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>>> hello and welcome back to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. a separatist leader in eastern ukraine is rejecting the upcoming presidential election, and seeking closer ties with russia. >>> prime minister shinzo abe and his israeli counterpart have agreed on a partnership that will create new opportunities for japanese businesses. >>> and some japanese entrepreneurs are hoping to sell clients around the world on one of the world's most coveted delicacies. >>> a separatist leader in eastern ukraine says his group won't take part in the upcoming presidential election. pushylin says the people have chosen independence from kiev and says he'll seek formal ties with moscow. pro-russian activists staged a referendum on sunday in defiance of ukraine's interim leaders. pushylin says about 90% of the voters in the donetsk region and 90% in the luhansk region backed autonomy. >> translator: the people of the donetsk region have endorsed the establishment 6 the donetsk people's republic, which we declared on april 7th. >> pushylin said he will ask leaders

>>> hello an welcome back to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. a let's get started with the head lines. rescue efforts are under way in turkey after an explosion in a coal mine killed more than 200 people, and left dozens more unaccounted for. >>> philippine officials say china has been reclaiming land off disputed islands in the south china sea, and they may be constructing a military facility. >>> and the first japanese commander of the international space station has returned to earth after six months in orbit. rescuers in western turkey are working around the clock after an explosion in a coal mine. they're trying to reach dozens of miners trapped underground. more than 200 people have been killed. officials said about 780 people were in the mine at the time of the explosion. 205 have been confirmed dead. rescue workers have saved more than 360 people. they're still searching for at least 100 others. officials suspect a flaw in the mine's electrical system triggered the blast. turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. he ca

i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. gg99Ññww but as you are watching live from paris on france 24 for the latest news. putin -- vladimir hasian vladimir putin visited crimea. a militaryattending parade there this friday. grace in italym continues. former prime minister silvio berlusconi has started committee service at alzheimer's home. and another

>>> hello and welcome back to "newsline," i'm shery ahn. let's get started with a look at the head lines. a standoff with vietnam isn't stopping a chinese oil drilling project in the south china sea. japanese officials have turned to a popular financial tool to house millions of aging citizens. >>> and ukraine's military has launched air strikes against pro-russian separatists, who seized an airport in the country's embattled east. >>> chinese authorities are moving ahead with a project that has raised tensions in the south china sea. they say they've completed the first stage of an oil drilling operation near the paracel islands. the plan has triggered a standoff between china and vietnam. both countries claim the islands. officials with a unit of a state-run oil company say equipment is in place for the next stage. they say the second phase will be completed in august. vietnamese officials say the area's within their country's exclusive economic zone. crews on fishing boats from the two countries have joined the standoff between governmen

i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. the standoff continues between chinese and vietnamese vessels in disputed waters in the south china sea. >>> chinese authorities are detained a pro-democracy journalist ahead of the 25th anniversary of the tiananmen incident. >>> and producers have adopted an innovative strategy to promote japan and japanese products overseas. >>> the standoff between chinese and vietnamese maritime police continues in disputed waters in the south china sea. vietnamese officials reported collisions between vessels there wednesday. vietnamese officials askused chinese of ramming their ships and firing water cannons. they said the encounters took place near the paracel islands. both countries lay claim to the territory. earlier this month a chinese state-run oil company began drilling in the seabed in the disputed waters. vietnamese government officials say the area is in their exclusive economic zone. that i have been demanding that china remove the oil rig. they say that about 80 chinese str vessels r

i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. >>> thailand's former prime minister has reported to the military. they summoned more than 150 political leaders after the coup. >>> authorities are calling a deadly attack on a street market in china an act of terrorism. >>> and soccer fans are counting down to the opening match of the world cup, but brazilians have mixed feelings about the tournament. >>> the thai military has taken control of the government. they've been locked in political turmoil with widespread anti-government protests eventually leading to the dismissal of yingluck shinawatra as prime minister. she has appeared at a military fa tilt in bangkok after being summoned there. and thai people are adjusting to life under new rules. our reporter has the latest from bangkok. >> reporter: schools and universities have all been ordered to stay closed, and traffic is slow on some roads into the capital because of military checkpoints. but most people seem calm, going about their busine

i'm shery ahn. let's get started with a look at the head lines. police in south korea are questioning an elderly man after a fire kills 21 people at a hospital. japanese ship builders hope to catch up to their rivals by designing a new generation of energy saving vessels. >>> and only two weeks to go until the world cup kicks off in brazil. people are still wondering how ready the country is to host the games. >>> south korean police are questioning a male patient of a hospital for the elderly. they suspect he may have deliberately set fire to the facility, killing 21 people. investigators are also looking into safety measures at the hospital. now the fire in south jeolla province also injured eight people. many of the victims were overcome by smoke. >> translator: all of the victims were the bedridden patients, who were unable to escape by themselves. and so despite the rescue efforts, many people perished. >> police have detained a man in his 80s who they say has dementia. they're now questioning

