moments of the negotiations, the text of the memorandum of understanding was amended to clearly and explicitly emphasize the issue of the Iranian-Omani sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,” says Fars, citing the unidentified source.
“The use of the term ‘maritime services’ means that the United States has accepted that fees will be paid to Iran,” it adds.
By Olivia Le Poidevin | June 14, 2026 4:38 PM GMT
GENEVA, June 14 (Reuters) - Geneva police on Sunday fired teargas at protesters who set fire to a Tesla vehicle and smashed windows at a United Nations agency as they vented their anger at a Group of Sevensummit about to take place across the border in France.
Some 20,000 people gathered for a march that was initially peaceful but protesters later targeted what they depicted as symbols of capitalism and multilateralism, including the parked Tesla and the UN office.
Demonstrators ripped bricks from the ground to throw at police, while children cried as teargas wafted over downtown Geneva's sun-baked streets, Reuters witnesses said.
Protests have been common at G7 gatherings over the years, with many demonstrators using the summits to decry capitalism, globalisation, climate change and inequality.
Demonstrators said they came to protest against the G7 as a symbol of concentrated political and economic power. Last week Tesla owner Elon Musk, who has worked as an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, became the world's first trillionaire.
"To me, it's a meeting of the rich that shows once again how the rich can become even richer while the poor are left behind," said protestor Pippa Saugy.
A Tesla car burns during a protest against the upcoming G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains in France, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The June 15–17 G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, on the shore of Lake Geneva, will bring together the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, alongside the European Union.
Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are set to dominate the agenda, while leaders will seek to avoid a clash with Trump as he seeks to finalise a framework peace deal with Iran.
In Geneva, businesses were boarded up and hundreds of riot police were deployed in the streets amid prior concerns the about violence.
Mattia Piccard, bristled at the strong police presence.
"This is an attempt to frighten demonstrators, to frighten people and discourage them from coming out to protest," Piccard said.
Clélia Colin, another demonstrator, said she wanted to raise the issue of gender inequality.
SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean vessel has successfully transited the Red Sea and is currently en route home, marking the ninth crude oil shipment to use the route, the oceans ministry said Sunday.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the oil tanker loaded crude oil at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Port and passed through the Red Sea as the country seeks to import oil through alternative routes amid the ongoing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
It marked the ninth such shipment since April.
"As the vessel passed through the Red Sea, we monitored the situation around the clock and provided safety information while maintaining communication channels between the government, the shipper and the vessel," the ministry said.
"We will continue efforts to maintain the stability of crude oil supplies to the country," it added.
A South Korean oil tanker is moored at a pier of refiner GS Caltex Corp. in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, southwestern South Korea, in this file photo taken on May 8, 2026. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
Motorists and businesses are set to enjoy significant relief after the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) slashed the price of diesel by Sh10 per litre in its latest monthly fuel review.
In a statement released on Sunday, EPRA announced that the maximum retail price of diesel will decrease by Sh10 per litre for the period between June 15 and July 14, 2026.
In Nairobi, Super Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene now retail at Sh214.03, Sh222.86 and Sh191.38, respectively, effective midnight for the next 30 days.
The regulator also lowered the price of super petrol by Sh0.22 per litre, while kerosene prices remained unchanged.
EPRA said the government will continue cushioning consumers through the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) Fund, utilising approximately Sh10 billion to subsidise diesel and kerosene prices during the review period.
The regulator attributed the adjustments to changes in the average landed cost of imported fuel products.
The landed cost of super petrol declined by 0.56 per cent from US$906.23 per cubic metre in April to US$901.16 in May.
However, the landed cost of diesel increased slightly by 0.21 per cent from US$1,291.98 to US$1,294.71 per cubic metre, while kerosene fell by 0.33 per cent from US$1,332.73 to US$1,328.36 per cubic metre.
EPRA noted that the new prices are inclusive of taxes and levies as provided for under existing laws and regulations.
The latest review is expected to be welcomed by transport operators, manufacturers and households, with diesel remaining a key fuel for public transport, freight movement and industrial operations.
In May, President William Ruto had announced that diesel prices would drop by a further Sh10 per litre in the June-July fuel price review, signalling fresh government intervention to cushion consumers from the effects of rising global oil prices.
Ruto said the reduction forms part of a broader strategy to stabilise fuel prices and ease pressure on households, transport operators and businesses grappling with rising production and transport costs.
The President said the government had already spent Sh15.72 billion in fuel stabilisation measures in the May-June cycle after the Iran crisis triggered turbulence in global oil markets, pushing up the cost of crude oil, freight, insurance and logistics worldwide.
“These interventions have protected millions of Kenyans from even more severe economic hardships. I have further directed that in the next pricing cycle, we are going to reduce the price of diesel by a further Sh10 to help stabilise pump prices and provide additional relief to consumers,” Ruto said.
The President said the decision was arrived at following lengthy consultations with leaders from the transport sector.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2026-06-14-diesel-down-by-sh10-in-latest-epra-review
Investing.com -- The UK and Japan are expected to sign an £18 billion ($24.1 billion) investment agreement focused on clean energy, infrastructure, and financial services, according to a Bloomberg report.
