Sunday, July 31, 2011

NHK World News - July 30, 2011

Yen surges to 76 level

In New York, the US dollar fell below the 77 yen level for first time in four-and-a-half months. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 4:17 JST).

Sluggish US GDP growth shows downturn in economy

The US gross domestic product grew by just 1.3 percent in the second quarter of 2011, much slower than initially estimated. The figure shows that the US economy is in a clear downturn. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 3:02 JST).

Yen surges to 77.01 at one time

In New York, the US dollar fell to lower 77 yen level for first time in four-and-a-half months. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 3:02 JST).

17 people killed in Afghanistan bombings

At least 17 people have been killed by roadside bombs in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 3:02 JST).

UNICEF urges aid for children in Somalia

UNICEF has called on the international community to help children suffering from severe famine in southern Somalia. An estimated 1.25 million children in the east African country are in urgent need of aid. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 3:02 JST).

Torrential rain hits Niigata & Fukushima

Torrential rain in Niigata and Fukushima prefectures in northern Japan has caused rivers to overflow, raising the danger of landslides. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 3:02 JST).

Norway mourns terror victims a week after attacks

A memorial service has been held in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, for the people who died in the bombing and shooting massacre a week ago. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 5:19 JST).

China train crash: one week later

Saturday marks one week since the fatal high-speed train collision in China. The Chinese government is trying to calm public anger and distrust by offering more compensation to the victims' families. But the sloppy handling of the investigation is fueling popular resentment. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 8:09 JST).

Obama urges bipartisan compromise on debt ceiling

US President Barack Obama has called on Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work toward a compromise to break the stalemate over raising the country's debt ceiling. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 8:59 JST).

2009 Air France crash blamed on pilot error

French investigators have concluded that the crash of an Air France plane into the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009, killing more than 200 people, was attributable to human error. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 8:59 JST).

US, N.Korea conclude 2-day talks

The United States and North Korea have ended two days of meetings in New York. The two countries were exploring ways to resume the stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear program. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 8:09 JST).

Egyptians protest ahead of Mubarak trial

Tens of thousands of people gathered in central Cairo on Friday to call for a fair ruling in the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 9:39 JST).

Spain's prime minister calls early election

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has called an early general election for November to create political and economic certainty in the country. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 11:10 JST).

US Senate rejects Republican proposal

The US Senate has rejected a debt-ceiling bill proposed by the opposition Republicans to avert a possible default on the government's debt before Tuesday's deadline. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 12:11 JST).

US proposes central nuclear waste storage plant

A US government panel of nuclear experts has proposed a plan to build a central storage plant for spent nuclear fuel. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 12:46 JST).

Torrential rain hits Niigata, Fukushima

Torrential rain in Niigata and Fukushima prefectures in northern Japan has caused rivers to overflow, raising the danger of landslides. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 11:57 JST).

Personal items collected from China derailed train

One week after the fatal accident on China's high speed rail network, workers have been seen collecting personal belongings left inside the derailed carriages. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 14:04 JST).

China reveals faulty train information system

China's railway ministry has revealed a serious fault with software at a railway control center, in connection with the fatal high-speed train accident last Saturday. (NHK World Daily News, 30 Jul 17:01 JST).

Saturday, July 30, 2011

NHK World News - July 29, 2011

US, N.Korea begin talks in NY

The United States and North Korea began two-day talks in New York on Thursday to explore ways to resume the stalled six-party talks to denuclearize North Korea. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 0:12 JST).

Personal info of 35 mil. people stolen in S.Korea

The personal data of about 35 million Internet users in South Korea was stolen from popular websites in a cyber attack. The theft is believed to have originated in China. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 2:01 JST).

Taliban attacks gov't offices, killing 21

Taliban insurgents have intensified their offensive. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 2:02 JST).

Japan asks S. Korea to ensure safety of Japanese

The Japanese government has asked the South Korean government to ensure the safety of 4 Japanese politicians who would like to visit the country. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 2:07 JST).

1,500 tons of radioactive sludge cannot be buried

Nearly 50,000 tons of sludge at water treatment facilities has been found to contain radioactive cesium as the result of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Over 1,500 tons is so contaminated that it cannot be buried for disposal. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 4:35 JST).

