craig dale. >>> a thai court accepted a suit against yingluck shinawatra. 28 senators a complain she removed a nark security chief three years ago for her own benefit. the case could oust her from office. thailand's accepted the suit. if the court rules the personnel transfer was unconstitutional. yingluck will have to immediately leave her post. last month the lower house elections were annulled. the prime minister is also facing a challenge from the anti-corruption commission. the panel is investigating charges of a dereliction of duty. if the case is forwarded to the senate, the prime minister could be impeached and removed from office. >>> a u.n. report says the 2011 nuclear accident at fukushima daiichi is not likely to cause a significant rise in new cancer cases in the immediate area. >> for the vast majority of those exposed in japan, there is no discernible increase in future cancer rates expected which means, in other words, cancer rates will remain stable. >> the u.n. scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation released the report on wednesday. it includes anal

more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: smoke streamed into the air and charred cars littered the street. this video from syrian state television reportedly shows the aftermath of yet another deadly attack. this one blamed on forces fighting against president bashar al assad's regime. the conflict in syria has been going on for three years now, and it's been grinding on as world leaders grapple with the situation in ukraine. with u.s. and russian officials at odds over the state of things in that country, the urgency to push the warring sides to negotiate peace seems to have faded somewhat. >> syria remains a humanitarian catastrophe. >> reporter: u.s. secretary of state john kerry says he and his russian counterpart are still working on it. >> i was talking to partners with lavrov. we were talking about the need for movement in syria. and the ability to complete the task. >> reporter: in the meantime, more syrians die every day. u.n. officials say more than 100,000 have died since the conflict began. >> killings, cruelty, persons in detention, disappearances. >> reporter: the

nhk world's craig dale has details. >> security forces in eastern ukraine are staying on alert. these officers set up a checkpoint on a main road. we're looking for guns and other weapons says this colonel. they're trying to cut off supplies to pro-russian activists who are camped out at government buildings in a bid for greater regional autonomy. if a multinational agreement takes hold the nearly two week long occupations could come to an end. top diplomat from the u.s., the eu, ukraine, and russia, met in geneva. they crafted a deal designed to de-escalate the situation. >> all sides must refrain from the use of violence, intimidation, or provocative actions. >> under the agreement illegally armed groups must be disarmed, and pro-russian activists must vacate illegally occupied buildings and other areas. a team from the organization for security and cooperation in europe will monitor those steps. the agreement also calls on ukraine's interim leaders to hold broad national dialogue as they work to reform the constitution. >> translator: we have no doubts that the constitution w

craig dale, nhk world. >>> u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel has voiced concern over territorial disputes in the south china sea. >> the rights of all nations must be respected. it's important that all claimants avoid the use or threat of force, or intimidation, or coercion. >> hagel spoke after a meeting with defense ministers from the association of southeast asian nations in hawaii. analysts say his remarks were seen as indirect criticism of china's increased maritime activities in the south china sea. hagel dismissed the view that inviting asean defense ministers to hawaii was aimed at containing china. it's the first time that the united states has hosted such a meeting. hagel will soon visit japan and china. >>> japan is opening its doors a bit wider for migrant workers. ron madison has the latest from the business desk. >> yeah, that's right. the japanese government will take temporary measures to secure more foreign workers for construction. the industry is facing a labor shortage ahead of the 2020 tokyo ol

craig dale, nhk world. >>> iranian leaders are sending more signals they want to improve relations with the united states. and travelers could be among the first to benefit. vice president has told nhk that direct flights between the two countries might be operating again by the end of the year. >> translator: we've had serious discussions with one u.s. airline and an agreement appears to be in sight. >> he also serves as the head of iran's tourist organization. he said visitor arrivals to iran climbed 160% in the past month, from the same time last year. he said the two sides are looking to begin flights between the u.s. mainland and kish island in the persian gulf. iran has designated the island a free trade zone aiming to attract foreign investment. he says the route could become an important one knowing that many iranians live in the united states. the airline talks are taking place amid progress in negotiations with western countries over iran's nuclear program. iran and the u.s. severed diplomatic relations after the islamic revolution in 1979. >>> let's now get the latest busines

