wrum to "newsline." the national transitional council had elected engineer and a former university professor as its interim prime minister in late october. the 24 member cabinet includes the military commander of the town.

the new government plans to launch a democratic administration next year. egypt's supreme military council has pledged to hold a presidential election by june next year to pave the way for democracy. but protesters are calling on the military to hand over power immediately. egyptians dissatisfied with military rule have been clashing with security forces since last week and at least 28 people have died and more than 2,000 have been injured over the past four days.

he added that a parliamentary election will be held next monday as originally scheduled. thousands of protesters have gathered in tahrir square in central cairo. the demonstrators say they plan to continue holding rallies to call for an immediate transfer of power. iraqi prime minister nuri al malaki is visiting japan and asking for investments from japanese companies pledging that local troops will be able to maintain security after the departure of the u.s. military next month. malaki spoke to nhk in tokyo on tuesday. >> translator: iraqi troops have become extremely capable and experienced in dealing with the threat of terrorism. i am confident they will be able

to maintain security. >> he called for investment from japan saying companies from around the world are doing business in iraq and generating intense competition. >> translator: japanese companies have a history of business achievement in iraq. i'm sure there's ample experience will allow them to overcome rivalry with companies from other countries. >> japan and iraq are solidifying economic ties. the prime minister yoshihiko noda pledged new loans of about $870 million for iraq to help develop its oil resources. noda met with the iraqi prime minister in tokyo tuesday to confirm the deal. he said iraq is the first among nations in the middle east and north africa to push forward with democratization process.

>> translator: i'm proud of japan's contributions to iraq's development through financial and technological assistance. i want it to develop into a new phase. >> he responded japan's financial assistance will help iraq develop and stabilize its society. a japanese consortium is having a meeting in the united arab emirates to offer knowledge of eco friendly technology to the countries. the three day conference opened monday. the 150 participants work for the oil industry in the gulf nations. the meeting was organized by the japan cooperation center petroleum, consortium of oil related businesses. the first day featured april experiment on oil powered generation and project to remove pollutants from natural gas.

an executive official of the national oil company says he expects japan will play a very porp role in helping them take care of the environment, while producing oil. >> translator: we have advanced technologies to handle the environmental issues in oil production. we hope japan can strengthen ties with gulf nations by supplying its technologies. >> japan intends to offer environmental technologies to the gulf countries in the hope of securing oil, which is becoming increasingly crucial as the domestic energy resource, especially after the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. italy's new prime minister is ready to slash his country's massive debts. it's a promise made to the european union. he confirmed his commitment to push ahead with reforms during a meeting in brussels with the european counsel president and the european commission president.

he told leaders the new government will do its best to take action as other eu countries expect. borosso said the world is paying close attention to what italy does and says he is confident the nation will work to ensure reforms are carried out and added that the eu will send a team of inspectors to rome to monitor the country's efforts. the u.s. has released numbers on the economy. the economy did grow, but at a slower pace than expected. the commerce department said tuesday the country's gross domestic product increased by annualized rate of 2% in the third quarter. that's down .5% from the preliminary figure released late last month. private consumption grew 2.3%. that's 0.1 percentage points off

the estimate. corporate inventory that tracks activity of manufacturing sector grew 14.8%. that's below the preliminary figure of 16.3%. in tokyo, more than 5 million people were stranded after the march 11th earthquake. japanese officials in charge of natural disaster measures are now putting pressure on businesses to be more prepared. a cabinet office survey found more than 47% of respondents said they left their office or school within hours after the earthquake, although most public transport was suspended. more than 5 million people ended up stranded and unable to get home. national and local government officials met with representatives from business groups on tuesday to discuss the problem. a guideline compiled at the meeting says firms should dissuade employees from leaving their offices after disasters. rescue operations and fire fighting should be given

priority. it recommends they store supplies of food and drinking water to last for three days. >> translator: the tokyo metropolitan government will make the guideline official regulation. we have that local governance nearby will follow suit. time to look at the extended weather forecast for selected cities around the world.