China rushes to calm bereaved families

The Chinese government is rushing to calm the anger of victims' families from last week's fatal high-speed train crash. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 5:09 JST).

EU to tighten security against lone extremists

Security authorities from European Union member countries have agreed to strengthen measures to prevent terrorism by a lone extremist. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 5:09 JST).

Japan, Turkey to train Afghan police

The Turkish government has opened a facility in the country to train Afghan police officers as part of cooperation in rebuilding war-torn Afghanistan. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 5:18 JST).

Mongolian children lift spirits of survivors

Children from Mongolia have raised the spirits of survivors of the March 11th disaster in eastern Japan through artwork and traditional folk dance. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 7:44 JST).

US, N.Korea end 1st day of talks

The United States and North Korea ended the first day of their 2-day talks in New York to explore ways to resume stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 6:55 JST).

Gaza children set kite-flying record

Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip set a world record when more than 13,000 of them flew kites simultaneously. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 8:14 JST).

US, N. Korea end 1st-day of talks

The United States and North Korea ended the first day of their 2-day talks in New York. They are exploring ways to resume the stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 8:13 JST).

TEPCO to extract air from troubled reactors

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will extract air from troubled reactors at the plant to measure the amount of radioactive substances. The work is part of efforts to curb the amount of radioactivity released into the atmosphere. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 9:43 JST).

Norway police release names of massacre victims

Police in Norway have identified 41 of the people killed in last week's bombing in the capital Oslo and the shooting spree on a nearby island. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 10:57 JST).

Volkswagen reviewing tie-up with Suzuki

German auto giant Volkswagen says it is reviewing its tie-up with Japan's Suzuki Motor, because the cooperation is developing more slowly than expected. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 11:53 JST).

June unemployment rate rises to 4.6%

Japan's unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent in June, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from May. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 11:53 JST).

Remodeled German system possibly linked to crash

A major Chinese newspaper has reported that an automatic control system blamed for Saturday's fatal train crash was a Chinese remodeled version based on German technology. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 13:24 JST).

US accuses Iran of aiding Al Qaeda

The US government has pointed out that Iran has become a critical transit point for Al Qaeda to funnel funds. It has condemned the Iranian government for giving tacit approval to such activities. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 14:15 JST).

Chubu Electric: NISA tried to deceive public forum

Chubu Electric Power Company says the government's nuclear agency asked it to make sure that questions in favor of nuclear power be asked at a government-sponsored symposium in 2007. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 14:15 JST).

Yoko Ono receives peace award in Hiroshima

Japanese artist Yoko Ono is visiting Hiroshima to receive an award for her contributions to world peace. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 14:15 JST).

Wastewater recycling partially halted at Fukushima

A problematic water decontamination system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has forced its operator to stop pumping out radioactive water pooled in the basements of reactor buildings. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 16:03 JST).

Messages from abroad for 3/11 disaster survivors

An exhibition featuring 1,000 messages sent from other countries to encourage March 11th disaster survivors is being held in Tokyo. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 16:03 JST).

House postpones voting on debt ceiling proposal

The US House of Representatives has postponed a vote scheduled for Thursday on a Republican debt ceiling proposal. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 16:03 JST).

Torrential rain hits Niigata

Torrential rain is falling in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, causing rivers to overflow and raising the danger of more landslides. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 16:47 JST).

'85 JAL crash cause explained

Japan's Transport Safety Board has released a booklet explaining in simple terms the cause of the country's worst aviation accident 26 years ago. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 17:24 JST).

China raises train crash compensation

China has decided to almost double the initial amount of compensation paid to families of victims of Saturday's high-speed train crash that killed at least 40 people. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 18:48 JST).

China identified accident causes much earlier

China's railway authorities identified flaws in a signaling system as one of the causes of Saturday's fatal high-speed train collision within hours of the accident. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 20:00 JST).

Companies report April-June business results

Japanese firms have reported a decline in profits for the period from April to June, due to the March 11th disaster. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 18:06 JST).

UN disarmament meeting ends with appeal for peace

A 3-day UN disarmament conference closed in Japan on Friday, with a moving performance wishing for peace led by renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa . (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 20:00 JST).

Govt: Japan may face power shortage next summer

Japan's government estimates that the country will face a power supply shortage of around 10 percent next summer if all of its nuclear reactors go offline. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 20:00 JST).

