Abe pledges nuclear weapon-free Japan at Nagasaki memorial ceremony

News from around the world.

Japan will maintain ‘non-nuclear principles’, PM says

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday renewed his pledge to keep Japan a nuclear weapons-free country while marking the 70th anniversary of atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Abe pledged that he would continue to maintain the country’s “three non-nuclear principles” policy, which bar Japan from possessing, producing and allowing other nations to bring atomic weapons into the country. The Prime Minister’s remarks came after he was criticised for not renewing the pledge during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing last week.

Pakistan officials call for inquiry into child sex scandal

Officials from the Pakistani state of Punjab on Sunday called for a federal inquiry into what they said was the largest child sex-abuse scandal in the country’s history. The state’s government also ordered a judicial inquiry into the scandal, which came to light after nearly 400 video recordings of over 280 children being forced to perform sexual acts were discovered last week. Officials said that most of the victims were under 14 years old, adding that children as young as the age of six had been depicted as well. Seven people have been arrested in connection with the case.

Islamic State kills 37 in Syria, 300 in Iraq

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant killed at least 37 rival militants in the Aleppo province of Syria during an overnight raid, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday. The head of the Observatory, Rami Abdulrahman, said that the attack began after a suicide bomber from the militant group blew himself up at a military post near a village in the province. Meanwhile, a media report said that the militant outfit executed at least 300 civil servants who worked for Iraq’s election commission. An Iraqi military official said that at least 50 of those shot dead were women.

Taliban suicide attack kills 29 in Afghanistan

At least 29 members of a pro-government militia in Afghanistan were killed after a Taliban suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the Kunduz province of the country on Saturday. Four commanders were reported to have been killed in the attack, which took place a day after several attacks in Kabul killed at least 50 people. The United Nations has said that increase in attacks by the militant outfit is likely due to a power struggle within the Taliban following the death of its leader Mullah Omar some time ago.

Italy rescues 1,000 migrants

The Italian Coastguard on Sunday said that over 1,000 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Seawere rescued over the weekend. Coastguard officials said that at least 671 people, including 48 children and 108 women, were rescued from several dinghies and other unseaworthy vessels on Sunday alone. The office of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees has estimated that around 224,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea since January, with over 2,300 having died en route to the continent.

We welcome your comments at letters@scroll.in