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.