Govt adopts basic reconstruction plan

The Japanese government has adopted a basic plan to rebuild areas hit by the March 11th disaster. The final text notably lacks any reference to the major tax increase that appears unavoidable to finance the 5-year plan. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 21:18 JST).

Prosecutors seek 3 years in prison for ex-JR boss

Prosecutors have demanded a prison term of 3 years for a former president of West Japan Railway at his trial in connection with a fatal derailment accident in April 2005. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 20:13 JST).

S.Korea bans entry of Japanese lawmakers

South Korea has advised Japan that a group of Japanese lawmakers will not be permitted to visit a South Korean island near disputed territory in the Sea of Japan. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 20:51 JST).

Torrential rain hits Niigata & Fukushima

Torrential rain in Niigata and Fukushima prefectures in northern Japan has caused rivers to overflow, raising the danger of more landslides. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 21:14 JST).

Kan proposes 3rd extra budget for rebuilding plan

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has pledged the government's continued effort to rebuild northeastern areas devastated by the March disaster. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 22:39 JST).

US GDP increases 1.3%

New figures show the U.S. economy has slowed sharply in the second quarter of 2011. (NHK World Daily News, 29 Jul 22:08 JST).

Friday, July 29, 2011

NHK World News - July 28, 2011

Furukawa watches Hayabusa film aboard ISS

Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa on board the International Space Station has watched the first movie premier ever held in outer space. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:25 JST).

UN airlifts food to Somalia

The United Nations has begun airlifting food to famine-hit Somalia. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:25 JST).

ASEAN naval chiefs discuss South China Sea

Naval chiefs from the 10 ASEAN members have discussed regional maritime security issues involving the South China Sea, amid disputes with China. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:25 JST).

TEPCO won't help Turkey build nuclear power plants

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will withdraw from Japan's bid to export nuclear power technology to Turkey. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:25 JST).

Tropical storm kills 27 in the Philippines

A tropical storm has left 27 people dead in the Philippines. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:25 JST).

Japan thanks Thailand for quake aid

Japan's Embassy in Thailand has launched a campaign to thank Thailand for supporting Japan in the aftermath of the March 11th quake and tsunami. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:25 JST).

Wen orders thorough probe into train crash

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has ordered a thorough investigation into last Saturday's fatal high-speed train collision. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:25 JST).

Britain recognizes Libya's opposition group

Britain has recognized Libya's opposition group as the only legitimate government and expelled Libyan diplomats from the country. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:43 JST).

High-speed train driver says "instructed" to stop

A driver involved in Saturday's high-speed train collision reportedly says he had been ordered to stop the train before another train crashed into it. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:43 JST).

Toyota to double production in India

Toyota Motor plans to double its annual production capacity in India to 310,000 units in 2013. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 5:43 JST).

US to begin 2-day talks with N.Korea on Thursday

The United States says it will open 2 days of talks with North Korea on Thursday. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 7:53 JST).

Japan, Russia deputy foreign ministers meet

Senior diplomats from Japan and Russia say the 2 countries should work to improve ties after cooperating in response to the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 7:59 JST).

London begins one year countdown to Olympics

London has marked the start of the one-year countdown to the London Olympics, which will open on July 27th 2012. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 8:18 JST).

China cracks down on child kidnapping rings

Chinese police say they have rescued 89 abducted infants and arrested hundreds of people involved in the abductions. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 8:53 JST).

Republican bill likely to be put to vote

A Republican plan to raise the US debt ceiling is expected to be put to a vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 8:53 JST).

Govt to ban shipment of Miyagi beef cattle

Japan's government has decided to suspend all shipments of beef cattle from Miyagi Prefecture, due to fears of radioactive contamination. It plans to give the order as early as Thursday. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 9:55 JST).

S. Korean cargo plane crashes

Police in South Korea say a cargo plane has crashed in waters 100 kilometers west of Cheju Island. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 9:55 JST).

North Korea criticizes US nuclear policy at UN

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations has criticized US nuclear policy, saying its planned missile defense shield will eventually spark a new nuclear arms race. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 10:53 JST).

Water treatment system running below capacity

A water decontamination system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been operating below its target capacity, resulting in delays to the firm's timetable of about 2 months. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 11:48 JST).

