it's 10:00 p.m. in tokyo, welcome to "newsline," i'm michio kijima. credit ratings agency, moody's has downgraded banks in britain and portugal. it comes amid rising conrn that the prolo debt problems in urg could hurt the health of the financial institutions in the region. moody's said on friday it cut its senior debt and deposit ratings for the royal bank of scotland and nationwide building society by two notches.

lloyd's tsb has been downgraded by one notch. while the ratings of nine other institutions have been cut by one, to five notches. in a statement, moody's cited a potential decrease in official support for ailing banks, saying the british government now more likely to let smaller institutions to go bankrupt. but it added the latest downgrades do not mean that the banking system has become less stable. on the same day moody's downgraded nine portuguese financial institutions by one to two notches. three women have been jointly awarded this year's nobel peace prize, they have contributed to achieving the full participation of women in peace activism. >> the norwegian nobel committee has decided that the nobel peace prize for 2011 is to be divided in three equal parts. between ellen johnson-sirleaf,

leymah gbowee and tawakku tawakkul karman, for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights, for full participation in peace-building work. >> the norwegian nobel committee announced the winners on friday. liberian president, ellen johnson-sirleaf is africa's first democratically-elected female president. she has contributed to securing peace in liberia. promoting economic and social development and strengthening the position of women. the liberian activist, leym leyman gbowee worked hard to bring the long war in liberia to an end to insure women's rights to participate in elections and yemenese activist karman played a leading part for the struggle of women in human rights campaign. the three winners will share about $1.5 million in prize

money. the final nobel prize winner for this year will be announced monday in the field of economic sciences. internationalors in afghanistan under fire. [ sirens ] th taliban is growing stronger. its fighters are expanding their reach across the country. afghan citizens are growing even more frustrated, many are fed up with the u.s.-led forces after a decade of war. >> translator: still no security in afghanistan. every day there is bomb blasts. >> the u.s. and its allies invaded afghanistan exactly ten years ago, friday, about a month after 9/11. the goal was to go after al qaeda and take down the taliban regime. president hamid karzai formed a new government, but the taliban is still a force in afghanistan. and its power seems to be

growing. nhk world's hideki yui visited the eastern part of the country to find out why. >> reporter: this is the main road leading to the eastern region from the capital, kabul. we found wreckage of a u.s. military fuel truck, apparently attacked by the taliban. this huge hole was created when the roadside bomb exploded. >> translator: a u.s. military vehicle was blown up here. the u.s. forces came quickly to collect the wreckage. >> reporter: our nhk crew contacted taliban members based in the eastern province of kunar. they said their unit had 30 troops fighting u.s. troops. to avoid detection, taliban members move around in small groups in the mountainous region. they say they have the support of local residents.

>> translator: thenid states continues to kill civilians. that's the reason why more people are joining us in the fight. >>eporter: residents o a nearby village have gathered to discuss the worsening security situation in the area. we spoke with some of them to find out what they thought of the situation. >> translator: u.s. forces contin to destroy our homes and schools. >> translator: the fighting is going on. but the government is failing to protect . rorr: many villagers criticize the united states and the administration of afghan president karzai. >> translator: there are no jobs here. the taliban provides allowances, so some people join the group in orr to feed their milies.

>>epter:ne of e participants has been supporting president karzai's efforts to rebuild afghanistan. but last year, one of his sons was killed in the u.s. military raid. his 11-year-old grandson lost a leg in the attack. the raid prompted another one of his sons to join the taliban. this man says he fierce his hopes for afghan reconstruction have been betrayed. >> translator: it's been a decade since the u.s. troops came. but life is getting worse. i have lost a son. and the suffering continues. >> reporter: ten years after the start of u.s. military operations, the backlash against the united states and disappointment at the afghan government are growing. even among people who had welcomed the collapse of the taliban. this resentment has helped the