craig dale, hq world. >>> now, toyota is again recalling some of its products. ron madison joins me with the details. >> this is just the latest setback for the automaker, which has issued a several major recalls in the past recent months, shery. executives there announcing that they are recalling more than 6 million vehicles worldwide. the automaker will recall 27 models such as its subexact cars. also included is the subaru tressia which toyota produces. the recall will amount to 6.39 million vehicles. they were made between october 2004 and august, 2013. officials at the transport ministry say they found five different defects. they pointed out problems with the driver's seat, as well as glitches with the engine's starter that poses a fire risk. toyota motors in japan will begin offering free repairs at its dealerships from thursday. let's get a check of the markets now. investors in asia encouraged by a pause in the recent declines that we've seen on wall street. as you can see here, most of our markets in the region have finished higher. a stronger yen sent

more from hq world's craig dale. >> reporter: pro-russian activists in eastern ukraine are building up their barricades and they're loading up their weapons. they're facing a deadline to disarm with defiance. acting president oleksandr turchinov says he'll launch an anti-terrorist operation if they don't put down their guns. he spoke after police moved in on activists in one city, a firefight left one officer dead and five others hurt. the unrest started more than a week ago and it's been spreading. pro-russian activists have taken over government buildings. they're demanding greater regional autonomy. leaders in kiev and the west say it's a well organized campaign by russia. they say president vladimir putin is looking for an excuse to send in soldiers, just as he did in crimea. putin annexed the ukrainian republic last month. but the russians deny they're involved, the u.n. ambassador called on emergency meeting of the security council to express concern over the plan to use force to deal with the armed activists. other delegates shot back. >> we know who is behind this. indeed the o

craig dale, nhk world. >>> u.s. military commanders are blaming the russians for what they called provocative action. a spokesperson for the pentagon said a russian fighter jet made repeated close-range passes near a u.s. ship. the "uss donald cook" was patrolling on saturday in international waters in the black sea. spokesperson colonel steve warren said the aircraft appeared to be unarmed but he said it approached the destroyer 12 times in an hour and a half. he said the ship's crew made multiple attempts to contact the pilot without any response. he said these continued acts of provocations and unprofessionalism do nothing to de-escalate the situation in ukraine. >>> "the washington post" and "the guardian" newspapers are among the winners of this year's pulitzer prize. they were singled out for their coverage of secret surveillance programs by the u.s. national security agency. the pulitzer committee announced the winners in more than 20 journalism and arts categories in new york. they awarded the public service

craig dale, nhk world. >>> let's now turn to business with ron madison. >>> well, analysts hoping for good news on the japanese economy might be disappointed by the latest cabinet office data. the nation's key economic index fell in february for the first time in eight months. the cabinet office says the coincident index for february stood at 113.4. that's down 1.8 points from the previous month. the figure has data from economic indices including those on employment and production. officials are blaming heavy snow for a fall in output of sales of automobiles. shipments of boilers and turbines for power plants also fell after a huge increase the previous month. now in terms of the leading index which forecasts the state of the economy in the coming months, it also fell 4.6 points. the outlook on sales for small and midsize companies worsened on the back of concerns about the consumption tax hike which, of course, kicked in this month. officials say declines in demand have affected the index for housing, and other sectors, following a pretax hike surge. >>> let's get a check of the mar

nhk world's craig dale reports. >> reporter: the barricades in eastern ukraine keep growing. the crowds and the provisions, too. but these pro-russian demonstrators are facing an eviction order. authorities want them to end their occupation of government buildings. the deputy interior minister says they're trying to reach a negotiated settlement. use of force remains an option. talk didn't work in one city. security forces went in and made arrests. these occupations have stretched on for nearly a week now. demonstrators say they want to hold referendums on greater regional autonomy. some even want to break away from ukraine. >> the evidence is overwhelming. >> reporter: but u.s. officials say those wants come directly from moscow. >> they very carefully orchestrated, well-planned, well-targeted, well-coordinated effort. >> reporter: russian leaders deny they're behind the protests. president vladimir putin says he's trying to improve the situation in ukraine. members of his administration say nato is trying to make things worse by releasing these satellite images, which the r

