Japan anti-nuke gov resigns

Aussie detained in Iraq

TOKYO, April 18, (Agencies): An anti-nuclear Japanese governor stepped down Wednesday after a magazine alleged he paid university students for sex, a resignation that could boost the government’s plan to restart the country’s mothballed reactors.

Ryuichi Yoneyama was elected governor of Niigata prefecture in 2016 on a pledge to prevent the restarting of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power station, the world’s biggest nuclear plant, about 200 kms (130 miles) northwest of Tokyo.

His unexpected victory, in which he narrowly beat a government-supported candidate, posed a challenge for the pro-nuclear policy of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Yoneyama, a 50-year-old unmarried doctor and lawyer, paid women in their 20s to have sex, according to the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine.

Japan finance official quits:

A top Japanese finance ministry official has resigned over sexual misconduct allegations.

Vice-Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda denied the allegations Wednesday but submitted his resignation, citing difficulty carrying out his duties due to escalating criticism and attention.

‘Duterte ordered nun’s arrest’:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday that he had personally ordered the detention of an elderly Australian Catholic nun, warning that any foreign critics of his government face deportation.

Sister Patricia Fox, 71, a longtime resident of the Philippines, was detained by the immigration bureau on Monday on suspicion of engaging in political activities.

She was released without charges the next day.

Aussie detained in Iraq:

Australia’s government confirmed that an Australian had been detained in Iraq after a media report on Wednesday that an Islamic State group commander suspected of masterminding a plot to blow up an airline flight from Sydney and an Australian relative were captured.

Commander Tarek Khayat, a Lebanese citizen, and his relative Ahmed Merhi were detained in Iraq earlier this year, but their arrests have been shrouded in secrecy because of diplomatic sensitivities surrounding the cases.

Tankers collide off S’pore:

Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said it is investigating a collision between two tankers in Singapore waters on Tuesday that led to a leak of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from one of the ships.

An estimated 1,796 tonnes of butane gas leaked from the LPG tanker involved but this posed no danger to shipping and measures had been taken by the ship’s crew to stop the leak, MPA said in a statement.