Friday, August 5, 2011

NHK World News - August 04, 2011

S.Korea to provide aid for flooded North

South Korea says it will provide humanitarian aid for the rain-ravaged North for the first time since last November, when the North shelled one of its islands. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 4:58 JST).

Taxi drivers go on strike in China

Thousands of Chinese taxi drivers went on a 3-day strike this week, demanding higher incomes in the southeastern resort city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. Strikes are officially prohibited in China. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 7:57 JST).

TEPCO reports cooling system's reliability

The operator of the Fukushima power plant says it could restart injecting water into its crippled reactors within 3 hours after mechanical problems or power failure halt the plant's cooling system. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 7:57 JST).

Evacuation orders to be lifted in late August

The government says it wants to lift evacuation advisories in a few weeks for areas 20 to 30 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 7:57 JST).

EU on surge in Italian and Spanish bond yields

European Commission President Jose Barroso says recent surges in Spanish and Italian 10-year bond yields do not reflect the true state of those countries' economies. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 7:57 JST).

Industry giants team up for new company

Japanese industrial giants Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have agreed to start negotiations to establish a new company. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 6:19 JST).

160 people killed in Syrian government suppression

The Syrian government has strengthened its crackdown on protesters this week, killing more than 160 people over the past 4 days. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 7:57 JST).

Qasemi becomes Iran's oil minister

Iran's parliament has approved the nomination of a senior Revolutionary Guards commander as the country's new oil minister. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 7:57 JST).

Fukushima crisis causes British fuel plant to shut

A British plant for processing spent nuclear fuel is set to close due to the loss of business from Japanese power companies following the Fukushima nuclear accident. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 7:57 JST).

UN Security Council statement condemns Syria

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a statement condemning Syrian authorities for their violent crackdown on anti-government protestors. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 11:05 JST).

TEPCO to attach hoses to improve water filter flow

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will attach makeshift hoses to its wastewater filtering system to help improve the water flow. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 9:47 JST).

Discussions begin on how to scrap Fukushima plant

A government-appointed panel plans to finalize a timetable by January next year on decommissioning damaged reactors at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 11:05 JST).

Radiation limit for children will be lowered

The Japanese government says the yearly radiation limit for school children will be lowered as early as this month. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 11:05 JST).

US welcomes UN condemnation of Syria

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice says the UN Security Council statement is significant as it sends a unified message to Syria. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 11:12 JST).

Japan plans to dismiss top nuclear officials

The Japanese government plans to dismiss 3 top officials in charge of nuclear power policy over their handling of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 11:05 JST).

Japan intervenes in money market on surge of yen

Japan's monetary authorities have begun intervening in the currency market in an attempt to apply the brakes on the yen's rapid surge. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 10:58 JST).

US to send deputy envoy to Hiroshima ceremony

The US embassy in Tokyo says it will send the deputy chief of mission to the August 6th ceremony to mark the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 13:03 JST).

China dissatisfied with Japan's defense report

The Chinese government has voiced its displeasure over Japan's annual defense report, which cited concerns about China's military expansion. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 13:03 JST).

DPJ agrees to review its child benefit program

The Democratic Party of Japan has agreed to review its child benefit program. The monthly allowances were one of the DPJ's most important campaign pledges in its 2009 election victory. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 15:26 JST).

Intervention lowers yen to 79 against dollar

Japan's monetary authorities' intervention in the market has lowered its currency more than 2 yen to 79 yen level against dollar. The action is meant to apply the brakes on the historic surge of the currency. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 12:55 JST).

Reaction from governing and opposition camps

The Secretary General of the governing Democratic Party of Japan, Katsuya Okada, says he is pleased that an agreement was reached with opposition parties after nearly a month of negotiations. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 15:26 JST).

UN says 3 more Somalia regions facing famine

The United Nations has declared famine in 3 more areas of Somalia as the East African nation suffers from one of the worst droughts on record. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 15:26 JST).

Japan to strengthen defenses against cyber spying

Japanese police are to step up defenses against computer hackers trying to steal national intelligence from offices of the central and local governments. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 15:46 JST).

BOJ eases monetary policy

The Bank of Japan has adopted further credit easing in an effort to prop up the Japanese economy. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 15:40 JST).

2m tsunami waves caused severe structural damage

Japan's government has created a map of destruction by the March 11th tsunami showing that the severity of structural damage increased significantly in areas where waves exceeded a height of 2 meters. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 17:15 JST).

Sea turtle released, recovering from injuries

A sea turtle has returned to the sea off Florida in the United States after recovering from serious injuries by undergoing 13 months of innovative medical treatment. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 17:15 JST).

TSE Thursday's close

Share prices in Tokyo were traded in a narrow range on Thursday as gains that followed the Bank of Japan's yen selling were short-lived. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 17:15 JST).

A-Rod to be probed by MLB over poker allegations

US Major League Baseball says it has launched an investigation into allegations that New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez took part in illegal poker games. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 19:13 JST).

More college seniors stay on due to job scarcity

More Japanese university graduates are struggling to find work, putting pressure on colleges to offer long-term support beyond graduation. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 19:13 JST).

China sharply criticizes Japan's defense report

China has expressed deep dissatisfaction over a Japanese annual defense report that called China's recent expansion of its maritime activities assertive. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 19:54 JST).

Intervention lowers yen to 80 level against dollar

Japan's intervention on Thursday brought its currency to a 3 week low of 80 yen against the dollar at one point. The action was designed to apply the brakes on the historic surge of the currency. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 19:13 JST).

Syrian security forces stay in Hama

Syria's military remains deployed in an opposition stronghold despite a UN Security Council condemnation of the military's violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 19:54 JST).

Nuke plant hosts call for quick end to crisis

Local communities hosting nuclear power plants in Japan have urged the government to thoroughly investigate the Fukushima accident to determine its cause. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 21:21 JST).

Safety Commission OKs raw meat guidelines

The Food Safety Commission says the health ministry's draft guidelines for businesses that handle raw beef meat will adequately protect consumers. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 22:24 JST).

Reaction of businesses

Japanese companies have welcomed the government and central bank's action, but warn that the current yen level is still too high. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 21:49 JST).

Reaction by Gov. & Keidanren

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda says that the government and the central bank have a common understanding of Japan's severe economic situation. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 21:23 JST).

ECB, BOE keep interest rates unchanged

The European Central Bank has left its key interest rate unchanged at 1.5 percent as worries grow that credit woes could spread to larger euro-zone economies. (NHK World Daily News, 04 Aug 22:27 JST).

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