News Headlines - 01 September 2018

▽Work starts to decommission problem-plagued Monju reactor：The Asahi Shimbun

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) on Aug. 30 started work to decommission the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in Fukui Prefecture, a once-promising project that struggled with problems, even in preparations for its dismantlement.
The work started a month later than scheduled because of a series of equipment trouble. The JAEA workers also face an enormous challenge because Japan has no experience in decommissioning a fast-breeder reactor.

▽Panasonic to move European headquarters out of UK - Nikkei Asian Review

Panasonic will move its European headquarters from outside London to Amsterdam in October to avoid potential tax issues linked to the U.K.’s scheduled exit from the European Union.
Japan could treat the U.K. as a tax haven if it lowers its corporate rate, Laurent Abadie, CEO of Panasonic Europe, told Nikkei here, referring to the country's attempt to lure businesses with low levies... Given various business implications from Brexit, the company has been considering the relocation for 15 months, he added.

▽Irish foreign minister urges UK to clarify its Brexit stance | Reuters

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Tuesday that more clarity was needed about Britain’s stance regarding its planned departure from the European Union... With little more than seven months to go until it leaves the EU on March 29, Britain has yet to reach an agreement with the bloc on the terms of its departure.

▽Donald Trump confirms Star story on his secret bombshell remarks about Canada | The Star

High-stakes trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. were dramatically upended on Friday morning after inflammatory secret remarks by President Donald Trump were obtained by the Toronto Star.
Trump’s comments were viewed by Canadian negotiators as evidence for their suspicions that the U.S. was not making a legitimate effort to compromise. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s officials confronted the president’s officials with the leaked quotes at a high-level meeting on Friday morning.

▽Trump told Kim Jong Un in Singapore he’d declare end to Korean War - Vox

President Donald Trump told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their Singapore summit in June that he’d sign a declaration to end the Korean War soon after their meeting, according to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations.
But since then, the Trump administration has repeatedly asked Pyongyang to dismantle most of its nuclear arsenal first, before signing such a document.
That decision is likely what has led to the current stalemate in negotiations between the two countries — and the increasingly hostile rhetoric from North Korea.