welcome to "newsline." speculation is growing that greece will receive a new bailout from the european union. under pressure from euro zone members, the greek government accepted on thursday a new set of austerity measures. but the prospect of additional spending cuts is drawing fierce opposition from the labor unions. we have a report from athens.

>> reporter: major greek labor unions have launched a two-day strike. they are protesting the ruling coalition's acceptance of new austerity measures that include lowering the minimum wage and pension benefits. >> translator: we're not responsible for the country's debt. pensions, education, medical care, we need all of this. >> reporter: the strike has paralyzed transportation systems across the country. state run railways and sub wairs have ground to a halt. the walkout has disrupted other public services, too. schools are closed. so are hospitals and administrative offices. the eu bailout is meant to avert the risk of an immediate default. greece needs to repay more than 40 billion euros worth of bonds by march 20. the funds are tried to a number of conditions including the greek parliament's approval of

the austerity plan. so the government finds itself sandwiched between demands of the european union and its own citizens who believe they have sacrificed enough. >> the u.s. regulatory commission has given the go ahead told the country's first three reactors in decades. the head of the panel set a no vote. commission members voted four to one to approve the project to build two new nuclear power reactors in a plant in the state of georgia. the chairman objected. he said builders need to commit to safety measures to address risks exposed by the accident last plarch. >> there are significant safety enhancements that have been recommended as a result of learning the lessons from fukushima and there's still more work ahead of us.

knowing this i cannot support issuing this license as if fukushima had never happened. >> engineers at westinghouse designed the reactors. toshiba is the major owner of the firm. construction could begin this year. the reactors are expected to start operation in 2016 if everything goes according to plan. the u.s. stopped building nuclear plants after the three mile accident in 1979. members of the administration say they will heed lessons learned from fukushima. still president barack obama is sticking to his policy of promoting nuclear power. he wants to reduce depends on oil. the operator of a fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant is reprayering for the removal of spent fuel rods starting next year. it will be the first step in a four-year decommissioning plan. the tokyo electric power company says it has found no damage to fuel rods in the number four reactor, which will be the first to be removed.

tepco released underwater video at the number four reactor building. the video shows debris fell on to the rack containing the spent fuel rods, but caused no damage. the company says visibility is about five meters. the number four reactor was offline when an aert quake and tsunami disabled the plant last march. however ark hydrogen explosion blew off the roof and sent wreckage into the storage pool make it difficult to assess is condition of the contents. the utility plans to study the inside of the storage pool before removing debris. influential u.s. senator carl levin is backing the change of course for okinawa. the u.s. and japan have agreed to separate a plant to move personnel from a military base. levin chairs the u.s. senate armed services committee. the body oversees defense spending. congress has limited funding for the transfer of marines from okinawa to guam from the budget.

the move was part of a larger plan to relocate the air force to another site in okinawa. many congressmen said local opposition made the relocation unfeasible. japanese officials said they would separate the two issues. levin said his committee needs further information. he said members want more details before they approve the budget. japan's foreign minister says the government will ask the united states to return five land plotsccupied by military facilities in okinawa. the return of facilities is part of the agreement on the realignment of u.s. forces in japan. >> translator: with the number of marines declining, there should be progress in returning the land used by u.s. military facilities. we will try to implement this

plan gradually. >> the plans include two military camps and one supply zone, a military port and an oil storage facility. he says the government wants the achieve the return of land without reducing the effect of the u.s. military presence. marines based in okinawa are doing what they need to to stay fit. they started ten days of life fire drills. >> reporter: u.s. marines stationed in okinawa have studied -- it is japan's grand self-defense forces largest field in western japan. even here about two kilometers from the side a loud noise can be heard each time an explosive shell is launched.

220 members from the regimen are participating. these exercises will involve the use of small arms like machine guns. early in the morning a siren went off to alert those nearby that authorities were soon to begin. then searching of the areas was confirmed by personnel in helicopters. authorities started with the first artillery shell fired. the shells are being used for training. japanese self-defense force members are scheduled to --

>> as our military men we have great interest in learning and understanding the systems of our allies. so we are happy to share that information with them. >> reporter: meanwhile, local residents protesting the exercises are keeping a close watch over the nearby field. >> next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> discussions on expanding the transpacific participant nership or tpp accelerated on friday. japan held talks with malasia to discuss japan's hope of participating in negotiations on joining the group. the tpp is a free trade area among several nations around the pacific rim. japan is trying to get approval

from all nine countries that are already members or are already negotiating to become members of the tpp. only then could it begin formal talks on joining. at the meeting, the malaysian side said it would support japan's participation in negotiations. malasia has embarked on the process of joining the tpp. but not everyone there supports the plan. we have a report on the opposing voices that are getting louder. >> reporter: malasia is primarily a trading nation. with a population of just 28 million, domestic consumption is a relatively small part of the economy. national automaker proton has long been protected by the government. imported vehicles are slapped with tariffs.

orcountries would likely want to abolish these barriers. that could affect this car parts maker. the company gets 30% of its sales from proton. if proton losing market share to foreign rivals, it would be a heavy blow. to offset that risk, the company is trying to expand overseas sales and decrease itsz depends on proton. >> we cannot depends on one particular industry. we've got to be involved in other industries. we explore oversea markets. >> reporter: voices of opposition are also coming from another direction. this is a demonstration by patients suffering from hiv aids. they argue that american involvement in the tpp may lead to an increase in the cost of their medication.

