when the vote counting is over, let's drink champagne. >> fighting words from putin and medvedev. but this election result will have an impact. with more on that, here's nhk world's eri okada. >> reporter: united russia is still projected to secure about 238 of the 450 seats in the state duma, but it lost more than 70 seats from the preelection level. the party may still have a majority, but it could be possible to no longer be able to initiate constitution revisions on its own. putin announced his intention to run for the president before the parliamentary election campaign in an apparent effort to get vote support for his party. his decision to swap the post with president dmitry medvedev drew criticism and raised concerns about the long-time rule by the two men. russia watchers say putin needs

a new strategy to boost his popularity before the presidential election next month. eri okada, moscow. afghanistan is seeking world assistance. at an international conference to discuss afghan's needs, president hamid karzai called for international support to make our success certain, and our progress irreversible, we will need your steadfast support for at least another decade. >> karzai made a request at an international conference that opened in the german city of bonn on monday. there were representatives from about 100 countries and international organizations, including u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton. the agenda includes ways to restore security in afghanistan before most foreign troops leave in 2014. long-term prospects for international aid beyond that year will also be discussed. pakistan is refusing to send any delegates to the conference. their protesting an afghan-based air strike on pakistan's

frontier post in late november. 24 pakistani soldiers were killed in the attack. myanmar is opening roads in revival. the country reopened a checkpoint on a bridge at the border of thailand after it was unilaterally closed nearly a year and a half. government officials from the two countries gathered on the bridge on monday morning to mark the occasion. >> opening the bridge checkpoint will help boost the southeast asian economy. i hope this will create jobs for the people of myanmar. >> the area near the bridge was once a center for regional trade. but myanmar close the checkpoint in july, 2010, to protest thailand's move it reinforce the river bank. this caused a serious shortage of goods in areas including their largest city. >> translator: i am glad that we

can reassume active business operations with the thai people. >> translator: it's good for both countries. no one benefited from closing the checkpoint for so long. >> myanmar decided to reopen the checkpoint last week after thailand suspended its construction. >> the elections on sunday ensured the first change of power in eight years. and slovenia's first in three years. croatia's election administration committee says that with about 70% of the votes counted, opposition coalitions left by the social democrats had taken 78 seats in the country's 151-seat parliament. slovenia's seats said that they

have won 28 seats while the government and social democratic party has won only 10 down from its current 29. since the end of the conflict in the former yugoslavia, croatia and slovania enjoyed sharp economic growth but the economies have weakened in the wake of the european debt crisis and they are saddled with massive debts. they face a difficult task of restoring the economy's fiscal health. myanmar is opening routes to revival. the country has reopened a checkpoint on the bridge at the border with thailand after it was unilaterally closed after nearly a year and a half. government officials from the two countries gathered on the bridge on monday morning to mark the occasion.

>> reporter: daylight spreads over a poor village in uganda. people here like many on the continent have more than their share of struggles. electricity reaches only one out of every 20 households. so many families spend their evening in darkness. children can't read without light. this family eats dinner by a kerosene lamp. but the light brings danger. the smoke can fill the room. there is always the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. the flames can set mosquito nets on fire and burn down the house. now, some women are trying to protect their children by lighting up their town. their neighbors have a name for them, solar engineers. this village has no electricity

but the solar energy is changing people's life here. the women are installing solar panels on houses. this panel catches energy during the day. that can power this lantern for up to five hours at night. rose othieno finished her formal education in elementary school. she knew nothing about electricity. now, she has learned something she never thought she would. how to use solar panels and how to build a circuit. an engineer told her how. she fixed trouble with the power supplies with this house. >> i like helping people very much and volunteering.

>> reporter: the villages say solar panels have changed their lives. parents don't have to worry about health risks they used to face. their children can study by the light of a solar lantern. and families can buy food with the money they used to spend on kerosene lamps. >> i am very happy with the solar power. >> reporter: rose is passing on what she learned to other women. >> i think if we continue using this solar light power, she shall serve global warming. i would wish if the whole country or the whole world could start using solar energy such that we could save the environment, because we always hear about the global warming.

