Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Abe of Japan at Hiroshima Peace Memorial
White House Press Release
Seventy-one years ago, on a bright, cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed. A flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself. Why do we come to this place, to Hiroshima? We come to ponder a terrible force unleashed in a not so distant past. We come to mourn the dead, including over 100,000 in Japanese men, women and children; thousands of Koreans; a dozen Americans held prisoner. Their souls speak to us. They ask us to look inward, to take stock of who we are and what we might become.
Putin Says Romania, Poland May Now Be In Russia's Cross-Hairs
Denis Dyomkin | Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned Romania and Poland they could find themselves in the sights of Russian rockets because they are hosting elements of a U.S. missile shield that Moscow considers a threat to its security. Putin issued his starkest warning yet over the missile shield, saying that Moscow had stated repeatedly that it would have to take retaliatory steps but that Washington and its allies had ignored the warnings.
Polish Minister Says Missile Shield No Threat to Russia: Report
Reuters
The U.S. missile shield to be located in Poland does not pose a threat to Russia's security, Poland's state-run news agency PAP quoted Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski as saying on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Poland and Romania could find themselves in the sights of Russian rockets because they are hosting elements of a U.S. missile shield that Moscow considers a threat to its security.
N. Korea's 4th Musudan Missile Launch Ends in Failure
Yonhap News Agency
North Korea launched a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile early Tuesday morning, but the launch ended in failure, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and military sources said. "North Korea attempted to launch an unidentified missile from Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 5:20 a.m., but it is presumed to have been unsuccessful," the JCS said in a brief text message. The military is studying the details of the launch and is maintaining a high level of combat preparedness, the JCS said.
How Long Will Monju Limp On?
Japan Times
It seems the government is trying to shelve a decision on the fate of the troubled Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor. A panel of experts at the education and science ministry, created in response to a recommendation by the Nuclear Regulation Authority in November that the ministry replace the operator of the long-dormant facility in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture or “fundamentally review” the program itself, has compiled a report calling for beefing up governance of the Monju operator without identifying who should take over its operation from the government-backed Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) — which was declared by the NRA as unfit to safely operate the fast-breeder reactor.
Exelon Says Two Plants Fail to Clear Auction
Joshua Jamerson | Wall Street Journal
Exelon Corp. said two of its nuclear power plants, including one plant it has said it would close if Illinois lawmakers don’t provide financial support, failed to secure contracts after a recent round of bidding. The company on Wednesday reiterated its stance that it would shutter facilities in Clinton, Ill., and its Quad Cities nuclear power plant, where 1,500 people are employed in total, if “adequate” legislation isn't passed during the spring Illinois legislative session, which ends May 31.