insurgency to regain momentum. hideki yui, nhk world, kunar. u.s. president, barack obama has publicly voicedoncern abt pakistan spo f taban-affiliatednsgents nehboring afanista >>he'so dou that there's some cnectionsith pakisni lirynd intellinc services have with certain individuals that wein trouble. >> he made the remarks at a news conference on thursday. ctl epsastehr vio t as.es facing the u.s. government in winning pakistan's

cooperation in fighting the militants. u.s. president barack obama says the ongoing demonstrations in wall street and elsewhere in the nation reflect the increasing frustrations of americans since the financial crisis. he also blamed the republican party foblocki any pgress. obama oke at ahi hse ne cfence on thursday, as protests continue in cities across the u.s. against onntti mng inequality. stutns >>txpsshe usatns arin op f tt wadhe bies fanal csiin eson n ely seemr,ba unil a$4 bli js cke. fengax ienves t rpatns hirgew pleean pli wks nsuctionrojects forhe emoy. ai wldff , wch

unemployed jobs to build roads and bridges. he urged congress to approve the package. the tokyo electric power company or tepco has started spraying decontaminated water on the grounds of fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. tepco began spraying on friday, starting with trees which were cut down and piled on the plant's compound. the utility says dried trees represent a fire hazard. the water was taken from facilities for temporary storage of water, with low levels of radioactivity that had accumulated in the basements of two reactor turbine buildings. these buildings did not incur any damage in the march disaster. the facilities contain about 17,000 tons of such water and are filled to about 90% of their capacity. tepco removed salt and radioactive substances from the water before spraying. it says levels of radioactive substances in the water are below government standards for public beaches.

the company says local communities and fishery associations have approved the operation. tepco plans to release 100 tons of decontaminated water daily on 1.2 million square meters of land in the compound. japan's health ministry is preparing new safety guidelines for workers dealing with radioactive materials outdoors. until now, regulations only applied to people working inside a nuclear reactor. the new guidelines will require those involved in clean-up operations around the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant to wear protective masks and carry dosimeters to monitor radiation levels. a chinese diplomat has expressed appreciation and condolences to the family of a japanese man after saving chinese trainees from the march 11th tsunami. mituro sato, an executive of a fish processing company had

evacuated 20 female chinese nationals to safer ground before the tsunami hit the town. sato was later swept away and died in a gathering on friday, a diplomat from the chinese embassy met sato's family members and showed his heartfelt gratitude. he remarked that sato's heroic act was widely publicized in china and women were deeply moved by his courageous act. >> translator: the chinese people were deeply moved by mr. sato's personal sacrifice. i am very thankful for japanese friends who lent a helping hand to save chinese trainees. students from tamura city in fukushima prefecture have traveled to their sister city in the united states to thank people for their support following the march disaster. a group of 26 junior high studen schools in mansfield, ohio, othursday. the tamura students enjoyed an american school lunch and helped

the local students learn the art of orami. together they folded paper cranes. the japanese students thanked the people of mansfield for sending video messages of encouragement, when many tamura residents were forced to evacuate due to the nuclear crisis. >> i feel like they, like they can overcome this. and move on. >> translator: all the moral support from people in mansfield, has helped boost our spirits. now it's our turn to help the people in kamura city. this week's installment of the road ahead focuses on doctors in japan. an efforts to use their diverse skills. the march disaster exposed some weaknesses, some physicians to went to northeastern japan to help survivors were not comfortable working in the

field. doctors without borders is trying to help them. the international aid group provides emergency medical assistance to victims of national disasters and armed conflicts and is now trying to get japanese doctors better prepared to deal with the major crisis. nhk world's miho fukanaga reports. >> reporter: this woman has been a doctor for 30 years. she's been the president of medicine frontier japan since 2010. her main focus is on trying to broaden the skill set of her fellow physicians. more than 100 surgeons gathered in tokyo to hear her ideas. >> translator: imagine a japanese surgeon is dispatched to place where the doctor has to cover all specialties, including orthopedics and gynecology. medical schools in japan are good at developing experts, but not well-rounded doctors. i want to try to help increase the number of doctors who are