>> u.s. go back! >> reporter: this man took part in the demonstration. he takes indian made generic drugs to prevent the onset of aids. generic drugs are made from the same ingredients as those used in pat entded drugs. ten years ago before gentlemen nenic drugs became available. hiv patients had to pay about $10,000 a year for medication. these days they pay only $60. but in the tpp negotiations, the u.s. has argued that medical patents should be better protected and last for longer. hiv aids patients in malasia say that if the u.s. proposal is approved, they would have to take u.s. made drugs which are nearly ten times more expensive. >> high cost. the price of medicine is in this

states is not for the poor. maybe for the rich country. so we just may survive very short. >> reporter: the malaysian government plans to ask other countries in the tpp talks to understand its domestic situation. however, it looks very difficult to find a compromise that will suit all sectors of the malaysian economy. >> asean is an increasingly vital growth engine of the world economy. but when it comes to oil reserves, most of the region lacks reliable facilities. the current tense situation around the strait of hormuz, the vital shipping route to the gulf is one reminder of the delicate nature of the international oil market. and with that in mind, the japanese government held a

seminar in vietnam this week offering what it says is a potential solution. >> reporter: the japanese government and shipbuilders specializing in building reserve tanks are participating in this seminar. japan is actively promoting its oil tanks that float on the surface of the sea. if japan manages to secure orders, it will revitalize its shipbuilders. japan is stressing the low cost of the technology when compared with building tanks onland. >> translator: storage on water was not an option for vietnam until today. but i believe they now recognize the advantages of megafloat compared to storage on the ground or under ground. >> reporter: vietnam plans to build all reserve facilities that can store 2.2 million tons of crude to better prepare for

market shocks. officials in hanoi say they will study whether the japanese technology is what they are looking for. the international energy agency reoccurred as member countries to stockpile 90 days of crude and gasoline. in june last year, its members coordinated a release of oil reserves to counter any impact on supplies from political confusion in the mideast. but for asean countries securing adequate reserves remains a priority for the region's economic future. >> translator: it's important to have resiliency against price hikes of oil. >> reporter: tokyo hopes its effort to help asean country build oil reserves will help stabilize the oil market even in

emergencies. >> in afghanistan, the worst cold snap in many years has added to suffering in the war torn country. people living in impoverished areas are especially badly affected. parts of kabul have experienced power blackout with temperatures as low as minus 16 degrees celsius. roads and buildings are covered with almost 20 inches of snow. refugees are among the worst affected. many live in snow covered tents and makeshift shelters at a camp west of the capital. wood and basic stoves are their sources of heat. a number of children have reportedly died from the freezing temperatures. one refugee mourned the loss of his 3-month-old son. >> translator: i didn't have money so i couldn't buy wood to

keep him warm. nor could i take him to hospital to get medication to keep him alive. >> kabul is located in a narrow valley in eastern afghanistan at about 1800 meters above sea level. this is the first major snowfall the city has seen in recent years. and that will wrap up our bulletin. >> china indicates a sign of weakness for the economic outlook and the ongoing european debt crisis has taken a toll on chinese exports. china's authorities said exports mounted to $150 billion in the month. that's down from a year earlier and marked the first fall in 26 months. imports also fell. they came in at nearly $123 billion. that's down by 15% and the first

decline in 27 months. imports were dampened by less demand for raw materials in exporting industries. the price of goods traded between companies in japan dipped in january for the first time in three months. the decline was due to falls in the prices of iron ore and coal amid the global economic slowdown. japan central bank said in a preliminary report on friday that the corporate goods price index stood at 104.5 last month. that's down .1% from the month before. in index for steel used for cars and other products fell .6% from the previous month. >> a group of survivors of the march 11th disaster are using melody to deliver their message of love. they're doing it in an unusual way. their instruments are made of debris salvage from the disaster zones.

