Abe's decision to call for a snap election, however, has drawn staunch criticism from opposition parties, which argued that there is no reason to dissolve the lower house of parliament before its current term expires in December 2018

Workers at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Southwest China's Sichuan province, help a panda named Huchun begin her journey to a zoo in Indonesia on Sept 27, 2017Yingluck denied all the charges when giving her closing oral statement on Aug 1, arguing she was not responsible for the day-to-day running of the scheme and insisted she was a victim of political persecution

In the scheme, Yingluck's government paid Thai rice farmers inflated prices for their crops, driving up global rice pricesFile photo shows ousted former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, Sept 29, 2015[Photo/Agencies]BANGKOK - Thailand's Supreme Court on Wednesday found former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty of malfeasance in a loss-ridden rice subsidy program and sentenced her in absentia to five years in jail

Yingluck did not show up at the court and has so far not made any public comment on the verdictIn an announcement released by the court, it read that even though the unmilled rice program was an act according to government policy that the cabinet had stated to the National Assembly, if the implementation of such policy was not in accordance with law, such acts could be inspected by the judicial process

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday that he knows where the ousted former prime minister is but will not disclose her whereabouts until the verdict is delivered

After a trial running over two years, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions began reading the verdict at 11 am local time and continued for nearly four hours"The current situation on the peninsula is severe and complicated," Foreign Minister spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing

The minister said that if there is any change needed, it is the denuclearization of the peninsula, and that would be more comprehensive, thorough and irreversible"Whatever changes may take place, no matter how long it will take, and whatever difficulties we may face, China will stay firmly committed to denuclearizing the peninsula and moving toward talks," he said

Kono said Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs have posed a practical threat to regional peace as well as Japan's security"We call upon the US to honor its 'Four Nos' commitment, and we call upon all parties to play a constructive role in easing tensions," Wang said