eligible to work in the field. >> reporter: the doctor says japan's march 11th disaster exposed a need for more general practitioners. msf japan sent teams to miyagi and iwate prefectures a day after the earthquake and tsunami hit. the doctors worked in evacuation centers with local medical staff. they treated survivors who developed hyperthermia and respiratory tract infections. a theanhoiver door wenooreaer jan oun'haoced on agsi lnse thhod veri to fd t ouhe patient's health. their family situation, and their immunization records. we need doctors with broader points of view in disaster areas. >> reporter: about 40% of the

participants at this seminar have volunteered in japan's northeast. many of them said they would like to work abroad in the future. physicians from nsf france and the international red cross are trying to help them prepare. they taught participants how to make triage decisions when faced with many casualties. they also showed them surgical techniques. >> translator: after march 11th, many japanese physicians must have realized that disaster medical care is not something we are specialized in. >> this is a very fresh case. >> reporter: the emphasis of the two-day seminar is practical skills. broken bones are the most common injuries in conflicts and natural disasters. so the doctors we see here are learning how to set them. the participants learned an

orthopedic technique called external skeletal fixation. they had to insert pins in bone fracture parts and then connect the pins by clamps. this treatment is often used in medical camps in conflict and natural disaster zones. because patients can move their injured legs or arms soon after their bones are set. but most of the doctors here had never tried the technique before. >> we need an x-ray. >> you don't have x-ray, you forget about it. >> translator: i've seen the method during surgeries, but i've never done it by myself. i've learned a lot. >> translator: natural disasters have increased around the world in recent years and the need for surgeons to work in disaster zones is also increasing. surgeons can treat injuries and also help with illnesses.

it is very important for medical experts to always think about these needs. and try to improve their skills. >> reporter:hear 11th disaster pmpted governments and medical societies in japan to review their emergency response systems. the france medical group said they should consider broadening the skills of doctors. that would help people in this country. and around the world. miho fukanaga, nhk world, tokyo. time to check on stories we've gathered from broadcasters around asia. we begin tonight with this item sent by cctv, china. heavy rainfall caused by tropical storms inundated low-lying areas in southern china's hainan province on wednesday, promoting evacuations, rainfall in the provincial capital reached a record 333 millimeters in just

24 hours. over 24,000 residents were evacuated to temporary shelters and provided with blankets and otr basic goods. the local weather department forecast more rain over the next two days. rspping e hindu goddess, durga puja has evolved into a large festival in bangladesh. it symbolizes the hard-fought victory the of good over evil. devotees erected about 28,000 temporary worship pavilions to sing hymns and praise the goddesses. on thursday, the last day of the event, thousands of devotees joined the procession through the capital, daka, the festival ended with the faithful immer immersiimmers immersing images of the goddess in waters. the government has urged telecom firms to move their aerial networks underground. designed to improve the quality of services and enhance the

beauty of cities. a senior government official made the announcement in phnom penh. he said the cable network in cambodia is fragile and messy the. and expressed hope that the relocation of the network underground would help improve service that is safe, secure and sustainable. now, more news in brief around the world. russian prime minister, vladimir putin, insists he is the person who can stabilize domestic politics. speaking ahead of his round for the presidency next march, putin said he will not hurry to reform russian society, but promised to create a safer economic environment for investment and business activities. libya's national transitional council has launched an all-out attack on moammar gadhafi's birth place of sert. forces loyal to gadhafi continue to resist, a fierce battle with gadhafi snipers is believed to be under way in the city.