and this week's road ahead, we hear how their musical beats are reaching deep into people's hearts. >> reporter: musicians who survived the march 11th earthquake and tsunami have held a concert in western japan in memory of the victims. the musicians are from one of the hardest hit prefectures. they want to make sure that the people who died in the disaster aren't forgotten. >> translator: this part is all made from debris. >> reporter: this man organized the concert. he lost friends in the tsunami. he thought about what he could do to honor the people who died. he came up with the idea of creating musical instruments using debris from the disaster

areas. >> translator: i feel like pressing my hands together before the instruments to show my respect to the victims. >> reporter: he rushed to many emergency shelters after march 11th, to drasht aid supplies sent from around the country. >> translator: many supplies were sent from western japan. and they reached us soon after the disaster. i am so grateful to those people. >> reporter: he remembered another powerful quake that hit western japan 17 years ago. the great earthquake killed more than 6,000 people. he wants to repay the people of western japan by playing music. he visited a monument in kobe for the 1995 quake. he made a renewed pledge to work with his friends to pass on memories of both disasters.

>> translator: i believe human bonds and friendships survived both disasters. >> reporter: the concert was held at a department store in osaka. >> translator: we received great support after the march disaster as people in western japan know what the survivors are facing. i hope you will enjoy our concert. >> reporter: the sound created from the salvaged debris is touching the hearts of the audiences. >> translator: the concert reminded me of the disasters in western and northeastern japan. and i cried. >> translator: i believe long-term support is necessary. i'll try to remember last year's disaster by putting myself in

the survivors' shoes. >> reporter: to hand down the memories of the disaster, he will continue to strike the chords of his new guitar. >> more news in brief from around the world. a new report warns that up to 4.7 people in south sudan could face famine this year. the number has jumped from 3.3 million in 2011. the u.n. food and agriculture organization says demand for food in south sudan has jumped significantly since the country gained independence from sudan last july. the situation would coursen if ethnic unrest continues. the united nations has chosen an oyster farmer in tsunami hit northeastern japan as part of the first recipients of the forest hero award. he was recognized for his decade long efforts to keep sea water

clean by planting trees along a local river. he is among the six winners of the new award. another celebration paul mccartney has become the last member of the beatles to receive a star on hollywood's walk of fame. the 69-year-old was honored for his long standing contribution to the music industry mainly for his activities as a solo artist. the beatles were collectively given a star in 1998. we have weather up next. >> welcome back. finally the peak of heavy snow in the western half of japan is over. that doesn't mean we're not going to be seeing snow. in one region we are expecting about half a meter of snow to pile up. fresh snow piling up in the next 24 hours. there's still a high risk of avalanche. meanwhile, the rest of the country will be remaining calmer

and drier. warm and dry here and looking fine here in the east continental asia and much of the area china especially. this increase of rainshowers will then be spreading in zral to eastern areas. that's going to be warmer conditions actually so the temperatures in shanghai will be improving by next monday we may even see double digits. and this condition will be spreading towards the korean peninsula and in towards japan by next week. in the philippines still we do have this active low pressure system just in the coast. this will be traveling towards the north. thundershowers will be predm nant in much of the country throughout the weekend. the conditions will be remaining for the next couple of days. winds are very strong picking up high waves. further landslide risks are going to be very crucial for the quake hit region. manila 31 degrees

temperaturewise. shanghai at 5. we're looking at toeng owe at 8 for saturday. let's now head over to the americas. the pacific northwest will be seeing some rain and mountain snow. gusty condition is going to be winding down there. we will see some snow to accumulate down here towards the northern rockies. accumulation could be as much as five centimeters in the mountains. here widespread showers will be remaining in the gulf states. in the southeastern states we'll be seeing a chance of thundershowers and thunderstorms could be a chance as well there. and widespread showers there, but towards the north west of ap lay chas that's going to be snow and dipping down that cold surge arctic air will be in effect here in the great lakes region, lake effect snow will be dumping

50 centimeters of snow. you will see some snow dump in new england as well. as i mentioned that arctic air will be dipping those temperatures down. minus 14 on sunday in quebec. and washington friday 11. down to just freezing point on sunday. let's now head over to europe. the unrelentingly cold, cold weather still remains here in much of europe. we will see chilly rain and sleet in northern parts of british isles due to several fronts approaching the area. southern areas snow. and wintry mixed precipitation down here in northwestern parts of norway. here in the mediterranean sea area italy to balkan regions that's going to be a storm system moving through. in southern italy as well as southern balkans warmer conditions and wet weather will be prevailing there.

mountain snow could also be in effect and it's going to be windy in. the mountains you may see some blowing snow. that system will be gradually weakening by next week. athens at 12 degrees temperaturewise. you're going to see some sunny spells here in paris. minus 2 for the high. london at 2 for the high. lisbon warm at 14. but out here in moscow, minus 17 degrees. kiev at minus 16. here's the extended forecast.

that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline."

we'll be back with more news in half an hour. thank you for watching. bye-bye. . .