The Daily Populous

Thursday March 17th, 2022 morning edition

image for Ukraine joins European power grid, ending its dependence on Russia

Engineers have linked Ukraine to an electricity grid spanning much of continental Europe, allowing the country to decouple its power system from hostile Russia, officials said Wednesday.

Belgium-based ENTSO-E, which represents dozens of transmission system operators in Europe, said the electricity grids of Ukraine and its smaller neighbor Moldova were successfully synchronized with the Continental European Power System on a trial basis.

A view of Power lines, electric power transmissions in western Ukraine on June 6, 2021.

The two countries were previously part of the Integrated Power System that also includes Russia and Belarus.

This made Ukraine dependent on Russia's grid operator despite there having been no electricity trade between the two countries for years.

"This step will give Ukraine the opportunity to receive electricity if (Russia) continues to destroy our power infrastructure, and thus to save our power system," said Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, who chairs the management board of Ukraine's grid operator Ukrenergo.

In the long, term, Ukraine could export surplus electricity generated by its nuclear power plants to the rest of Europe. »

Trump cuts ties with Pence and rules him out as 2024 running mate

Authored by independent.co.uk
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Donald Trump says he wouldn’t have Mike Pence as his running mate in a potential 2024 campaign, deepening the rift between the two Republicans even further.

As vice president, Mr Pence oversaw the congressional vote to certify the results – a role that legal experts say is purely ceremonial.

The Independent has reached out to both Mr Trump and Mr Pence for comment. »

Tokyo schools drop controversial dress code on hair and underwear color

Authored by edition.cnn.com

Under the public school system's dress code, all students had to dye their hair black, certain hairstyles were prohibited and even their underwear had to be a designated color.

Tokyo isn't the only Japanese city with a strict dress code -- similar rules are in effect around the country, with many schools requiring students to wear shoes and socks of a designated color.

Like Tokyo, Fukuoka conducted a public survey last year, in which students complained that the dress code caused them stress and limited their self-expression, Asahi reported. »

Xi Jinping’s Faltering Foreign Policy

Authored by foreignaffairs.com

Xi’s ill-advised support for Moscow on the eve of Russia’s disastrous military campaign is not his first major foreign policy misstep.

Xi is not Putin, and China is not Russia, but it would be unwise to ignore the growing parallels.

Yet the implications of this reality are insufficiently appreciated, especially its impact on the behavior of the Chinese party-state. »

Endangered baby rhino born at Czech zoo is named Kyiv in honour of Ukraine

Authored by lbc.co.uk
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The critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros was born at the Dvur Kralove zoo in Prague.

A Czech zoo has welcomed a critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros baby that has taken the name of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in honour of that country’s resistance to invading Russian forces.

The rhino was born early on March 4 in the Dvur Kralove zoo, a rare occurrence for the facility even if it has the most rhinos belonging to the subspecies. »