The agreement is expected to include up to £9 billion of Japanese investment for the development of 5.9 gigawatts of floating offshore wind projects in the UK.
According to the UK government, the projects could eventually generate enough electricity to power about 8 million homes.
The announcement comes ahead of a meeting on Sunday between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at Downing Street.
Business leaders from both countries are also expected to attend the discussions before the Group of Seven summit in France.
The UK government said the broader package is expected to support job creation across the offshore wind, infrastructure, and financial services sectors.
The agreement forms part of efforts by both countries to strengthen economic ties and expand cooperation in strategic industries.
The UK has been seeking to attract greater foreign investment into its clean energy sector as it pursues long-term energy security goals and aims to expand renewable power generation.
Japan, meanwhile, has increased overseas investment in energy and infrastructure projects as companies look to secure long-term growth opportunities and support the global energy transition.
In a statement, Starmer said the partnership would help advance collaboration on technology, research, and industry between the two countries.
"As G7 economies and close security partners, we are working together with Japan on some of the most innovative technology in the world," Starmer said.
The investment announcement comes as governments across Europe and Asia increase spending on renewable energy projects, including offshore wind developments, to meet climate targets and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/uk-japan-deepen-ties-18-004410580.html
By Irina Slav - Jun 14, 2026, 4:00 PM CDT
Japan plans to rebuild over a dozen nuclear reactors by 2050; China is building seven new ones this year alone; in the U.S., two companies are building a hybrid nuclear-and-gas power plant; Germany admitted killing nuclear was a big mistake. Nuclear is back—and it makes the backbone of a new approach to energy security.
“We clearly need more nuclear power and we’re bullish on it,” the president of Microsoft, Brad Smith said recently, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that nuclear is back in favor with everyone, but especially Big Tech. Microsoft is among the tech majors investing in nuclear generation to power its AI data centers, effectively admitting that hopes and dreams of low-carbon wind and solar reliance would never become a reality. Nuclear remains the only reliable, (dispatchable), low-carbon form of energy—and it is also a lot less vulnerable to geopolitical price swings than oil and gas.
Japan is a good case in point. Following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the Japanese government closed all of its nuclear reactors and tried to switch to other forms of electricity generation. The Strait of Hormuz crisis, as well as LNG price volatility, however, recently prompted a reconsideration of the nuclear-divorce policy, with growing pro-nuclear sentiment in Japanese political circles.
The idea to rebuild as many as 11 to 14 nuclear reactors was laid out in a proposal by the country’s trade ministry earlier this month. If all 14 are built, this would add 16 GW to Japan's generation capacity. Currently, Japan generates between 60% and 70% of its electricity from hydrocarbons, including coal, oil, and natural gas, which it imports due to a lack of its own resources. The drawbacks of this dependence have become quite obvious amid the Middle Eastern crisis, highlighting the advantages of nuclear.
China, meanwhile, is fully living up to its reputation as an all-of-the-above energy planner. The country is building solar, wind, coal, and nuclear with equal enthusiasm. Beijing plans to put into operation seven new nuclear reactors this year, boosting its already substantial fleet, which is already the largest in the world. Ground has been broken on two of the seven planned for commissioning before the end of the year.
Another 16 reactors have been approved for construction, and a total of 36 are under construction, Chinese media reported in April, citing official data. There are 60 already operating nuclear reactors in the country with an installed capacity of 125 million kW, with China overtaking the United States as the biggest nuclear nation in the world, after it built 34 GW over ten years.
The United States, however, is starting to catch up. A nuclear renaissance is among the energy priorities of the Trump administration, and the Department of Energy is taking this priority seriously. There are plans in place to extend the lives of existing reactors and build new ones, including large conventional facilities and small modular reactors, which have made a lot of media noise but little in the way of actual capacity, for now. Last month, the DoE even said it was considering funding research into using Cold War-era nuclear weapon fuel for power generation to reduce dependence on imported uranium, which comes from Russia and Kazakhstan.
Speaking of small modular reactors, despite the absence of any demonstrable success there, hopes are high. “If we can figure out a design that people can be happy with and try and replicate that a series of times, I think that’s going to help on construction,” Constellation Energy executive VP Dan Eggers told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s going to help on operations costs, and that will all lead to hopefully a better cost profile.”
Nuclear does need a better cost profile because its big drawback is upfront costs, if we are talking conventional nuclear. It is the reason why there has been reluctance to build more reactors even in the face of soaring demand from the tech sector. It is also the reason Big Tech is teaming up with power utilities to supply the money for the reactors. SMRs are supposed to be cheaper, but the one attempt, by NuStar, ended up so expensive that it did not make commercial sense.
Even with these upfront costs, however, nuclear is back. It is back because the Middle East crisis has painted a point that China already knows well in stark relief for the rest of the world. All energy matters, and so does diversification. Europe is learning this lesson the hard way, by making all the mistakes that it could make, but even in Europe, the attitude towards nuclear is shifting, with none other than Germany admitting it was a grave mistake to shut down all of its reactors. It is a mistake that has cost the country—and the EU—dearly and one that everyone has learned from and will be able to avoid.
