. welcome to "newsline." a group of japanese scientists have succeeded in improving the conditions of monkeys with parkinsons disease by using human embryonic stem cells. the researchers say it is the first successful study of its kind. the group is led by an associate

professor of the frontier for medical sciences. embryonic stem cells have the potential to develop into almost all kind of tissue and organs. the group created nerve cells that created dope mean. they transferred the cells into the brains of monkeys that were unable to walk. four months later the animals became walking again. trembling and other symptoms of parkinsons were also eased. >> translator: we confirmed the effectiveness of human embryonic stem cells in primates. it is a major step forward toward the clinical application of human embryonic stem cells. >> the group hopes to carry out trials on humans in four to six years after proving the safety of the treatment methods. north korea's nuclear envoy has arrived in china for talks with the united states. sit the first time the two are meeting about the nuclear

program since the death of kim jong il in december. north korea first vice foreign minister arrived in beijing on tuesday. he did not speak with reporters. he will meet with the u.s. special envoy for north korean policy on thursday. the two sides last held talks in geneva in october. attention is focused on whether the north's nuclear stance has changed under new leader kim jong un. there's speculation about whether north korea will come ply with the demand to stop the nuclear enrichment program in exchange for food aid. the voters in yemen are casting their ballots to replace the outgoing president who has ruled the county for more than two decades. he will be the fourth arab leader to leave office amid democracy revolts. tuesday's voting is part of deals he made last november. he agreed to step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution for a range of

crimes including a deadly crackdown on protesters. the vice president is running for -- uncontested as the consensus candidate in the election. but anti-government demonstrators are poised to continue their protests. in the country's south an al qaeda linked group has been gaining ground. on tuesday a polling station in the area was attacked by an armed group. it remains uncertain whether the election will help steer the country out of its yearlong turmoil. international nuclear inspectors are trying to determine what iran and scientists are up to. experts from the atomic energy agency are checking up on iran's nuclear program, but they've already hit some roadblocks. we have a report from teheran. >> reporter: the inspectors arrived in teheran with a measure of caution. they were here just last month

on a similar mission. >> the highest priority remains, of course, the possible military dimensions of iran's nuclear program. >> reporter: there's a five-member team. they reportedly asked to get into the military facility. the inspectors suspect scientists carried out nuclear experts there. but iranian foreign minister told local media that they will not be going to any nuclear facility. western leaders are eager to figure out what iran is doing with nuclear program. still, many are cautious about what the inspectors might achieve. pakistan's foreign minister is on mission to repair ties

with the u.s. there's even talk of a meeting on thursday with secretary of state hillary clinton. u.s. led forces mistakingly killed pakistani soldiers in november in an air strike along with border with afghanistan. the repercussions of that attack are still being felt throughout the region. >> reporter: it was the worst set back for relations between the two allies. on november 26th, u.s. fighter jets and helicopters stationed in afghanistan mistakingly attacked two pakistani check points along the border. the attacks left as many as 24 pakistani soldiers dead. pakistan soon stopped supply convoys from crossing into afghanistan. more than 6,000 trucks and trailers used to transport supplies and fuel to multinational troop station in afghanistan are parked here.

the build up of these supply trucks began just around three months. now there are so many trucks they are spilling over from the port area. >> translator: the trucks parked in the residential area could accidentally catch fire. they are unsafe. very dangerous. blocking the streets and a nuisance. >> reporter: until the attacks trucks from pakistan were delivering nearly half of the supplies used by nato forces in afghanistan. suddenly the u.s. had no choice but to bring in more supplies from ta jik stan by air. this pushed up the cost of delivery by as much as six times. the u.s. has been urging pakistan to reopen its borders.

pakistan's business sector is expressing concern about the long-term effects. >> translator: the transport blockade may be sending out an important message to pakistan politically, but economically the loss is huge. >> reporter: business leaders try to resolve the problem, thousands of truck drivers remain stranded. this man says he is frustrated at the government's handling of the situation. he calls his family back home as he considers his options. >> translator: we're already in heavy debt, but i want you to ask someone to lend us some money. we can pay it back as soon as the supply route re-opens.

i can't work so we have to borrow money just to buy food. if the route is not reopened, the government must find another way for us to feed our families. >> reporter: the pakistani government is considering lifting the transportation ban but also imposing a toll. however anger and anti-u.s. sentiment remains high. our reporter joins us now from islamabad. how are these allies getting along? >> reporter: nearly three months have passed since the attacks and the u.s. government has not apologized to pakistan. the pakistani government wants an apology before the two countries can re-establish ties. many still feel a lot of anger toward the u.s.

some protesters held a rally here on islamabad. they said back stan should resist cooperating. >> translator: i strongly oppose the reopening of the nato supply route because the supplies are used to attack us, the muslims. the u.s. weapons are killing us. >> translator: our government is a puppet of the u.s. they're doing nothing to support us. >> reporter: the government is already struggling with low approval rates in the worsening economy. they could lose even more support if they mess with the current dynamic. they are expected to gauge public opinion closely before they consider changing anything with the u.s. >> what happens if they maintain the status quo?

