Marshall Islands Begins World Court Nuclear Disarmament Case

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The tiny South Pacific state of the Marshall Islands began legal proceedings Monday against India at the United Nations’ highest court, as part of cases against three of the world’s nuclear powers aimed at breathing new life into disarmament negotiations.

The preliminary hearings focus on whether the International Court of Justice can accept cases filed by the Marshall Islands, home to the Bikini Atoll nuclear testing site, against India, Pakistan and Britain — urging those powers to resume negotiations to eradicate the world’s nuclear weapons stockpile.