Solar power plants to start operation in Kawasaki

A solar power plant is to start operation in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, in mid-August. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 11:48 JST).

Aviation college training aircraft missing

Japan's transport ministry says a training aircraft from the Civil Aviation College has gone missing with 4 people on board. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 11:48 JST).

Railway official admits inadequate safety measures

China's state-run Xinhua news agency reports that a senior railway official has admitted to insufficient safety measures in the fatal high-speed train collision last week. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 12:51 JST).

Heavy rain in South Korea causing more damage

Heavy rain continues to batter South Korea, triggering more landslides and flooding. At least 39 people have died and 3 are missing. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 12:35 JST).

Govt may extend cattle ban

Japan's government is considering extending a ban on all shipments of beef cattle from Miyagi to Iwate Prefecture. This comes amid growing public concern over radioactive beef across the country. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 13:28 JST).

Govt to pay for beef tests by prefectures

Japan's government says it will shoulder the cost to municipalities of testing beef for possible radioactive contamination. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 13:34 JST).

Possible trainee on missing plane found

Japanese police have found a man believed to be one of the trainees on board an aircraft that went missing on Thursday. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 14:36 JST).

Finance ministry upgrades economic outlook

Japan's Finance Ministry has upgraded its assessment of the state of the economy for the first time in 4 quarters, due to a recovery in supply chains since March 11th. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 17:17 JST).

Panasonic selling Sanyo operations to Chinese firm

Japanese electronics maker Panasonic will sell some operations of its subsidiary Sanyo Electric to a Chinese company. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 15:53 JST).

Asian Development Bank worries over US debt woes

The Asian Development Bank says that the debt-ceiling problem in the United States may become an unstable factor in the outlook of fast-growing Asian economies. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 18:02 JST).

Wen pledges accident probe and stepped-up safety

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged to look into the cause of last week's fatal high-speed train collision and step up safety measures. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 17:48 JST).

Noda: Japan's economy is picking up

Finance minister Yoshihiko Noda says Japan's economy has begun picking up after the major downturn caused by the March disaster. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 15:53 JST).

3 found dead in training plane crash

Japanese police say they have found all 4 people believed to have been on board a training aircraft that crashed in northern Japan on Thursday. One of them has survived, but the other 3 were found dead. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 16:33 JST).

Edano orders ban on shipping Miyagi beef cattle

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says he has ordered the governor of Miyagi Prefecture to suspend all of its shipments of beef cattle. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 17:04 JST).

Nagasaki mayor: shift from nuclear power needed

The mayor of Nagasaki City will for the first time call for a shift away from nuclear energy in his annual peace declaration on August 9th, amid the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 18:58 JST).

US-N.Korea meeting soon to start

The United States and North Korea will soon start a 2-day meeting to discuss resuming 6-party talks on the North's nuclear program. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 19:36 JST).

12 prefectures step up voluntary checks on beef

Twelve prefectures in Japan have voluntarily stepped up radiation checks on beef before shipment in a bid to alleviate consumer concerns over meat safety. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 19:38 JST).

UN disarmament conference discusses nuclear safety

Participants at a UN disarmament conference in Matsumoto City, central Japan, have debated the safety of nuclear power generation amid the ongoing nuclear crisis in Fukushima. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 20:32 JST).

Footage of Oslo blast released

Footage of the moment last week's fatal bomb exploded in the Norwegian capital Oslo has been released. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 20:24 JST).

Kansai Electric retracts FY11 earnings forecasts

Major Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Company has retracted its earnings forecasts for the business year through March, citing uncertain sales prospects due to suspension of its nuclear reactors. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 20:24 JST).

IAEA to help Japan assess nuclear plant safety

The International Atomic Energy Agency has offered to help Japan assess the results of additional safety tests planned by the government for the country's nuclear power plants. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 21:48 JST).

Weak dollar hurt Japanese electronics makers

The strong yen is eroding the earnings of major Japanese electronics makers that depend heavily on exports. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 21:46 JST).

Science-fiction author Sakyo Komatsu dies

Japanese science fiction author Sakyo Komatsu died of pneumonia on Tuesday. He was 80. (NHK World Daily News, 28 Jul 22:47 JST).