>> reporter: the administration plans to end combat mission in afghanistan by the end of 2014. they are already withdrawing troops in stages. u.s.-led forces have failed to achieve tangible results in ten years of war. pakistan's cooperation is a must if the u.s. is to conduct operations effectively. insurgents frequently cross into afghanistan over the border with pakistan. if the relations between pakistan and the u.s. remain sour, it may disrupt efforts to restore security in afghanistan. >> thank you. the euro zone finance ministers have finally greed on extending an additional aid package to greece after a marathon meeting lasting more than 13 hours.

with this second bailout, greece should be able to avoid defaulting on its debts next month. >> this will give greece the time needed to follow a credible path of fiscal consolidation and reforms and allow a return to sustainable growth and employment while preserving the financial stability in greece and in the area as a whole. >> the president of the euro group and luxembourg prime minister said the ministers agreed to offer greece the 130 billion euro package as additional aid. the ministers also reached agreement with representatives of private banks of the institutions will accept cuts of over 53% on the principal of their holdings of greek government bonds. there was also consensus that the european central bank as well as euro sewn central banks will take losses on their holdings of greek debt.

the additional cuts are because greece's fiscal health has worsened more than expected. another measure the ministers agreed on was for a mechanism to ensure greece follows through on the promised fiscal reports. steps to be taken include increased monitoring of the country's fiscal health as well as the joint management of bailout funds with the eu instead of giving the funds directly to the greek government. japan and australia have held their first meeting in -- japan should join the talks on the transpacific partnership free trade agreement. government officials from the two countries met on tuesday. australian officials say they welcome the start of japan's consultations for joining the talks. they stopped short of expressing support for japan actually participating in the free trade negotiations. the principal of the agreement is that all goods are tariff free including farm products. the two sides agreed to continue

discussion on. six out of nine countries in the negotiations have so far expressed support for japan's participation. denmark's trade minister has expressed willingness to start full negotiations with japan for a free trade agreement by the time japan-european union summit is held at the end of may. denmark chairs the eu until june. she has met japan's trade minister to discuss procedures for talks on the proposed economic partnership agreement. japan and the ex-u have been discussing specific areas for trade liberalization and deregulation before entering full epa talks. she talked in an nhk interview on tuesday about what she had discussed with the minister. >> we confirmed both of us that we have an interest that it is the scoping exercise before going into the free trade

agreement negotiations will be finalized. >> she said the eu estimates that its exports to japan will increase by 29 billion euros if the pact is concluded. a court in southern china has ruled that the trade mark for apple's ipad tablet blnging to a chinese firm and banned regional sales of apple's device. a major local paper reports that the court last fri upheld a claim by the company that it has rights to the ipad trademark in china. the court also ordered electronic appliance stores to stop selling apple's tablet computer. the company registered the ipad trademark word wide in 2000 before the tablet went on sale. apple said it bought the global trademark rights from the group several years ago and accuses the group of violating the agreement made at the time.

local media report that proview secondnology is saddled with huge debt and that the company may have teamed up with banks to squeeze money out of apple in order to pay back its debts. one of these days you may be talking to a robot at a company reception desk. japanese engineers have developed a humanoid robot that can serve in public places. the robot called emu was developed by hitachi. i instantly identifies what it's looking at by comparing it with some 100 million images in its database. the robot is capable of voice recognition. when visitors tell the robot what they are looking for, it takes them to it by cross referencing images taken by

indoor cameras. >> translator: we want to develop a symbiotic robot that can assist human activities. japanese companies are competing to develop human like robots. honda has been working on a robot that walks upright and toyota and fugitsu are pushing research in the field. next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> the election campaign underway in myanmar has become a litmus test for the nation's commitment to dede mockization. the nld on monday called a media conference and accused the government of prohibiting the party from holding a political

rally last week. but election authorities responded with unusual speed and lifted that restriction within hours of the nld's accusation. the union election commission contacted the nld and informed it that the ban on using sports grounds for election campaigns was no longer in effect. the commission is apparently cautious of western governments who are carefully watching the progress of the election before they review economic sanctions. nld campaign manager said the response of the commission offered him a glimpse of hope. and in another sign of possible progress, the president said on tuesday that myanmar will seriously consider allowing asean observers during the by-elections in april. that election and other recent reforms in myanmar have raised the prospect that western nations may soon consider

