World briefs

Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he is not quitting despite facing mounting criticism for failing to properly take his oath of office. Prayuth omitted a phrase in the oath of office in which he was supposed to pledge to uphold every aspect of the constitution. The omission has raised questions over whether the inauguration was legally valid.

Australia Government leaders agreed to set a timetable for banning exports of waste plastic, which is now shipped to regional neighbors including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

North Korea said yesterday that leader Kim Jong Un supervised test-firings of an unspecified new weapons system, which extended a streak of launches that are seen as an attempt to build leverage ahead of negotiations with the United States while driving a wedge between the U.S. and South Korea. More on p13

Japan The utility company operating Fukushima’s tsunami-devastated nuclear power plant said it will run out of space to store massive amounts of contaminated water in three years, adding pressure on the government and the public to reach a consensus on what to do with it.

India Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir said they eased restrictions in the region’s main city for a third straight day yesterday ahead of a major Islamic festival, following India’s move to strip the region of its constitutional autonomy and impose an indefinite curfew.

Israel Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed yesterday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. Palestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site.

Russia’s media oversight agency is demanding that Google take actions to stop its YouTube subsidiary from allowing users to send information about unsanctioned demonstrations, after weeks of demonstrations in Moscow over the exclusion of some opposition and independent politicians from the Russian capital’s city council ballot.

Norway Police in Moscow say the shooting at a mosque that wounded one person is being investigated as an attempted terrorist attack and that the alleged perpetrator is also a murder suspect in a separate case.

UK The government announced plans yesterday to create 10,000 more prison places to ease overcrowding and said it would allow police to stop and search people without reasonable suspicion “if serious violence is anticipated.”

Mediterranean A spanish humanitarian ship has been stuck in the Mediterranean Sea for more than a week because no European government will offer safe harbor to the 121 migrants on board, and the vessel faces a fine of up to 1 million euros if it enters Italian waters.