hello, you're watching "newsline." i'm shery ahn. a human rights group says china has continued hundreds of did i bet ands to attend a religious event in india. they have been placed in hotels and military facilities for reeducation. the group says the visit at a religious site in india where the lecture is overseen by the dalai lama a spokesperson said details of the case were not yet clear. he also defended recent measures

such as enforcing patriotic education and banning foreign tourists from visiting tibet and areas. he says groups outside china are plotting to help tibet win independence. >> translator: controls in residential areas are necessary under the circumstances. the european union lifted a travel ban on myanmar officials, including the president. they ended travel restrictions on 87 myanmar officials because of the country's political reforms. the myanmar government released political prisoners. and is also allowing the opposition leader aung san suu kyi to run in parliamentary bi election in april. the development commissioner was there to show support for the reforms. foreign affairs chief katherine ashton plans to visit after the

bi-election. the eu is considering lifting sanctions on myanmar since 1996. u.s. government officials plan to impose more sanctions on iran. they accuse them of supporting terrorism. the u.s. treasury department said thursday the iranian ministry is providing support for terrorist networks. it specifically cited al qaeda and hezbollah and hamas. under sanctions, the u.s. will stop issuing visas to ministry officials and freeze any ministry assets in the united states. the decision comes after a series of bomb attacks in several countries earlier this week. monday, a blags in new deli targeted israel diplomats. it was followed by three explosions in bangkok.

they arrested three suspects one who carried an iranian passport. a u.s. court decliends request for injunction to prevent anti-whaling activists destructing the whaling fleet. it ruled the issue cannot be decided immediately because it involves several countries, including australia. the judge also said the case has a political dimension. the japanese government accuses anti-whaling group sea shepherd obstructing activities of japanese whaling fleet in the antarctic since 2005. >> the court's decision doesn't mean our claim has been wholly rejected. we hope this process will result in a ruling that for bids this type of obstruction. >> japan and australia ended four days of trade talks in tokyo friday.

the countries discussed easing agricultural and industrial tariffs, but failed to reach a consensus. australia demanded lower tariffs on wheat, beef and other agricultural products, but japan sought to protect its farming industry by maintaining the tariffs. the countries also discussed ways for japan to secure a stable supply of australian coal and iron ore. professional soccer leagues in japan and thailand are teaming up. they signed a deal to encourage matches and player transfers between their clubs. the chairmen of the j league and the thai premier league signed a cooperation deal in bangkok. the two will hold friendly matches and exchange players and referees. japanese soccer officials hope it will make asian teams more competitive. >> translator: if the japan team and the j league wants to improve, it's important to raise the level in asia as a whole.

>> j. league officials are also hoping to team up with leagues in indonesia, malaysia, and vietnam. an art exhibition in tokyo is giving a glimpse into the hearts of children in japan, south korea, and north korea. the children each drew the thing most precious to them. a north korean girl drew her family. she says they like to listen to her singing. this is the friendship train. the carriages were drawn by children in all three countries. japan and south korea tend to have difficult political relations with north korea. but it seems that children have much simpler concerns. >> translator: children have pure heart wherever they live in the world.

the cold snap in europe has been effecting romania since the end of january. record low temperatures and heavy snowfall have prompted the government to declare a state of emergency. >> reporter: some 30 ships and barges are stranded in this area alone. >> translator: the danube froze for the first time in 26 years. >> the cold snap brought record snowfall to many parts of romania. in this eastern part of the country, cars disappeared under the snow. the government declared a state of emergency. police and military forces are participating in a large rescue operation.

>> reporter: this group walked about three kilometers in the snow to reach an isolated village. the villagers have been waiting for a week. many are old and unable to shovel the snow. they were running out of food and fuel. >> translator: i live alone. so i really appreciate the help. >> translator: we ran out of firewood. we decided to pull down a cabin in order to stay warm. >> reporter: meteorologists say the cold weather was caused by the southward movement of a mass of cold air from the arctic. temperatures are expected to rise temporarily, but the situation is likely to remain serious over the coming days. nhk world, bucharest.

and here is the extended weather forecast.

that's all for now. i'm shery ahn. stay tuned for more news on nhk stay tuned for more news on nhk world. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com