Feb 27, 2018

Report: Perry to lead nuclear energy talks with Saudi Arabia

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein / Getty Images

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is scheduled to hold talks with Saudi officials on Friday in London about a potential deal to build nuclear power reactors in the kingdom, Bloomberg reports, citing knowledgeable sources.

The backdrop: Westinghouse has been negotiating with other U.S.-based companies on a bid worth about $12 billion. Per Bloomberg, Friday's meeting is an important step towards reaching a deal, and Perry has canceled a trip to India to attend it. Saudi Arabia reportedly plans to build 16 nuclear power reactors over the next 20 to 25 years, costing more than $80 billion.

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Axios
Updated 8 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Americans feel Trump's sickness makes him harder to trust — Florida breaks record for in-person early voting.
  2. Health: The next wave is gaining steam.
  3. Education: Schools haven't become hotspots.
  4. World: Ireland moving back into lockdown — Argentina becomes 5th country to report 1 million infections.
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Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of China
2 hours ago - World

China embraces hostage diplomacy

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The Chinese government is threatening to detain foreign citizens unless their home governments do what Beijing demands. In some cases, China has already made good on those threats.

The big picture: This marks a potential evolution of China's "wolf warrior diplomacy" to outright rogue state behavior, putting it in the company of countries like North Korea and Iran, which have also engaged in hostage diplomacy.

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Ashley Gold, Kyle Daly
3 hours ago - Technology

Justice Department sues Google over alleged search monopoly

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

The Justice Department and 11 states Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of using anticompetitive tactics to illegally monopolize the online search and search advertising markets.

Why it matters: The long-awaited suit is Washington's first major blow against the tech giants that many on both the right and left argue have grown too large and powerful. Still, this is just step one in what could be a lengthy and messy court battle.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow