at 20:01 (JST), June 11

Environment chiefs from the Group of 7 nations have started their first meeting since US President Donald Trump announced that he will pull the country out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Voters in France have begun casting ballots in the first round of a lower house election.

A proposed ban on indoor smoking is likely to be postponed, as the health ministry and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party could not work out their differences in time to submit a bill in the current Diet session.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/rj/podcast/mp3/20170611200100_1_english.mp3


Key words : environment first meeting
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170611_22/

Environment chiefs from the Group of 7 nations have started their first meeting since US President Donald Trump announced that he will pull the country out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The 2-day meeting began on Sunday in the Italian city of Bologna.

Japanese Environment Minister Koichi Yamamoto gave a speech at the opening ceremony.

Yamamoto said extraordinary weather made governments realize that the Earth's environment is reaching its limit, and the shared sense of crisis united them for the historic Paris Agreement.

He called on his counterparts to lead the efforts in their own countries.

Earlier in the day, Yamamoto met the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, who is in favor of withdrawing from the Paris accord.

Yamamoto told Pruitt that he was disappointed by Trump's announcement but he added that Japan wants to continue its cooperation with the US to prevent backpedalling on measures against global warming.

Pruitt reportedly indicated that the US is willing to address global warming as the leader of the world.

The participants are expected to urgexx the United States to fight climate change under the Paris Agreement.

Attention is focused on whether a joint statement to be released on the final day will mention how the United States can join the international efforts to tackle global warming.

Key words : Russian met
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170611_10/

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with his Qatari counterpart and offered Russia's support in ending the standoff between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors.

Lavrov met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Moscow on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other nations in the region have cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting militant groups and questioning its relationship with Iran.

Lavrov said terrorism is the major threat to the region and unity is needed to remove it. He added that Russia is ready to offer its full support to resolve differences between the countries.

The Qatari minister responded by saying his country will seek dialogue within the Gulf Cooperation Council. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and 4 other Gulf nations are members of the council.

Observers say by demonstrating its willingness to act as mediator, Russia is aiming to gain an upper hand in the talks to resolve the war in Syria. Russia supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Qatar and Saudi Arabia both back anti-government forces.

Key words : voter France
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170611_21/

Voters in France have begun casting ballots in the first round of a lower house election.

The focal point of the election is whether the new political party led by the country's new president, Emmanuel Macron, can win a majority to build a stable support base.

Voting began at 8 AM on Sunday at about 67,000 polling stations across France.

Five-hundred--and-seventy-seven seats in the National Assembly are up for grabs.

Run-off elections will be held one week later in constituencies where no-one wins a majority in the first round.

Macron, who took office last month, formed a new party, LREM, which is fielding candidates in more than 500 constituencies.

The ruling center-left Socialist Party and the center-right largest opposition Republican Party are contesting more than 400 constituencies.

The far-right National Front led by Marine Le Pen has more than 570 candidates.

The latest poll shows that Macron's new party has the highest support rate. According to some predictions, his party may win about 400 seats, or more than two-thirds of the total.

Key words : Sunday marks
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170611_12/

Sunday marks 6 years and 3 months since a major earthquake and tsunami struck Japan's northeastern region in March 2011.

The National Police Agency has confirmed 15,894 deaths in the disaster. 69 of them have yet to be identified. 2,550 people are still listed as missing across 6 prefectures.

The Reconstruction Agency says the number of evacuees who died in shelters or from disaster-related causes was at least 3,523, as of the end of last September.

Key words : proposed ban
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170611_19/

A proposed ban on indoor smoking is likely to be postponed, as the health ministry and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party could not work out their differences in time to submit a bill in the current Diet session.

The health ministry tried to submit the bill banning smoking in all restaurants, with small bars and similar establishments exempted. But the LDP demanded more relaxed rules. They argue that a ban would hurt small businesses.

The ministry wants to allow exceptions only during a transition period of a few years, after which time smoking would be banned everywhere in principle.

Meetings between health minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki and LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Toshimitsu Motegi failed to narrow the gap.

While the ministry continues to try to submit the bill in the current Diet session, it is expected to be postponed, as both sides are finding it difficult to compromise further with only one week left before the session ends.

Key words : wheelchair won crown
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170611_15/

Japanese wheelchair tennis player Yui Kamiji has won the women's doubles title at the French Open.
She earlier took the singles crown as well.

Kamiji and her Dutch partner Marjolein Buis beat their opponents from the Netherlands 6-3, 7-5 in Saturday's final.

It's the third time that Kamiji has won both the singles and doubles titles at a major tournament. She previously claimed both titles with a different partner at the 2014 French and US Opens.

Key words : king of fruit
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170611_13/

One of Thailand's prized durians, also known as "the king of fruit", has fetched almost 9,000 dollars at a charity auction.

Around 100 people gathered outside Bangkok on Saturday to bid on the durians, which gave off their distinctive odor.

One of the creamy, pungent fruits usually fetches about 10 dollars at a market. The auction was organized to identify "the king of kings."

9 premium durians, produced locally and weighing between 2 and 5 kilos, were put on the auction block.

A restaurant owner made the winning bid of around 8,800 dollars. He said he wanted it no matter how much he had to pay.

He also said he plans to enjoy the world's number one smell for a few days before he shares the durian with colleagues.

The producer of the winning fruit said the event made her want to get even better at growing durians.

The organizer says the auction proceeds will go to local hospitals and facilities for the disabled.

at 20:01 (JST), June 3

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to expand sanctions on North Korea.

