The EBU brings together major world news broadcasters today (Thursday 3 November) to discuss international responses to major breaking stories of global impact, such as catastrophes, conflicts or disease pandemics.

Leaders from EBU Associate Member NHK, Japan, and New Zealand public broadcaster TVNZ will attend the meeting, in Cascais, Portugal, to relate their respective experiences of the Fukushima quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster of March this year, and the Christchurch earthquake, in September 2010.

The panel debate will take place during the annual News Xchange conference, which is underwritten by Eurovision and gathers senior executives from the worldwide news industry to take stock of the business and exchange news agendas, ideas and development strategies.

The two-part session, called The Story of the Year, opens this afternoon, with NHK's coverage of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters taken as a case study.

Takehiko Kusaba, NHK Director of the Office of Global Policy, Planning & Cooperation, News Dept, will give a special presentation to explain how, through the EBU's Eurovision News Exchange, NHK shared its footage of the unfolding disaster with the world.

EBU Head of News & Events Jeff Dubin said: "As the world gets smaller and more interdependent, increasingly internationally-minded audiences recognize the importance of foreign news. It is is important and valuable that news providers  share experiences and explore ways to fulfil their common purpose of delivering quality news and information as quickly and efficiently as possible."

The second half of the session, moderated by Jussi-Pekka Rantanen, a news anchor for Finnish Member YLE, will focus on the best responses to domestic breaking news, with leading figures from TVNZ, NHK, the AlertNet humanitarian news site and US broadcaster CBS contributing.