Japan's nuclear-contaminated water release to damage trust: Indonesian lawmaker

STORY: Japan's nuclear-contaminated water release to damage trust: Indonesian lawmaker DATELINE: Aug. 24, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:53 LOCATION: Jakarta CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE (English): LULUK NUR HAMIDAH, Member of House of Representatives of Indonesia 2. various of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant STORYLINE: An Indonesian lawmaker has said that Japan's announcement to release the nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean will damage the trust of its neighboring countries, including the ASEAN. SOUNDBITE (English): LULUK NUR HAMIDAH, Member of House of Representatives of Indonesia "Indonesia is an archipelago country. We have a lot of fisheries and also fishermen. But the disposal of radioactive waste (water) from Japan of course will have a direct impact on fishermen in the Pacific Ocean, including Indonesia. So Japan, they will, what we call, damage the trust surrounding the country, including (the trust of) the ASEAN. We never know what will happen, except that there will be an impa

IGAD's quartet committee fails to bring Sudanese warring parties to negotiating table

STORY: IGAD's quartet committee fails to bring Sudanese warring parties to negotiating table DATELINE: July 11, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:44 LOCATION: Khartoum CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the meeting STORYLINE: A meeting for a quartet committee of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, on Monday failed to bring together the two parties to the Sudanese conflict to a negotiating table in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The Sudanese army delegation boycotted the meeting in protest against Kenya's chairmanship of the quartet committee, which also includes Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan. "After its arrival in Addis Ababa, the government delegation was surprised that the quartet chairmanship had not been changed," Sudan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. The Sudanese government has been calling for a change in the committee's chairmanship since the IGAD summit in Djibouti in June, citing Kenyan President William Ruto's lack of "impa

New Zealand GDP falls 0.1 pct in Q1 as recession starts

STORY: New Zealand GDP falls 0.1 pct in Q1 as recession starts DATELINE: June 16, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:37 LOCATION: AUCKLAND, New Zealand CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Auckland and harbor 2. various of Auckland's largest container terminal 3. various of Auckland's commercial streets at night STORYLINE: The New Zealand economy has signaled a recession as the gross domestic product (GDP) fell for the second quarter, according to quarterly figures released by the statistics department Stats NZ on Thursday. The GDP fell 0.1 percent in the March 2023 quarter, following a 0.7 percent fall in the December 2022 quarter, Stats NZ said. The second consecutive quarter of negative economic growth signals the start of an economic recession. "Today's outcome fits the definition of a technical recession by the barest of margins," Finance Minister Grant Robertson said, adding the economy was affected by the second-largest natural disaster to hit New Zealand in the first quarter. This result reflects the impa

UFC Vegas 37: Smith v Spann Weigh-in - Las Vegas

UFC Vegas 37: Smith v Spann Weigh-in - Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV - September 17: (L-R) Opponents Impa Kasanganay and Carlston Harris face off during the UFC Vegas 37: Smith v Spann Weigh-in at UFC Apex on September 17, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Photo by Diego Ribas/PxImages/ABACAPRESS.COM

UFC Vegas 37: Smith v Spann Weigh-in - Las Vegas

UFC Vegas 37: Smith v Spann Weigh-in - Las Vegas

Impa Kasanganay poses on the scale during the UFC Vegas 37: Smith v Spann Weigh-in at UFC Apex on September 17, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Photo by Diego Ribas/PxImages/ABACAPRESS.COM