News Headlines - 24 January 2020

▽ICJ orders Myanmar to protect Rohingya | Al Jazeera

The Hague-based International Court of Justice has ordered Myanmar to take emergency measures to prevent genocide of the Rohingya... According to the Statute of the ICJ, the court has the power to order provisional measures when "irreparable prejudice could be caused to rights which are the subject of judicial proceedings". The court found that the condition of urgency had been met in this case.
In November the Gambia filed a suit against Myanmar alleging it was committing "an ongoing genocide against its minority Muslim Rohingya population" and violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Provisional measures are steps to take aimed at preventing further harm and comes as the first step in the legal case.

▽Thai Opposition Party Survives Sedition Scare, But Threats Still Loom | Voice of America

Thailand's Constitutional Court acquitted the country's most vocal opposition party of sedition on Tuesday, sparing it an imminent death but setting the stage for its possible dissolution over a loan the party received in an alleged breach of election laws.
The upstart Future Forward Party has been a cornerstone of Thailand's opposition bloc in Parliament since finishing a strong third in national elections last March that returned 2014 coup leader Prayut Chan-ocha to power, ostensibly ending five years of military rule.

▽Jeff Bezos hack: UN experts demand probe of Saudi crown prince - BBC News

UN human rights experts have demanded an immediate investigation into allegations Saudi Arabia's crown prince hacked Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone.
They said Mohammed bin Salman should also be investigated for "continuous, direct and personal efforts to target perceived opponents".
A message from a phone number used by the prince has been implicated in a breach of Mr Bezos's data.
The kingdom's US embassy has denied the "absurd" story.

▽North Korea confirms former defence commander is new foreign minister - CNA

North Korea's state media on Friday (Jan 24) confirmed that Ri Son Gwon, a former defence commander with limited diplomatic experience, has been appointed the country's new foreign affairs minister.
The official KCNA news agency reported Ri, the latest military official to be promoted under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, gave a speech as minister at a New Year dinner reception hosted by the ministry on Thursday for embassies and international organisations.

▽Pension Payments in Japan to Rise for 2nd Straight Year - JIJI PRESS

Public pension payments in Japan in fiscal 2020 from April will be raised by 0.2 pct year on year, up for the second straight year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Friday.
The growth rate reflects a cut by 0.1 percentage point under an adjustment scheme known as "macroeconomic slide" aimed at keeping the growth of pension benefits below that of price and wage increases.
This means that pension payments in the coming fiscal year will drop in real terms, as the size of growth in pension benefits will be smaller than that of price and wage rises.