This week's show features stories from NHK Japan, Radio Deutsche-Welle, and Radio Havana Cuba.

http://www.outfarpress.com/swr211112.mp3

From JAPAN- On Tuesday members of the US congress arrived in Taiwan- they were brought on a US military aircraft which China considered an escalation of tensions. In Thailand a court ruled that calls for reform of the monarchy are an attempt to overthrow the constitution. India hosted a regional security meeting on the situation in Afghanistan. The WHO and UN launched a polio vaccine campaign in Afghanistan with the support of the Taliban. The Japanese nuclear safety regulator is investigating a nuclear power plant which has a damaged foundation. French President Macron announced plans to build 6 new nuclear reactors to help meet the goal of carbon neutrality.

From GERMANY- More on the French decision to begin building new nuclear power plants in an interview with Ian Lowe, an environmental scientist from Australia- he questions the need for increasing nuclear reactors given the unresolved problems with nuclear waste, the fact that it is more expensive than solar or wind energy, and the risks to the areas where they are located- also that reducing demand by efficiency is better than increasing energy supplies. The US and China announced they would work together to cut emissions in the next decade, though they announced no specific commitments- Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, discusses the US/China statement and the COP 26 summit in general. Covid-19 infections are at record highs in Germany, and the WHO says Europe is the only region where infections and deaths are increasing. The EU is planning new sanctions against Belarus for bringing migrants to the EU border in Poland.

From CUBA- Mexican President Obrador presented a plan at the UN Security Council to uplift 750 million people who live on less than $2 a day. Daniel Ortega was reelected President of Nicaragua. The Israeli spyware Pegasus was used to spy on the staff of Palestinian civil societies that were recently outlawed by the Israeli government.