Guardian: German chancellor Angela Merkel has announced an extension to the nation’s nuclear power plant operations for up to 15 years beyond a scheduled phase-out, in a move critics fear might signal that atomic power is here to stay. The decision comes after a panel of experts advised that keeping the plants open was the only way of ensuring climate protection and economic goals were met and that electricity prices did not soar out of control. Merkel, who spent last week touring some …