>> reporter: the power of the sunlights up the village even as another nightfalls. a major trade fair of state-of-the-art solar cells and ecofriendly technologies is underway near tokyo. >> reporter: more than 200 comes from around the world are taking part in the event. they are displaying products that can be used in place of others. solar cells come in various shapes and sizes to suit different needs. some generate power using battery-packed lenses that are more efficient than other motors. then, there is the solar cells that are extremely light and can be bent. >> translator: japanese makers have been accumulating a lot of

no-how and other things in the domestic market. we can offer a total package in this area and that's where our strength lies. >> reporter: solar firms in japan could soon see an increase in domestic demand, a new reusable energy law takes effect next july. it will require you to purchase power from sources such as solar and wind produced by households. the government will set the prices. the new law is expected to boost solar energy generation by the industrial sector but companies will need better ways to store all the power they produce. that's one reason they are showcasing solar batteries for use in large-scale power plants and factories.

the demand for solar batteries in japan is rapidly increasing. overseas makers are trying to increase sales and gain market share. italian prime minister, mario monti, is now working to sell his new fiscal austerity package to the country's parliament and its people. the plan is worth 30 billion euros or 40 billion dollars. monti and some of his cabinet ministers spoke about the measures after an emergency policy meeting. >> translator: we had to ask the italian people to shoulder the burden but we made efforts to share the sacrifices fairly. >> the austerity plan is designed to balance italy's budget by 2013, strengthen the country's economy and stave off broader crisis in the euro zone. the government wants to

introduce a new property tax and raise the pension age. it would generate 30 billion euros over the next three years. two-thirds of the money would go towards reducing the deficit. the rest would be spent on growth measures. these include promoting the hiring of women and young people and making loans available to smaller firms. we often talk about gross domestic product or gdp in business. gross national happiness, not so much. they have been on the radar for several years and now the japanese government has come up with its own way of measuring it. the cabinet offers unveiled the plan over happiness index on monday. it would evaluate people's well-being through three benchmarks. they are household wealth, physical and mental health and community and personal relationships. each of the benchmarks would be quantified through data such as child poverty rates, suicide figures, perception on family ties and fears about radiation. researchers will start

collecting experimental data next year. the himalayan nation of bhutan uses a similar index to measure gross national happiness. the oecd is working on an international standard to gauge quality of life. a hong kong television station has been reporting their president has died. the hong kong's broadcast authorities, asian television, atv, to pay about 3,000 hong kong dollars or $3,800 u.s. dollars for july. they admitted the mistake after submitting the story. also the release of an investigation saying atv failed to properly confirm its information and took too long to withdraw the report compounding the error and causing a great social impact. in october, jan made a public

appearance several months after speculation his health worsened became widespread. up next we have sports. welcome into the sports report. sato climbed the ladder, one rung below the top. promoted to ozeki 9 1/2 years after his professional debut and it's quite clear he's still looking up. >> translator: we are here in tokyo. they include delegates from japan, malaysia, and china. for the next three days, they will exchange ideas on how the international community can work together to pull down cyberattacks. they organized this fallout. japan is happy to host it. it being the victim of a number

of cyberattacks in 2011. hackers accessed the computer network of the lower house. cybercriminals have also targeted a major defense contractor to operate a nuclear power plant. the japanese government is launching a five-year project to track attacks. and figure out defense strategies. china says it is compiling reports and e-mails so it can strengthen its cyber security. >> reporter: representatives from each country were given presentation during the fallout. the hope is sharing cyber difference ideas which saves

them time and money as they continue to confront online threats. daisuke azuma, nhk world, tokyo. >> each will give a presentation during the foouault. as they continue the strength. daisuke azuma, nhk world, tokyo. >> we have updates to tell you about on the fallout from the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. a group of them is demanding $260,000 in damages. the utility says it will pay compensation but the tour guides

are not satisfied and say the number of clients did not return to normal, even after june. tepco receives about 700 compensation claims every day. it gave the media a look inside the tokyo office where it is processing the paper work. 500,000 people work there. the company is under pressure to speed up the process because the number of claims it gets every day is likely to grow. >> japan's transport ministry is drawing up guidelines. satellite communications. information can be shared this way. >> "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11.