>>> hello and welcome back to "newsline" i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. south korean president park geun-hye has apologized for the government's response to a ferry disaster and has vowed to re-examine safety measures. >>> japan's governing coalition will review the legal basis for the country's security, including the right to collective self-defense. >>> and nigeria's president leaves a summit in france with further support in the search for more than 200 schoolgirls held captive by islamic extremists. >>> the president of south korea has apologized to the nation for a recent ferry disaster. in a televised address, park geun-hye says she failed to act properly in the hours immediately after the accident and pledged to reform the rules dealing with maritime safety. >> translator: i accept responsibility for not dealing with the accident in an appropriate way. i will work hard to make our country a safer place to ensure the victims didn't die in vain. >> it was park's first public apology since the april 6th disaster. she suggested several reforms, includ

i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. three people were killed and dozens injured in a gun and knife attack in china's xinjiang uighur aton mouse region. >>> government leaders admit they've lost control of eastern regions. >>> japanese consumers have cut down their spending since a consumption tax hike. analysts are examining its impact on the nation's economy. >>> chinese president xi jinping is calling for decisive actions against those behind an attack in a part of his country with a history of unrest. armed assailants killed three people and wounded 79 others at a railway station in the western xinjiang uighur atono mouse region. nhk world reports from beijing. >>> security forces fanned out at a railway station in urumqi. the regional capital. they are investigating what's being called a terror attack. the state-run xinhua news agency says knife yielding mobs started slashing people at an exit. then they set off explosives. police haven't announced any arrests. president xi jinping has just spent four days in the re

i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. us.hank you for joining these are the headlines for you this hour. pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine claimed a landslide victory in sunday's vote for more autonomy. they deny any accusation of voter fraud in the referendum that kiev and the west call a legitimate. last day ofin the its massive six-week election. the opposition leader is seen to be the front router -- front runner for minister. results will not come out for friday. game one of th

>>> hello and welcome back to "newsline," i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. the families of japanese abducted by north korean agents are hoping a new investigation will finally lead to their relatives coming home. >>> residents living near a nuclear plant in southwestern japan are saying no to allowing the facility to go back online. they filed for a temporary court injunction. >>> and japan's prime minister is set to address leaders from across asia, and remind them he will not tolerate the use of force to change the status quo. >>> north korean authorities have agreed to open a new investigation into the fate of japanese citizens abducted in the 1970s and '80s. japanese government officials say north korean agents kidnapped at least 17 japanese nationals. prime minister shinzo abe says he hopes the investigation will finally resolve the issue. negotiators reached the agreement after three days of talks in stockholm. in response the japanese say they're ready to ease restrictions on travel, and allow north korean ships on humanitarian missions into japanese

i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. a court has ruled against restarting two nuclear reactors in central japan. it's the first such decision since the nuclear disaster three years ago. >>> engineers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have carried out a new plan to divert groundwater into the sea. >>> twin bombings kill more than 100 people in central nigeria. an attack authorities believe could be the work of the islamist militant group boko haram. people opposed to a plan to restart two reactors at a nuclear plant in central japan have won a victory. a japanese court says safety measures at the plant are insufficient, and it's ordered the operator to keep the reactors offline. now this is the first ruling against a restart of a nuclear plant since the accident at fukushima daiichi three years ago. the two reactors at the ohi nuclear plant in fukui prefecture were shut down in september for regular inspections. residents and their supporters have had filed a lawsuit asking for the reactors to be kept offline. they a

i'm shery ahn. japanese prime minister shinzo abe has announced north korean officials have promised to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the abductions of japanese nationals by north korean agents. abe spoke on the results of government talks that ended in sweden on wednesday. he said pyongyang has promised to investigate the fate of all japanese citizens, including abductees and those who were allegedly abducted but not officially recognized as abductees. he said a special investigative committee will be set up based on the promise. he stressed that a complete resolution of the abduction issue is the top priority of his government. >> officials from both nations met for three days in stockholm. the japanese government says at least 17 people were kidnapped in the 1970s and '80s. five of them returned to japan in 2002. hundreds of other people are suspected to have been abducted by the north. as we just mentioned, north korean authorities have promised to launch a comprehensive fresh inves

>>> hello and welcome back to "newsline," i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the head lines. more than 170 people have been injured in a subway accident in seoul. >>> and pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine say the government has launched a military operation to retake a city. >>> more than 170 people have been injured in a subway crash in the south korean capital of seoul. the accident happened around 3:30 p.m. on friday on the number two line. it's the second oldest route in seoul, and one of the most crowded. one train rammed into the rear of another that was stopped at a station. rescue teams say 172 people were injured. some of them suffered sprained ankles, passengers were seen leaving the scene calmly. >> translator: i heard an announcement in the train asking us to move forward to avoid danger. >> the operator of the subway says there's a system to maintain a safe distance between trains. police are looking into the cause of the crash. the accident comes just over two weeks after a ferry sank off the southern coast of south korea. more than 300 people are dead

i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. >>> official chinese media reports explosions in the volatile western region of xinjiang have killed more than 30 people. >>> police in taiwan say a university student who stabbed passengers on a subway train planned the attack for a day when he had no classes. >>> and more than a month after the south korean ferry disaster, some students are working to make sure the tragedy is never forgotten. >>> a website affiliated with china's communist party says explosions in the xinjiang uighur autonomous region have killed at least 31 people and wounded 94. the state run xinhua news agency reports the blast occurred after two vehicles crashed into a market. xinhua says explosives were thrown out of the vehicles and towards shoppers in the regional capital urumqi. a resident near the scene spoke with nhk near the phone. photos reportedly taken near the scene have been posted on the internet. state-run tv says president xi jinping has called the attack a vi