Briefly

JAPAN

IAEA begins Fukushima water release review

An International Atomic Energy Agency task force began a mission in Japan on Monday to review the controversial planned release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, despite a host of local and international opposition. The IAEA team will be in Japan until Friday to visit the plant site and will hold a news conference at the end of their trip. The IAEA said results of its survey will be made into a report by the end of the year, with a ministry official stating that the results will also be shown in the discharge plan's deliberation, which will be submitted by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority from TEPCO.

INDONESIA

Big waves engulf 11 during beach ritual

Eleven people drowned after being dragged by big waves on a beach in East Java Province despite warnings to avoid the sea, said officials on Sunday. The victims were part of a group of 24 people from several villages who took part in a local ritual that involves swimming in the ocean on Saturday night, said officials from the Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency. "A local resident warned them not to go into the sea because of big waves, but they ignored it," said chief rescuer I Wayan Suyatna. He said a sudden wave dragged 23 of them. A 2-year-old girl was among the 13 survivors at Payangan beach.

AUSTRALIA

Confidence in govt slumps to 2-year low

Voter confidence in the Australian government has fallen to its lowest level in two years, a survey has found. The survey by researchers from the Center for Social Research and Methods at the Australian National University was published on Monday. It found that 34.5 percent of more than 3,400 respondents said they hold a "great deal or quite a lot" of faith in the federal government's performance. It is the lowest level of confidence in the government during the pandemic. The survey revealed a "decline in confidence in hospitals and the health system, the largest we have seen during the pandemic", said Nicholas Biddle, co-author of the study.

Agencies - Xinhua