Factbox: Outlook for Japan nuclear restarts
Detailed findings from a Reuters reactor-by-reactor analysis of Japan’s nuclear sector show Japan may get as few as six more reactors operating in the next five years and will miss a government target to have 30 operating by 2030.
South Korea Supreme Court allows conscientious objection to military service in landmark ruling
South Korea’s Supreme Court said on Thursday that conscientious objection is a valid reason to refuse mandatory military service, a landmark change in the court’s decades-long stance that is expected to impact about 930 pending cases.
Indonesia official says ‘ping’ getting clearer in hunt for jet’s black box
A “ping” sound believed to be emitted by the black box of an Indonesian jet that crashed into the sea this week with 189 aboard is getting clearer, the deputy of a national transport safety committee said on Thursday.
No-fly zone, military drill ban near Korea border take effect
A no-fly zone and a ban on military drills near the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea came into effect on Thursday as the once uneasy neighbors push to further defuse tensions.
Sri Lanka’s ‘lord of the rings’ back in power, pro-China strongman wiped out Tamil rebels
Just three years after being voted out in a presidential election in Sri Lanka, strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa is back at the center of power, appointed prime minister by the man who defeated him.
Sex abuse by officials ‘endemic’ in North Korea: rights group
Sexual abuse by officials in positions of authority in North Korea appears to be “endemic”, a watchdog group reported on Thursday, as activists complain the isolated country’s rights record is being ignored amid an international push to improve relatio…
‘Shines with the color of pearls’: Myanmar’s trade in human hair booms
Hair helps to pay the rent for Za Za Lin, whose eyes filled with tears as her long black mane was combed, cut, and untangled by practiced hands at a roadside market stall in Myanmar’s commercial hub of Yangon.
PDVSA ex-executive admits taking bribes in guilty plea in U.S. court
A former finance executive of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA accepted $17 million in bribes as part of a broad embezzlement scheme, U.S. federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, in a case that implicates a French oil firm and a Russian bank.
Mexico Supreme Court says ban on recreational marijuana unconstitutional
Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that an absolute ban on recreational use of marijuana was unconstitutional, effectively leaving it to lawmakers to regulate consumption of the drug.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro taps astronaut, courts judge for cabinet
Brazil’s far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro set about staffing his new administration on Wednesday, naming an astronaut as science minister while a top anti-corruption judge mulled a job offer.