that wraps up this holiday edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

the kids are back in school, in bali, indonesia. alit is a ninth grade student here. he was born and raised in bali. and boy can he surf. in fact, he won a stunning victory at the junior surfing

championship in april. that's when he was recruited and became a pro surfer. alit is entering a surfing competition. to make his dreams come true. today we look at alit, a young pro surfer. bali, indonesia. the island attracts over 2 million tourists from all over the world every year. the most bustling place is kuta

beach where surfers ride the waves all year-round. it's also the sign of indonesia's first ever surfing contest. alit started surfing at the age of six, when his father bought him a used surfboard. since then he has surfed at kuta beach every day.

>> kopling is a surfer, 34 years old. he immediately recognized alit's talent and offered had him coaching for skills. surfing involves riding waves as long as possible while performing maneuvers. alit has trouble balancing his upper body when executing his moves. catching a good wave is the most important part of surfing.

kopling gives instructions. alit will debut in the international competition. how well can he compete with the world's top surfers? >> alit's first international competition is a week away. the little surfer studies at this junior high. the school has about 1300 students.

as kuta is a popular tourist attraction, the school emphasizes foreign languages. japanese is one of them. today's lesson is writing hiragana. can he do it? it's difficult, isn't it?

well, maybe. alit is popular around town and many people call to him. he practices surfing right after school. in a surf contest, competitors

are judged on many factors, including the speed, difficulty, and variety of their maneuvers on the waves. but even if they've got the moves, falling off the board can cost a competitor a lot of points. alit is conscious of stabilizing his upper body while executing moves and above all completing a maneuver to the end. after practice he heads for a beach hangout. rindik is a traditional folk instrument in bali. alit has played it from an early

age. harmonious rhythms and sounds calm him. alit lives in a house right by the beach. his mother suastini is a balinese dance teacher. his father, wirta, is a security guard. alit helps prepare for dinner as part of his daily routine. his family has seven members, including his grandparents, parents, and two brothers. they haven't had dinner together

for a long time. >> alit will take a high school entrance exam next year. in the future, he wants to work where he can show case the beauty of kuta's ocean.

before dawn, he and his mentor visit an hour drive from kuta. this is the site of the prosurfing tournament. the waves of kuta and keramas are completely different in shape and size. they are here to have a look.

many surfers are waiting for waves. many of them will compete in the same surfing event as alit. they're putting on an impressive show of high performance surfing.

meanwhile, alit can't even catch a wave. he also still hasn't overcome his upper body balance problems. alit isn't surfing the way he wants. he's getting frustrated. three days left until the competition. this is his oldest brother. he takes good care of his ten years younger brother. seeing alit at his wit's end

about surfing, he suggests they go fishing. alit loves to fish. the brothers join friends to go fishing. boats are usually used for carrying surf tourists. these children always helped him get on board. this fishing trip is a reward for their work. the smile is back on alit's

face. fishing was a refreshing change for him. alit's world tournament debut is tomorrow. he's going to pray with his parents. the majority of bali islanders believe in balinese hinduism. there is a shrine to the ancestors on the grounds of the house. alit's mother puts a red petal on his head. it symbolizes the blessings of the sun. his father sprinkles holy water over him. it is believed to have the power

of god. the competition has gun. the top sur fs participate in asia's biggest surfing event. a group of four surfers compete

in tournament format. they're judged on strength, difficulty and speed of moves during the 25 minute heat. alit's turn has come at last. he is wearing a white shirt. the guy in yellow is also from indonesia. the others in red and blue are australians. right away, his rivals catch

good waves and nail maneuvers one after another. the first ten minutes are up. alit still hasn't caught a wave. ten more minutes to go. kopling can't help shouting instructions to alit. alit catches a wave. it's not big, but he finally manages to stabilize his upper

body. now he drops into a wave caller than himself. nice ride. way to go, alit. alit's first international pro surf contest is over. he finished last in his group.

it was a bittersweet debut. at kuta beach the next day, alit the little prosurfer trains for the next competition.