nhk world's craig dale has more. >> reporter: the cost of the crisis in ukraine is adding up. hundreds gathered at a memorial for three pro-russian activists. they say radical ukrainian activists killed the man last weekend in a shoot-out. leaders in kiev accuse russian agents of being behind the violence. pro-russian groups have occupied government buildings in eastern cities since earlier this month. they've been calling for greater regional autonomy. top diplomats from the u.s., the eu, ukraine, and russia, struck an agreement last week to try to end the unrest. the separatists are supposed to put down their weapons and leave the buildings. but nothing's changed. u.s. vice president joe biden blamed russian leaders during a visit to kiev. >> we call on russia to stop supporting men hiding behind masks, in unmarked uniforms, sowing unrest in eastern ukraine. >> ukraine's interim prime minister arseny yatsenyuk says russia should not behave like gangsters. but officials in moscow consistently deny they're behind the turmoil. foreign minister sergey lavrov says its ukrainian l

craig dale, nhk world. >>> thanks for that report, craig. >>> more than 1,000 demonstrators in brazil have taken to the streets of sao paulo. they're angry about government spending on the world cup. organizers are using taxpayer money to build new soccer stadiums, and make other preparations. protesters say the money should be used, instead, for medical services. they held banners reading, the world cup is sick. and health care in brazil is over and done with. >> translator: we don't have enough medical facilities. the government is spending huge amounts of money on the world cup. but many brazilians can't even afford a ticket. >> protesters also held demonstrations last year when brazil hosted the confederations cup. the world cup kicks off in june. but protesters are planning more rallies in host cities. >>> a team of experts says syrian authorities are suspected to have tortured more than 10,000 people to death. the team includes experts on international law and forensics. they explained their findings at an informal meeting of the u.n. security council. they analyzed about 55,000

more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: one by one they arrived to speak as gunmen stood by. these monitors with the organization for security and cooperation in europe have been held hostage since friday. >> i can only say please help us. >> reporter: pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine accuse them of being spies for the nato military alliance. the monitors say they haven't been hurt, but -- >> we have no indication when we will be sent home to our countries. >> reporter: the separatists released one in the group for health reasons. they say they could free the rest in exchange for pro-russian activists who are in custody. the osce monitors have been trying to help implement a multinational agreement aimed at ending this weeks-long crisis. armed groups have been occupying government buildings and police stations across the east. they're calling for greater autonomy. this separatist leader in the region of donetsk promised who hold a referendum on independence in mid-may. leaders of ukraine's interim government, and those in the west, blame russia for fuelling this tur

more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: pro-russian demonstrators are tossing more fuel on the political fires in ukraine. they've occupied government buildings in the east, and in the city of donetsk they declared they would establish an independent state. they're promising to hold a referendum on the matter. some ukrainians feel recent history is repeating itself. voters in crimea decided in a referendum last month to join the russian federation. president vladimir putin sent in troops and moved quickly to annex the ukrainian republic. leaders in kiev say he's trying to carve out more territory. >> translator: the interim prime minister says an anti-ukrainian plan is under way to allow foreign troops to cross the border and the foreign minister says the unrest in the east is not home grown. >> also this was done by the most likely by the so-called russian political tourists. >> reporter: u.s. secretary of state john kerry expressed similar concerns in a phone call with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov. >> the secretary noted the ukrainian government's assertion that thi

nhk world craig dale reports. thesededemt to hold referendums on greaterne. the evidence is overwhelming. but us officials say those once come directly from moscow. a very carefully orchestrated p well d well coordinated effort russian leaders denied their behind the protests president but he knew who he says he's trying to improve the situation in ukraine members of his administration say nato is trying to make things worse by releasing these satellite images which the russians say are months old. but officials with the alliance maintain the images are fraction show up to forty . thinks green aircraft. rotary wing aircraft artillery. nato's top general says the force has what it needs to accomplish military objectives. it certainly has the capability to do a limited incursion. if directed and eastern ukraine complicating matters is a growing dispute over energy koen is warning european leaders that natural gas supplies to ukraine will be cut off if the country doesn't pay its debt to russia's gazprom. some of the gas used by european nations is routed throug