Japan is facing the prospect of paying billions of dollars to compensate victims of the disaster at its Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The scale of the accident - and the projected government bill - has forced countries around the world to re-evaluate laws that help to determine who is held liable for such disasters, and to what extent.
Among them is the UAE.
Officials are in the process of writing the local laws that would work in conjunction with an international agreement such as the International Atomic Energy Agency's Vienna Convention on civil liability for nuclear damage.
"It would be great to have it locked down in advance and have it ready, but as a practical matter there's really no possibility of nuclear liability until we actually import nuclear material," said David Scott, the director of economic affairs at the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi.
"What you don't want to do is sign up to the convention and not have the legislation in place.
It's a matter of making sure the domestic legislation is prepared and able to take effect when the obligations of the international conventions become binding."
The Vienna Convention is one of a few international agreements on nuclear liability, and it helps nations answer questions such as how many years victims will have to make claims, which can become pivotal for those suffering radiation exposure.
"It leaves open a lot of things for the country to decide: the amount of money available; what sort of damage is it going to cover; and who's entitled to claim," said Paige Crewson, a lawyer at Baker Botts in Dubai.
ayee@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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A foster couple or family must:
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