Briefly

MALAYSIA

Najib goes to jail after losing graft appeal

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak began his 12-year prison sentence on Tuesday after losing his final appeal in a graft case linked to the looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, state fund, with the top court unanimously upholding his conviction and sentence. Najib was whisked away to Kajang prison on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur after the verdict. 1MDB was a development fund that Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators alleged at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib's associates.

JAPAN

Kishida considers nuclear reactors

Japan is considering constructing next-generation nuclear reactors, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at an energy policy meeting on Wednesday. Eleven years after the Fukushima disaster, the plan marked a major shift in the government's nuclear energy policy, which is currently backing away from the building of new nuclear power plants. Japan has set a target for nuclear power generation to account for 20 to 22 percent of its electricity supply in fiscal 2030, and the government has been considering re-expanding nuclear power amid global fuel shortages.

THAILAND

Court suspends PM Prayut from office

Thailand's Constitutional Court announced on Wednesday it has temporarily suspended the premiership of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Judges agreed by five votes to four to suspend Prayut from office, effective on Wednesday, pending the court's verdict, the court said in a statement on its website. The court's statement came following a petition filed by the opposition parties for a ruling on when Prayut's eight-year tenure should conclude, which they believed should have ended and demanded Prayut to step down.

Xinhua - Agencies