it is 9:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. a united nations report claims the syrian government is committing serious human rights violations. it estimates over 8,000 people have been killed since last march when anti-government protests began. the human rights council released a report based on interviews by phone or directly with 370 people in syria and neighboring countries. the report says government troops have been firing at crowds of protesters in various locations in the country. it also says they interrogated demonstrators using electric shock at a hospital in the central city of homs. the number of seer i don't know government officials and others involved in the crackdown was submitted to the human rights chief. a series of bombings and attacks killed 39 and wounded

more than 230 others around the iraqi capital of baghdad. a car bomb exploded in central baghdad near a police checkpoint on thursday morning followed by a second car bombing a few hundred meters away. another checkpoint was attacked by a group of armed men. iraqi authorities say the terrorist attacks occurred at 16 locations within a few hours. the casualties include many civilians. police believe the incidents to be coordinated and have put central baghdad and other areas under heavy security. the latest attacks have raised doubts about iraq's ability to host a summit meeting of arab nations next month. it will be the first such summit in iraq in 22 years. u.s. and north korean diplomats aren't revealing much. still, they are back in talks over pyongyang's nuclear program. analysts say that alone is a

positive development. they are expected to focus on the north's uranium enrichment and food assistance from the united states. the two sides held talks since the death of the former north korean leader kim jong-il in december. decisions lasted for more than five hours, but representatives revealed little. >> the talks today were substantive and serious. we'll pick up again tomorrow and see if we can't make a little bit of progress and have something a bit more substantive to report to you. >> translator: we have discussed all the issues that concern us. both sides were sincere. zblt. >> the americans are believed to have urged north korea to take steps toward denuclearization. including suspending all uranium enrichment. north korea is believed to have asked for food aid including grain ahead of the celebrations in april to mark the birth of

the country's founder kim il-song. the multilateral framework has been suspended for more than three years. south korea says it will raise the issue of china's repatriation of north korean defectors at the upcoming human rights council meeting in switzerland. chinese security authorities have reportedly detained dozens of defectors from the north. diplomats say refugees could be executed upon their return. they plan to raise the issue next week at a meeting of the u.n. human rights council. >> translator: we will step up diplomatic pressure on china, promote measures to attract international attention, and focus on the repatriation issue. south koreans staged rallies and have petitions calling on china not to send defectors back.

tens of thousands of people in moscow have gathered to show their support for vladimir putin's bid as president. it comes ahead of the march 4th presidential race. estimated 130,000 attended the rally thursday, defend er of the fatherland day. it followed a march by about 30,000 people. >> translator: the battle to defend russia goes on and we are sure to win. >> meanwhile, supporters of opposition parties have been staging protests in various parts of georgia. still, recent opinion polls suggest that putin far ahead of four other candidates in a presidential race. the focus is on whether he can win a majority to secure reelection without a runoff vote. iranians are taking part in a test of popularity for

ahmadinejad. conservatives are fighting for support. many of the pro-reform figures have been forced out of the campaign. we have a report from tehran. >> reporter: campaigns is officially under way for iranian parliamentary elections. with many experts and analysts predicting ahmadinejad's economic policies to be the main focus of debate among candidates. elections are scheduled for march 2nd. 290 parliamentary seats are up for grabs. more than 5400 people filed candidacies. however, many were disqualified by a conservative vetting body known as the guardian council. as a result, 3444 candidates are running for parliament. the re-election of president mahmoud ahmadinejad in 2009 led to anti-government

demonstrations, with protesters complaining of vote counts. since then, tough regulations by the authorities delta blow to pro-reform activists, and discouraged many of them from taking part in the elections. this makes parliamentary election a fierce contest between conservatives. amid reports of a rift between iran's supreme leader and president ahmadinejad. iran's domestic economy is being squeezed under tougher economic sanctions by the west, resulting in accelerating inflation. >> translator: i will vote for candidates who focus on economic policies. >> reporter: conservatives critical of ahmadinejad are gaining ground by attacking the president's austerity measure of

cutting necessities. stock markets are having a good run this month. let's check on the opening levels of tokyo's nikkei index. ai uchida joins us. >> the nikkei up over 13% in 2012, a good run so far. the dow-jones industrial average no exception. it ended higher thursday due to stable u.s. weekly jobless claims data and positive figures out of europe. let's see how stocks are opening here. for that, we go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, u.s. and european data providing a bit of boost to the market. how are we doing this morning? >> very good morning, ai. weekly joblelaims showing unemployment benefits remains low and business sentiment survey in germany showing uptick for the fourth month in a row, offsetting a little negative sentiment surrounding greece and its debt deal. let's have a look how the nikkei