lifting sanctions. with that in mind, foreign firms are explaining the possibility of doing business in the country. we followed a japanese business delegation on a recent trip to myanmar and filed this report. >> reporter: the group of japanese business people are at the international airport eager to assess the potential risks and benefits of investing in myanmar. the head of the delegation believes it's potentially an attractive market. >> translator: myanmar's market remains largely unexplored. i have high expectations for it. >> reporter: his past experience in myanmar has not always been smooth. in the 1990s it gained an

official permit to operate in the country. but the government later rescinded the permit. its factory there has been idle ever since. the business group was surprised by the warmth of the reception they received in the capital. the president talked to the delegation for more than an hour. he expressed hope that japan would invest in myanmar. they also met myanmar's health minister who has the responsibility for food and recreation. soon after the government took a step towards allowing him to sell its seasonings in myanmar. >> translator: myanmar will undergo real change this time. i strongly feel the country's reform path will lead to

concrete plans in every field. >> reporter: even so, some other executives believe significant hurdles remain. one of them is this man. his trading company is interested in developing infrastructure including industrial parks. >> translator: i believe it's difficult for private firms alone to take on the risk of investing in myanmar. infrastructure projects should involve both the public and private sectors. >> reporter: one of the last frontiers in southeast asia. myanmar is attracting attention as a potentially lucrative market. but some observers say the risks cannot be ignored. getting the japanese government

to support new ventures in myanmar could be one solution to ease those concerns. >> and that wraps up our bulletin in bangkok. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. nuclear watch brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and the road ahead examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss nuclear watch and the road ahead on "newsline." >> parents in disaster hit fukushima prefecture now can monitor in realtime radiation levels at schools, parks and other places froo frequently visited by their children. the education ministry on tuesday launched the system for

sharing data from 2,700 monitors on its website. users can check the radiation levels. it brings up a list of 368 monitoring sites and their current readings. the system can show average radiation levels at ten minute intervals and graphs shows changes in radiation at chosen sites. all nuclear reactors in western japan are now offline. the last plant in operation has been shut down for a routine inspection. residents are worrying about a power shortage. japan's fuel imports are soaring. nationwide only two of 54 nuclear reactors are still running. the shutdown was completed sunday for the number three reactor, the last two reactors still running will be shut down by late april. rachel ferguson is up next with

weather. >> hi there welcome back. we're going to head into eastern asia and see what wednesday holds. it is going to get a little bit wetter across eastern china and into towards western japan. we've got that front line extending across been seeing some light showers as well. it's going to get more intense wednesday night and into thursday. meanwhile high pressure is in control of northern japan after a storm system just moved away. this small low pressure over northeastern china is going to travel across. it will be a return to winter weather conditions there on thursday. much of the continent is dry and clear in. indoe china we're seeing a few showers disappear there. we'll see scattered thunderstorms across much of the philippines here. that monsoon has weakened off which is good news. as we get into our temperature chart, we're going to see double figures in seoul as well as in tokyo on wednesday.

7 degrees in beijing. minus 10 in china. most of the eastern continent is going to be looking at some above average temperatures towards the north. as we head into north america here towards the northwest we have a really big system coming in. that's going to be causing some strong winds not just up towards the north where you see the precipitation, but actually the southwest is also going to see some gusty winds coming in. this is going to be snow on the mountains. it will be companied by strong winds that will be blowing that snow around. potential for near whiteout conditions and some of the mountain passes for the intermountain west. as for coastal regions you're seeing more rain it's been coming down over the last 24 hours. potential for some flooding across parts of coastal b.c. and into washington state. we'll see some showers moving across eastern canada and the great lakes region. it's going to be a light dusting of snow with some rain towards the south of the system.

it's warming up in the east. we'll see temperatures rise to the mid teens in the likes of new york city as well as washington, d.c. as we head into wednesday and thursday. 18 degrees for oklahoma city on tuesday. 8 in denver. we have 12 but it will be raining in seattle. let's go on into europe. central locations still looking dry under high pressure, but we've got quite a windy and wet system coming in across the british isles. just streams of moisture heading into towards skand knave ya from the atlantic. down towards the mediterranean a stubborn system indeed is bringing some showers. heavier rain and thunderstorms at times as well across parts of the southern balkans as well as italy and the northern coast of africa here. this system is going to be around towards the end of the week. it should start to weaken off by friday. as we look at temperatures for wednesday, lots of double

figures here even in towards the central continent towards the north berlin 10 degrees for you. even getting above the freezing point in war can saw as well as kiev. temperatures will continue to improve. have a look at what's happened in belgrade. from 6 up to 10 on friday. of course, the warming is certainly a good thing after that extreme biting cold for the last month or so. however, it means that all the snow that's packed up is going to start to melt. that could result in some flooding issues. we'll be watching what happens over the next few days. here's your 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. . .