we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fall out. nuclear watch brings you insight and information on the impact. and the road ahead examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." >> next we have a report on a ground breaking concert. the vietnam national symphony orchestra made its debut at carnagie hall in new york. the orchestra's performance was aimed at deepening bilateral friendships 30 years after the vietnam war ended. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the vietnam national symphony orchestra is based in hanoi. the country struggled for

independence, founded the orchestra in 1959. the orchestra is conducted by a japanese veteran and many other orchestras worldwide. the 18 members include some of vietnam's most talented musicians. a 36-year-old cellist, was deined to make the carnegie performance a success. she joined the orchestra 11 years ago under the influence of her father, a musician. >> translator: i will try to express vietnamese feelings and hope they will be shared by our american audience. >> reporter: her father, lim,

was the head of the orchestra, when it resumed its activities after the vietnam war. us air raids during the war destroyed their instruments and rehearsal center. his home was also bombed. a piano and cello, the family's treasures, were smashed to pieces. it wasn't until the mid 1980s, about a decade after the end of the vietnam war, that the orchestra began playing again. there were only eight members at that time. they are proud that the orchestra has come a long way over the past quarter century and is now performing in the united states. the big day is here. the venue is carnegie hall in

new york, a dream venue for musicians along the world. the concert started with the national anthem of both countries. this is the piece the orchestra members felt most strongly about. the orchestra performed the piece as a requiem expressing both countries to get beyond the

terrible experience of war. [ applause ] >> as an american, i am proud that i had the privilege of witnessing and seeing this historic event. >> americans and vietnamese were both moved by our playing. i believe they understood our feelings. we seem to be acting as a bridge between the two nations. ♪ >> reporter: 36 years after the vietnam war ended, the vietnamese orchestra is deep in the hearts of the american audience. nhk world, hanoi. rachel ferguson is up next with weather. >> hi, there. well, it's been a fine start to

the week across much of japan. things are set to change as we head into tuesday. we start to see another system developing down here towards the south. this one is going to be spreading some cold rain across much of the southern half of the country, meanwhile, we have snow in hokkaido. that's actually going to be clearing on out as we head into tuesday. elsewhere, across the region, looking fairly settled. high pressure dominating with the exception of a few showers up towards northern china. if we have a look at what's happening in the south, though, you will notice some heavier rain moving across hainan island and in towards vietnam. due to a system pushing there on the eastern coast of indochina. that will keep things very well for the next 24 hours, probably into the middle of the week, i should say. as for the philippines, with he still see a very strong 31 dpe degrees for manila. a warmer day to come. all right, as we head into north america, out towards the west, high pressure is going to keep things nice and clear. however it is still very windy

here and that could cause problems in terms of structural damage and travel, particularly the southwest. now our snowstorm. so the snow is going to be dying down over the next 24 hours into tuesday afternoon. the wind will remain strong. all of that snow has already fallen. do take care if you're going to be traveling out on the roads there. all of this that you see here is going to be rain, of course, as we head out to the east and it could cause problems with flooding. it will turn over to snow as it hits south eastern canada. here are your temperatures.

minus 11 in denver. lows are getting down about minus 22. factor in the windchill. it will feel a lot colder than that. that is dangerous cold. much warmer ahead of the front coming in. okay. let's go now to europe. a very messy affair. winter weather available to you as well, particularly out in the uk. parts of northern england and scotland and ireland will be dealing with ongoing, heavy in places. a right to cross. a few showers making their way in. it's going to be here. much warmer here. 20 degrees for the high. getting just above the freezing mark in moscow now. it's been a while since we have

seen the temperatures climb above the freezing point. two in stockholm, 5 in vienna. here is your extended forecast. >> that's our broadcast. we will be back with more news in half an hour. thank you for watching.