India is making history, and the nuclear plant that is back in operation in Japan

India

Modi sends 6 tons into space and delivered a message to Elon Musk
The Indian Space Organization (ISRO) on Wednesday launched its heaviest satellite ever – BlueBird Block-2 – weighing 6 tons, making it the heaviest commercial communications satellite deployed in Earth orbit. The launch was carried out using the LVM-3 launcher built by the American company AST SpaceMobile, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in southern India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that this is a step that strengthens India and establishes its position in the world. The country plans to use an upgraded version of the launcher as part of its plan to send astronauts into space in 2027.

In recent years, competition in the space industry has become more diverse. Alongside companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, government agencies are presenting various models with long-term plans.

Japan

15 years after the disaster, the nuclear power plant is back
The Naigata Prefectural Parliament this week approved the resumption of the activities of the world’s largest nuclear power plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which ceased operations almost 15 years ago, after the Fukushima disaster. This will be the first station to be restarted by TEPCO, the company that operated Fukushima. The decision was already enough to cause an uproar in the district, when many residents expressed opposition and hundreds went out to demonstrate against it. “We know firsthand the risk,” declared a Fukushima refugee at the protests.

However, it seems that economic considerations were decisive: Japan spent 68 billion dollars last year on importing fossil fuels, and with the expected demand for artificial intelligence data centers – which consume enormous energy to run models and cool servers – the country aims to invest more in nuclear energy.

Honduras

“Trump’s man” won a stormy election
Nasri Espora, the candidate of the conservative National Party in Honduras who was supported by US President Donald Trump, won the presidential election on Wednesday with more than 40% of the vote – less than a percentage point ahead of the next candidate, Salvador Nasrallah.

Espora, the 67-year-old former mayor of Tegucigalpa, won Trump’s support just days before the vote, when the US president announced he was the only candidate the US would work with. The move sparked fierce protests in Honduras, with opponents accusing Trump of gross interference in foreign elections. The vote count lasted three weeks and left the results in question, with the losing candidate claiming fraud and declaring election authorities “betrayed” in the Honduran people”.

Colombia

At a cost of 2 million dollars: the electric vehicles on the way to Cartagena
The romantic carts that drove for decades in the streets of Cartagena, Colombia – are going to disappear. On December 29, the use of horse-drawn carts will be banned, and they will be replaced by 62 electric carts imported from China at a cost of 2 million dollars. These are vehicles that look like the traditional horse carts, with an electric motor with batteries, a steering wheel for the driver, and even speakers that can reproduce the sound of hooves.

The measure provokes a protest from the old cart owners, who claim that the administration is harming their livelihood and does not offer them adequate compensation. In front of these claims, animal rights activists stand, who claim that this is horse abuse.