however a commander told nhk that their troops are likely to gain control of the city in a couple of days. a senior south korean official says that north korea may conduct a third nuclear test or fire a missile if the north fails to receive economic assistance from the united states or south korea. both the u.s. and south korea have called on the north to immediately suspend its urine numb enrichment program. but it has refused. japan's mazda motor says it will end production of rotary engine cars next year. the company announced on friday that it will not make the rotary engine mounted rx 8 sports car after next june. the rotary engine has rotating triangular-shaped rotors and is more powerful than a conventional piston-driven engines. mazda was the first car maker to succeed marketing rotary gine cars since it first started rolling out thoseehicles in 1967, it has put about two million of them on the market. they include passenger and

sports cars. but production declined after the oil shocks of the 1970s, since the rotary engine is less fuel-efficient than regular engines. for the rx 8 sports car launch in 2003, mazda introduced a new cleaner rotary engine, with improved fuel efficiency. but global sales totalled only 2,800 units last year. the automaker says, however, that it will continue research and development of a new type of rotary engine. and here are the latest market figures.

mai shoji is up next with weather. >> hi there, and welcome back. time now it talk about our weather. starting off with east asia. we have a low, a potent one that is going to be disturbing much of the philippines and may trigger flooding, landslides and mudslides from the heavy rain to come. ample moisture is going to be disturbing around this area, and piling up there which will create heavy rain at times locally, and also going to be upping the risk of oong landslidestoo. indochina peninsula looking mey bauhe southwest monsoon has en enhanced. a low pressure system around

southeas rsith i moving towards the east. now tt ioing to be approaching northernarf japan, s maybe by sports day, atm ioio be approachinand briin wet and windy situation f u on our sports day on monday. early next week. however, for our ekend, loo li it's in to aery clear sky here in tokyo. r three-day weekend coming up, it's going to be nice weather. to come for our three manila at 31 degrees. here in north america, we've got two systems, those are like twins, it's going to be bringing heavy rain towards mexico. but as of now, no coastal warnings in western coast o mexico. it is going to be gearing towards the coast. and it looks like it's going to become a hurricane by local time saturday. is now moving in a west-northwest direction at the speed of 19 kilometers per ho. this is tropical storm jova.

we have irvin, which is already a hurricane. it looks like it's going to be making a similar path towards the western coast of mexico. it could merge with jo me ach din aowreur st, th i what we have been seeing, has been bringing snow t hhe elevations. and it is already bringing snow mh , it's going to be bringing snow towards saatew a maniba, central canada, in towards the weekend. and we have ser tndstms to ceust around this area. heavy rain and some unrstorm actually the rain could be welcoming for texas, kansas and oklama whe he bn seeing drought conditions to prevail. wer,haayrier fla flooding, so we wanto precauous forthat. eastern portion looking very clearnd calm a mi. washington, d.c. at 23

houston at 32. and seattle at 14, that's going to be a little chilly in the pacific northwest. here in europe, just stretching from the balkans and in towards western russia,long this front is wre we may see som severe activity. we may see some veryeavy rain in slovenia. this is very apparent, just arou this area. severe, and other side of the jet stream, wet and windy. and the temperatures are going to be dropping since last week. it's going to be a very huge drop. vienna, 13 degrees, as well as ndon. tisnta wmer 2 grs. re arer extended fosts.

once again, the top story at this hour, credit ratings agency, moody's has downgraded banks in britain and portugal. the move comes amid rising concerns that prolonged debt problems in europe could hurt the health of the financial institutions in the region. moody's said on friday that it has cut its senior debt deposit ratings for the royal bank of scotland and nationwide building society by two notches. lloyd's tsb has been downgraded by one notch, while ratings of nine other institutions have been cut by one to five notches. in a statement, moody's cited a potential decrease in official support for ailing banks, saying the british government is now more likely to let smaller institutions go bankrupt. but it added the latest downgrades do not mean the banking system has not become less stable. on the same day, moody's also downgraded nine portuguese financial institutions by one to two notches. and that's our broadcast for

this hour on "newsline," we'll be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.