News in Brief
YANGON (Reuters) -- Aung San Suu Kyi will travel to the Hague to appear before the International Court of Justice after Gambia filed a case accusing Myanmar of genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority, her government said on Wednesday.
More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar’s military, which UN investigators say was carried out with "genocidal intent”. Buddhist majority Myanmar denies accusations of genocide.
Gambia, a tiny, mainly Muslim West African nation, lodged its lawsuit after winning the support of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has 57 member states. Only a state can file a case against another state at the ICJ.
The ICJ has said it will hold the first public hearings in the case on Dec. 10 to 12. The court has no means to enforce any of its rulings.
More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar’s military, which UN investigators say was carried out with "genocidal intent”. Buddhist majority Myanmar denies accusations of genocide.
Gambia, a tiny, mainly Muslim West African nation, lodged its lawsuit after winning the support of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has 57 member states. Only a state can file a case against another state at the ICJ.
The ICJ has said it will hold the first public hearings in the case on Dec. 10 to 12. The court has no means to enforce any of its rulings.
***
SEOUL (Reuters) -- Japan’s reluctance to disclose information about the release of radioactive water from its damaged Fukushima nuclear plant is hampering neighboring countries’ efforts to minimize the impact, the head of South Korea’s nuclear safety agency said on Wednesday.
Since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown at some of the reactors the Fukushima plant, owner Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) has been storing radioactive water in tanks at the site from the cooling pipes used to keep the fuel cores from melting. The utility will run out of space for the water in 2022.
Japan has not yet decided how to deal with the contaminated water, but its environment minister said in September that radioactive water would have to be released from the site into the Pacific Ocean.
"We have been raising Japan’s radioactive water issue to the international community to minimize the impact ... but as Japan hasn’t disclosed any specific plan and process we would need more details to run simulations and study,” Uhm Jae-sik, chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, told Reuters.
In addition to the Fukushima crisis, safety concerns about nuclear energy have increased in South Korea following a 2012 scandal over the supply of faulty reactors parts with forged documents, prompting a series of shutdowns of nuclear reactors.
***
Since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown at some of the reactors the Fukushima plant, owner Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) has been storing radioactive water in tanks at the site from the cooling pipes used to keep the fuel cores from melting. The utility will run out of space for the water in 2022.
Japan has not yet decided how to deal with the contaminated water, but its environment minister said in September that radioactive water would have to be released from the site into the Pacific Ocean.
"We have been raising Japan’s radioactive water issue to the international community to minimize the impact ... but as Japan hasn’t disclosed any specific plan and process we would need more details to run simulations and study,” Uhm Jae-sik, chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, told Reuters.
In addition to the Fukushima crisis, safety concerns about nuclear energy have increased in South Korea following a 2012 scandal over the supply of faulty reactors parts with forged documents, prompting a series of shutdowns of nuclear reactors.
***
LONDON (Reuters) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he had never seen any evidence of Russian interference in any British democracy.
"There’s absolutely no evidence that I’ve ever seen of any Russian interference in UK democratic processes,” Johnson said when asked about the decision not to publish a parliamentary report on alleged Russian meddling.
"And as for that particular report I saw no reason whatever to change to timetable for publication just because there was a general election going on,” Johnson said.
"There’s absolutely no evidence that I’ve ever seen of any Russian interference in UK democratic processes,” Johnson said when asked about the decision not to publish a parliamentary report on alleged Russian meddling.
"And as for that particular report I saw no reason whatever to change to timetable for publication just because there was a general election going on,” Johnson said.
***
KIEV (Reuters) -- Ukrainian naval ships, captured by Russia last November and released on Tuesday to be returned to Ukraine, are in very poor condition and cannot move independently, the commander of Ukraine’s navy said on Wednesday.
Russia seized three ships in the Kerch Strait last year after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors. Moscow said the ships - two small Ukrainian armored artillery vessels and a tug boat - had illegally entered its territorial waters. Kiev denied that.
Ukrainian navy chief Vice Admiral Ihor Voronchenko told Ukrainian television’s ‘4th channel’ the ships had not yet reached Ukrainian territorial waters because they were being towed so slowly.
"They do not go on their own. The Russians ruined them - even took off lamps, power outlets and toilets. We will show the whole world the Russian barbarism towards them.”
***
LA PAZ (Reuters) -- Bolivian lawmakers met later on Wednesday to try and agree a path to new elections and defuse street violence that has killed 30 people since a disputed October vote.
The South American country’s two chambers of congress were to discuss annulling the Oct. 20 poll and appointing a new electoral board, paving the way to a new vote after long-term leftist leader Evo Morales resigned under pressure this month.
Currently led by a caretaker government, Bolivia is grappling to mend stark divisions between Morales supporters and opponents seeking to move beyond his nearly 14-year rule.
An interim government under conservative former senator Jeanine Anez has struggled to quell deadly violence, and fanned divisions with abrupt shifts in policy away from Morales, the country’s first indigenous president.
The South American country’s two chambers of congress were to discuss annulling the Oct. 20 poll and appointing a new electoral board, paving the way to a new vote after long-term leftist leader Evo Morales resigned under pressure this month.
Currently led by a caretaker government, Bolivia is grappling to mend stark divisions between Morales supporters and opponents seeking to move beyond his nearly 14-year rule.
An interim government under conservative former senator Jeanine Anez has struggled to quell deadly violence, and fanned divisions with abrupt shifts in policy away from Morales, the country’s first indigenous president.
***
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Wednesday he would consider a cabinet reshuffle to address growing public discontent over his young government’s handling of the country, days after a stinging by-election loss.
His Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition suffered its worst electoral defeat on Saturday since coming to power last May when the opposition scored a more than 15,000-vote majority in a by-election for the Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat.
Mahathir said leaders in his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) outfit, which contested the by-election under the PH banner, felt a cabinet reshuffle was needed to address public complaints on issues such as high living costs and the economy.
"As the prime minister, I am responsible for a cabinet reshuffle. I have listened to their views, and I will consider their position on having a cabinet reshuffle,” Mahathir said at a news conference broadcast on the party’s Facebook page.
His Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition suffered its worst electoral defeat on Saturday since coming to power last May when the opposition scored a more than 15,000-vote majority in a by-election for the Tanjung Piai parliamentary seat.
Mahathir said leaders in his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) outfit, which contested the by-election under the PH banner, felt a cabinet reshuffle was needed to address public complaints on issues such as high living costs and the economy.
"As the prime minister, I am responsible for a cabinet reshuffle. I have listened to their views, and I will consider their position on having a cabinet reshuffle,” Mahathir said at a news conference broadcast on the party’s Facebook page.