On November 19, the International Court of Justice will issue a historic ruling on whether Myanmar’s crackdown on the Rohingya minority amounts to genocide, according to Agence France-Presse.
For 7 years, International Court of Justice judges have been considering accusations submitted by Gambia that Myanmar's brutal repression against the Rohingya constitutes a violation of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.
Although the International Court of Justice, which is based in The Hague, does not have mechanisms to enforce the implementation of its decisions, issuing a ruling confirming that Myanmar has committed the crime of genocide would increase international pressure on the ruling military junta there, and would also provide justice for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people.
Legal experts are closely monitoring this ruling issued by the International Court of Justice, which adjudicates disputes between countries, searching for indications about the direction the court may take in the case that South Africa filed against Israel on charges of committing “genocide” against the backdrop of its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
For its part, Myanmar has often denied committing genocide against the Rohingya, saying that its measures were aimed at a military rebellion launched by militants, following a series of attacks that killed a number of members of the security forces.
A repressive campaign launched by the Myanmar army and Buddhist groups beginning in 2017 led hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, bringing with them horrific testimonies of mass rapes and widespread field executions.
More than a million Rohingya still live across the border in Bangladesh, the largest refugee population in the world.
South Korea is investigating the leak of the passport data of President Lee Jae-myung and more than 160 other officials online, a minister said Tuesday.
Local media reported on Monday that a computer file containing personal details, including passport numbers and dates of birth of the president, the first lady, and senior officials accompanying Lee on a trip abroad, was uploaded to a website in June, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
Reports said that the file was uploaded to VirusTotal, a malware scanning platform, before Lee's visit to Europe, and remained accessible for about five months.
It is not yet clear who carried it or why.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has since renewed the passports of all those affected, including Lee, while deleting the data from the website, according to what ministry spokesman Park Do-sun told reporters on Tuesday.
He said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently working with the National Police Agency and other agencies to determine how the information was leaked.”
He explained that the ministry is treating the incident as a data leak and not a cyberattack, and is examining the computers and email addresses that were used in preparing for the president's trip.
Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun said at an emergency meeting to discuss the data breach that the leak was “a serious matter that should not be taken lightly,” according to Lee’s office.
He added that the incident required “an in-depth investigation to determine how the leak occurred, the amount of information that was revealed, and whether it caused any actual damage.”
North Korea conducted tests on strategic cruise missiles, the official news agency reported on Tuesday, a few days after conducting similar tests using cluster munitions.
This test, which was conducted on Monday, “enhanced the ability to direct a vertical strike toward the target by improving the ability to maneuver in the final stage of the cruise missile’s path,” according to what the Korean Central News Agency reported.
The agency added: “The medium-sized fission warhead installed on the missile is capable of turning an area ranging between five and six hectares into ash when used with its maximum destructive capacity.”
Unlike ballistic missile tests, cruise missile tests are not subject to sanctions.
Neighboring South Korea did not announce the exercises conducted by North Korea on Sunday and Monday.
Jang Do-young, spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, explained to reporters on Monday that “making a decision on whether or not to announce an order depends on a precise military assessment, which takes into account the protection of means, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, operational security and other factors.”
He added: “Our army does not announce all launches carried out by North Korea.”
