Six In The Morning Thursday 28 September 2023

 

Nagorno-Karabakh’s breakaway government says it will dissolve itself

President of Armenia’s unrecognised republic signs decree under which it will cease to exist by 1 January 2024

Pjotr Sauer

Thu 28 Sep 2023 11.23 BST

The breakaway government of Nagorno-Karabakh has announced it will dissolve itself and that the unrecognised republic will cease to exist by 2024, formally ending more than 30 years of separatist rule.

The president of Armenia’s self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Samvel Shahramanyan, signed a decree to dissolve all state institutions by 1 January 2024, Karabakh Armenian authorities said in a statement. The republic would cease to exist from that day, the decree said.

Taiwan unveils its first domestically manufactured submarine

The self-governing island says it will bolster its defenses and hopes the sub will serve as a deterrence against the Chinese navy. It is only expected to be fully operational in two years.

Taiwan unveiled its first-ever domestically built submarine on Thursday.

President Tsai Ing-wen said building submarines was a crucial military deterrence.

"Even if there are risks, and no matter how many challenges there are, Taiwan must take this step and allow the self-reliant national defense policy to grow and flourish on our land," Tsai said.

It must still undergo sea trials and will not enter service for another two years.

Taiwan's navy has two working submarines bought from the Netherlands in the 1980s. It previously said it had plans to build eight submarines.

'The only solution was suicide': Desperation for women seeking abortions in Turkey

Abortions may be legal in Turkey, but they’re increasingly difficult to obtain, and socially frowned upon. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's last 20 years in power have seriously eroded women's ability to terminate unwanted pregnancies legally, pushing them to get abortions in underground clinics where their identities will be remain anonymous and their families will be not be notified.

Plaintiffs finally win recognition as Minamata disease victims

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

September 28, 2023 at 15:37 JST

Plaintiffs expressed long-sought-after vindication on Sept. 27 that a district court finally acknowledged that they were also victims of Minamata disease and entitled to relief from the government.

“It took nine years for a ruling in our favor to emerge,” said plaintiff Atsuko Matsuo, 68, who grew up in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, at a news conference in Osaka. “The fair ruling was the result of the plaintiffs working together as one.”

The Osaka District Court ruled that day that the 128 plaintiffs should each receive compensation of 2.75 million yen ($18,400).

Switzerland’s glaciers lose ‘mind-blowing’ volume of ice in just two years

 

Glaciers in Switzerland are shrinking at a “mind-blowing” rate. A total of 10% of their ice volume has disappeared over a period of just two years as a combination of low snowfall and soaring temperatures cause unprecedented melting, according to figures released Thursday.

Evergrande: Why should I care if China property giant collapses?

A crisis at the world's most indebted company has worsened after its chairman was placed under police surveillance.

It follows earlier reports that other current and former executives at Chinese property giant Evergrande had also been detained.

Evergrande suspended the trading of its shares in Hong Kong on Thursday until further notice.

It marks another low for the firm which was declared to be in default in 2021 after missing a crucial repayment deadline, triggering China's current real estate market crisis.