Asia News Wrap: Fukushima bosses told to pay $97b in damages and more…

From around Asia, here are a few stories that you may have missed this week.

Former bosses of the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant that suffered a meltdown in 2011 have been ordered to pay 13 trillion yen ($97 billion) for failing to prevent the disaster.

The bosses from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) were sued by shareholders over the meltdown, which was triggered by a tsunami.

The Japan Times reported that "in a historic first, the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday ordered four former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co. to pay 13.32 trillion yen to the company for damage caused by the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant following the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which led to three reactor meltdowns. The amount is believed to be the largest ever awarded by a court for a civil lawsuit."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attracted criticism on Monday when he unveiled the country's national emblem in New Delhi. The 6.5-meter-tall emblem was displayed on top of the new under-construction Parliament building.

The building is part of the government's 200-billion-rupee ($2.7 billion) plan to modernize old colonial government buildings in the capital.

The emblem is not new; it shows four Asiatic lions mounted back-to-back on a circular disc. Critics say the new lions look "ferocious" and stray from their original depiction. The Indian Express said, "The lions lack the restrained modeling and elegance of the original. They signify a muscular nationalism."

In Pakistan, 97 people have been killed and 101 others injured in separate rain-related accidents over the last three weeks, the country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Thursday.

Xinhua reported that southwestern Balochistan province remained the worst hit. Forty-nine people were killed and 48 others injured in the ongoing spell of monsoon rains that started on Monday in the province, according to a situation report released by the NDMA.

And in China, a new maritime patrol vessel called the Haixun-06 was launched. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday said the vessel is significant for maintaining shipping order and ensuring maritime traffic safety in the Taiwan Straits.