NHK World News - June 21, 2011

Assad blames protesters but proposes reforms

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says he will continue to take a tough stance against protesters but is willing to pursue reforms through dialogue with the people. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 5:18 JST).

Japan to invite more nurses from overseas

Japan will announce a plan to invite more foreign nurses and caregivers and provide preparatory language classes abroad. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 7:20 JST).

Pool reinforcement continues at No.4 reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Company is continuing work to reinforce a spent fuel pool at the Number 4 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 7:20 JST).

China patrol ship visits Singapore

One of China's most advanced maritime patrol ships has visited Singapore after patrolling waters near disputed islands in the South China Sea. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 7:20 JST).

TEPCO hopes to resume water decontamination soon

Tokyo Electric Power Company hopes to resume the decontamination process at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as early as Tuesday. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 5:11 JST).

Japan, US ministers to issue joint statement

The defense and foreign ministers of Japan and the United States will call on China to take responsibility for regional stability, and observe international rules in dealing with global challenges. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 7:19 JST).

Europe urges Greece to approve austerity measures

Euro zone finance ministers have agreed to extend an emergency loan package to Greece, but the debt-strapped country must approve new austerity measures first. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 7:20 JST).

IAEA ministers agree to more nuke regulations

Ministers from the International Atomic Energy Agency member countries have agreed to set up a new international framework so that countries can cooperate in the event of an emergency at a nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 7:19 JST).

North, south Sudan agree to withdraw from Abyei

Leaders from north and south Sudan have agreed to demilitarize the disputed oil fields in central Sudan and allow peacekeeping troops from neighboring Ethiopia to move into the area. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 8:17 JST).

More people in Fukushima fearing contamination

Concerns over radioactive contamination are growing among people living next to the new evacuation advisory zones near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 10:49 JST).

Russian plane crashes

A Russian passenger plane with around 50 people on board crashed on Monday while attempting to land at an airport in the Karelia republic of northwestern Russia. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 8:17 JST).

Russian plane crash lands in Karelia

A Russian passenger plane carrying 48 people has crash-landed in the northwestern republic of Karelia. There are reports of casualties. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 9:22 JST).

Kaieda: Nuclear agency could be spun off in 2012

Japan's trade and industry minister has suggested making the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency independent from his ministry in 2012. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 9:53 JST).

UNESCO chief: Heritage sites vulnerable

The head of UNESCO has called for the cooperation of the international community to properly protect vulnerable sites on its World Heritage list. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 11:09 JST).

Former Tunisian president sentenced to 35 years

A Tunisian court sentenced former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in absentia to 35 years in prison on Monday. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 11:55 JST).

Report urges creating quotas for gender equality

A government report on gender equality has called for the creation of a quota system to increase the number of women in leadership positions. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 11:52 JST).

Plane crash in Russia kills 44

Russian authorities say 44 people have been killed in a plane crash in the northwestern republic of Karelia. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 11:51 JST).

Test at Fukushima plant stops temporarily

The test run of a water decontamination system at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was halted temporarily due to a malfunction. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 13:10 JST).

Crown Prince leaves for Germany

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito has left for Germany to attend events marking the 150th anniversary of the start of bilateral relations. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 15:50 JST).

Self-propelling endoscope found to work in patient

Japanese researchers have developed a remote-controlled capsule endoscope that is moved around inside the human body. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 16:05 JST).

Armitage: Japan's recovery key for global economy

A former high ranking U.S. official says Japan's recovery from the March disaster is crucial for the global economy. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 16:12 JST).

Selling food products from tsunami-hit companies

A department store in Tokyo is featuring food products made by companies hit by the March 11th disaster amid its seasonal sales push. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 18:29 JST).

Vote on extending Diet session delayed until Wed.

Japan's Diet has delayed a vote on extending its current session due to disagreement within Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Democratic Party over the timing of his resignation. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 17:00 JST).

Japan-US 2+2 meeting begins

The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the United States have started talks for a full-scale review of bilateral common strategic goals on security. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 21:54 JST).

Greek government faces confidence vote

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou faces a crucial parliamentary vote of confidence in his new cabinet, amid public opposition to further austerity measures. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 18:58 JST).

Ash from Chile disrupts more flights in Australia

Volcanic ash from Chile is disrupting air flights in Australia, some 9,000 kilometers away. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 18:58 JST).

Filtering system tested for full operation

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has resumed testing of a filtering system for decontaminating highly radioactive wastewater at the facility. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 18:58 JST).

Surveyors re-measuring Japan's post-quake position

Surveyors have begun re-measuring Japan's geodetic data, which were disrupted by the earthquake on March 11th. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 18:58 JST).

China offers urban residency status to informers

Police in Guangdong, southern China, are offering cash and urban residency status to domestic migrant workers who help identify participants in a 3-day riot in early June. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 19:17 JST).

China, S.Korea agree on illegal fishing boat

China and South Korea have agreed on tougher penalties to be imposed on Chinese fishing boats operating illegally in the South's exclusive economic zone in the Yellow Sea. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 19:47 JST).

Supercomputer "K" shown to the public

The Japanese-made world's fastest supercomputer has been shown to the public. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 19:47 JST).

Toyota, other makers to increase hiring workers

Toyota Motor says it will be employing 3,000 to 4,000 temporary workers soon, on the grounds that its car production is recovering from a fall in the wake of the March disaster. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 18:58 JST).

Rainy season begins in Tohoku

The annual rainy season has begun in the disaster-hit Tohoku region in northeastern Japan, where the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station is located. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 20:23 JST).

Bomb attacks kill 25 in Iraq

Suicide attackers exploded 2 bomb-laden vehicles near a local government compound in central Iraq on Tuesday, killing 25 people. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 19:47 JST).

TEPCO officials visit Fukushima governor

Two top executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company have visited the governor of Fukushima to apologize for damage caused by the ongoing nuclear accident. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 20:29 JST).

Germany,Switzerland urge tough nuclear regulations

Government representatives of Germany and Switzerland have called for tougher safety regulations to prevent nuclear power plant accidents. Both governments have already decided to give up nuclear energy. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 22:23 JST).

No prospect to resume operation of 11 reactors

No prospect has emerged for the resumption of operations of suspended nuclear reactors in Japan even after their regular checks come to an end. (NHK World Daily News, 21 Jun 21:54 JST).