The European Union and China have reaffirmed their cooperation in the fight against climate change under the Paris Agreement.

The United Nations says health workers are racing to contain the spread of cholera in war-torn Yemen after nearly 600 people died in just over a month.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/rj/podcast/mp3/20170603200100_1_english.mp3


Key words : UN security adopted signal
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170603_07/

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to expand sanctions on North Korea.

The council members unanimously voted for the resolution on Friday.

The United States, Japan, and China played the major roles in discussions on the resolution after North Korea launched ballistic missiles 3 weeks in a row last month.

The resolution adds 14 North Korean individuals and 4 entities to the list of targets for a global travel ban and asset freeze. It seeks to cut off funding for the North's nuclear and missile programs.

The individuals include senior officials of state institutions involved in intelligence and nuclear-related activities as well as a representative of a commercial bank that deals in missile-related parts.

Among the entities are firms involved in nuclear development and exports of coal and metals.

It is the first sanctions resolution against North Korea adopted by the Security Council since November of last year. The previous resolution followed Pyongyang's 5th nuclear test last September and included an export ban on North Korean coal.

The new resolution signals the united stance of the international community to put pressure on North Korea.
China and Russia, which have deep ties with Pyongyang, also supported it.

Observers say it is not clear whether the expanded list of sanctions targets will lead to halting further provocative acts by the North.

Key words : Japanese welcomed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170603_19/

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have welcomed a new UN Security Council resolution against North Korea.

Kishida and Tillerson spoke by telephone on Saturday morning, Japan time, after the Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted the resolution to expand sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.

Kishida and Tillerson affirmed that Japan and the United States will work with South Korea to apply more pressure on Pyongyang, including through the United Nations.

They also agreed to continue pressing China and Russia to take leading roles in efforts to halt North Korea's nuclear and missile development.

Kishida later told reporters that Japan appreciates the new Security Council resolution, which represents the will of the international community to increase pressure on Pyongyang.

During the phone conversation with Tillerson, Kishida also referred to President Donald Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate change agreement.

He told Tillerson that the decision is a disappointment, but conveyed Japan's intention to explore ways for the two countries to work together on climate change.

Key words : Japanese defense agreed
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170603_29/

The defense chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea have agreed to work closely together to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo met in Singapore on Saturday on the sidelines of an annual security conference.

The 3 agreed that Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development poses a threat to the security of the region and the world.

They confirmed that they will increase their calls on the international community to firmly implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea.

They agreed that their nations will hold more joint defense exercises, including drills to cope with ballistic missile launches, and will boost their response capabilities through greater information sharing and other methods.

Later, Inada met separately with the South Korean defense chief. She told him that she hopes cooperation between their countries will proceed in a forward-looking and future-oriented manner under South Korea's new government.

Han said it is important that South Korea, Japan and the US work together to effectively deal with the North Korean threats which he described as heightened and more real.

Inada and Han agreed to continue working together, taking into consideration a bilateral pact struck last year to share security intelligence.

Key words : Chinese delegate
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170603_24/

A Chinese delegate to a security conference in Singapore says the root cause behind rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula is mutual distrust between Pyongyang and Washington.

Lieutenant General He Lei made the remark to reporters at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday. He is the Vice President of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

The general was responding to calls made at the conference for China to rein in North Korea and restrain its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

He also said North Korea's nuclear development affects his country's national interest. He emphasized that China will continue to address the issue along with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the annual conference, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada expressed concerns over the militarization of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea.

However, General He Lei said his country supports and adheres to international and regional rules. He noted that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have signed a declaration on the conduct of parties in the South China Sea. He added that they recently agreed on a draft framework of a code of conduct.

China is improving ties with the Philippines and Vietnam, two of the parties locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, by providing huge economic support to them.

The country seems to be trying to avoid the kind of outright confrontation with other countries that was seen in past meetings of the Shangri-La Dialogue. China apparently wants to avert external friction ahead of the Chinese Communist Party Congress which is held every 5 years.

Key words : European China reaffirm
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170603_06/

The European Union and China have reaffirmed their cooperation in the fight against climate change under the Paris Agreement.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Belgium on Friday.

The 2 sides held a joint news conference after the talks.
Tusk called US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement a big mistake. He said the fight against climate change will continue with or without the US. He said the EU and China reaffirmed that they will continue to work together to achieve the goals of the accord.

Li said stable relations between China and the EU are useful amid growing uncertainty around the world.

The EU and China had planned to adopt a joint statement that would include a pledge to lead efforts against global warming. But they had to abandon the plan due to disagreement on a different issue.

Juncker said cooperation with China is beneficial and part of the EU's responsibilities.

Key words : United nations spread
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170603_16/

The United Nations says health workers are racing to contain the spread of cholera in war-torn Yemen after nearly 600 people died in just over a month.

The UN agency for children, UNICEF, says the dead are among some 70,000 people who have contracted the disease.

The agency warns the number of suspected cases may reach 130,000 in the next 2 weeks.

A UNICEF video shows medical workers treating children with substandard equipment in makeshift tents.

The outbreak comes amid intense fighting between government forces, backed by a Saudi Arabian-led coalition, and opposition troops.

The conflict has caused extensive damage to water purification facilities and other infrastructure, leading to a sharp decline in sanitary conditions.

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Geert Cappelaere said the agency urgently needs more funds to secure water and sanitary equipment to fight the cholera outbreak.

He called on all parties in the conflict to work toward a political settlement.