Leaders of UK, Ukraine, France and Germany meet in London on Ukraine peace
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz here on Monday to discuss Ukraine peace.
According to a British government release after the meeting, the leaders underscored the need for a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine," which includes security guarantees.
Merz said before the meeting that he is "skeptical of some of the details which we are seeing in documents coming from the U.S. side -- but we have to talk about it," British media reported.
On Saturday, U.S. and Ukrainian delegations concluded three-day talks in Miami, Florida, focusing on territorial issues and U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, U.S. online media outlet Axios reported.
Ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-tainted wastewater halted after 7.6-magnitude quake hits northeastern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 struck northeastern Japan late Monday night, prompting the suspension of ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
No abnormalities have been reported by nuclear plants in Hokkaido or in the northeastern prefectures of Aomori, Miyagi and Fukushima, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean was halted at 11:42 p.m. local time following the issuance of a tsunami warning.
In Aomori and Hokkaido, there have been reports of several non-life-threatening injuries. The Aomori prefectural government said that around 2,700 homes were left without power, Kyodo News reported.
The temblor occurred at 11:15 p.m. local time at a depth of 50 km, measuring upper 6 on Japan's seismic scale of 7 in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas of Aomori, Iwate and Hokkaido prefectures, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The waves are expected to be up to 3 meters high on the Iwate Prefecture coast, the central Pacific coastal areas of Hokkaido and the Pacific coast of Aomori Prefecture, the JMA said, urging people in affected areas to immediately evacuate to higher ground.
UN chief concerned by renewed armed clashes between Cambodia, Thailand
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned by reports of renewed armed clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, particularly the reported airstrikes and mobilization of heavy equipment in the border area, his spokesperson said Monday.
The border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand has already resulted in significant civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure, and displacement on both sides of the border, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
The UN chief stresses that both parties must protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian relief, and urges both parties to exercise restraint and avoid further escalation, the spokesperson said.
Palestine's Abbas calls for advancement to 2nd phase of Gaza ceasefire
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday reaffirmed the need to advance to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
During a phone call with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Abbas reiterated the Palestinian position, which include a full cessation of hostilities, complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the State of Palestine assuming administrative and security responsibilities in the enclave, and the start of the second phase of the peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the Palestinian official news agency WAFA.
He said work is underway with Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and other mediators and partners to end the war and implement the two-state solution in line with international law, paving the way for comprehensive regional peace.
Death toll from floods, landslides rises to 961 as Indonesia steps up relief efforts
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said Monday that the death toll from recent floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra has risen to 961 with 293 people still missing as joint search and rescue teams recovered 40 more bodies across affected areas.
"The search and rescue team managed to recover 40 bodies. In Aceh, the number of fatalities rose by 23 to 389. In North Sumatra, nine additional victims were found, bringing the total to 338. In West Sumatra, eight more bodies were recovered, raising the figure to 234," said Abdul Muhari, head of BNPB's Data and Information Center, during a press briefing broadcast on the agency's YouTube channel.
He added that the number of displaced residents had surged significantly. "There has been an increase in evacuees in East Aceh Regency and Bener Meriah Regency, bringing the total number of displaced people to 1,057,482. It is of course our responsibility at the main post to continue optimizing aid distribution to meet the basic needs of the evacuation centers," he said.
IMF launches regional center in Shanghai
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday officially launched the operations of its regional center in Shanghai, headed by Johannes Wiegand, an IMF economist, as the director.
As one of the regional centers set up by the IMF worldwide, the IMF Shanghai Center is expected to enhance the IMF's engagement with the Asia-Pacific region, according to a statement from the IMF.
The center will serve as a hub to promote research and knowledge sharing that can inform policies in areas of relevance for emerging market and middle-income countries, said the statement.
It also aims to deepen dialogue and outreach with member countries, regional institutions, and other stakeholders in the region, according to the statement.■