and topix kickoff this friday morning in japan. a bit of a mixed picture. the nikkei for the last couple minutes has been trading in and out of negative. the topix there slightly in the positive as well. the nikkei and topix sidestepped lingering concerns about eurozone debt issues as the weakening yen has played strongly into japanese talks not only from foreign buyers but the domestic market as well, across a lot of different sectors for small to mid size companies as well. we are tracking not only exporters because of the weakening yen but also some key domestic producers of components and parts. the yen, of course, as you mentioned has been weakening the last couple weeks, hit the lowest level against the dollar in seven months. let's look at currency levels this friday morning. you can see there at the upper 79 yen levels against dollar yen, touching 80 yesterday.

euro yen, 106.87-92. it touched 107 at one point, and that's really around ten yen higher than it was trading mid january when it was around 97, the euro yen. >> ramin, nikkei may be down a little bit on the day, but the bottom seems to be holding firm. can markets maintain this momentum and what's expected next week? >> that's a very good question. as you know, we did actually touch 9600 on the nikkei, so the high levels there coming for a little profit taking. we see if that momentum can carry through. a lot of economic data in the u.s. next week, crucial for manufacturing and housing and the jobs data, a week later, and a lot of analysts look to go see if that can carry through. >> a fine balance between

economic fundamentaling angie oh political tensions. >> yes. due to the embargo against iran. it looks like economic data has been winning out so far. even central bank moves following the bank of japan move last week which helped the yen weaken to the levels you see now. we will keep track of that when we come back monday. back to you, ai. >> thanks, ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. greek lawmakers passed a bill on debt reduction thursday. this was the deal they made with private sector investors and paves the way for more debt restructuring in greece. earlier in the week, eurozone finance ministers decided on extra bailout of 130 million you're owes and agreed to ask private sector investors for voluntary write down on greek debt holdings. the request means a loss of 53.5% on the amounts they

invested. the bill was passed soon after the deliberations, and includes a bond swap with bondholders. the greek government will get the formalities under way friday, hopes to complete the swap by mid march. now the focus is how many private sector investors will cooperate in debt reduction because it will be on a voluntary basis. meanwhile, eurozone finance ministers are making arrangements to hold talks just before a summit meeting scheduled thursday next week. they plan to assess however greece has progressed in implementing belt tightening measures. these were conditions to receive the additional bailout. measures include reforming the labor market and health insurance system. the south korea kospi is also openity level. let's check those levels.

and that is the latest in business. almost a year after the accident, the situation at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant remains serious. earlier this week, journalists were allowed in the plant first time since it was brought to a state of cold shut down. in today's "nuclear watch," we bring updates from the site. >> reporter: journalists were

given a one-hour tour of the plant. the bus drove on a road parallel to the coastline. on the right are the turbine buildings for reactors 1 through 4. the radiation level was 300 micro seefrts per hour. then 300 near the number three building. here, reporters were allowed to get off the bus. >> translator: i'm standing on a hill 300 meters south of the number four reactor building. radiation level here is 50 microsieverts per hour. workers in the plant are exposed to higher levels of radiation. some workers were clearing debris on the roof of the number four reactor building that was damaged. the work is to prepare for removal of spent fuel from the storage pool which will start

next year. about 3,000 people work in the plant every day. some have had to stop working because they have exceeded the radiation safety limit. >> our reporter joined the media tour and tells us what he saw. >> translator: i felt apprehensive seeing the hastily built facilities. water pumps for cooling the reactors were placed on high ground to protect from tsunamis, but they were placed on the back of a truck parked outside. since the state of cold shut down was announced two months ago, there have been 43 water leakages, including from these pumps. one of the reasons for the leakage is freezing. tepco has been covering the pumps with sheets and wrapping insulation around the plumbing. last december, radiation contaminated water leaked into the ocean from a water treatment

facility. sandbags were piled around this facility, giving the impression it was very much a bandaid measure. maintaining and managing these facilities is the great challenge to keeping the reactors cooled and preventing leakages of contaminated water. i saw that it was a very tough work site where workers are being exposed to radiation, which is invisible. i entered the site wearing protective gear and full face masks. although it was winter and hard to breathe. after an hour dressed like that, i was sweating. four workers died from heart attacks and acute leukemia. tepco says there's no correlation between the deaths and radiation exposures, but experts say the work involves radiation chis invisible and radioactive substances, making stress and anxiety levels very high. the work to decommission the reactor is to continue for at

least 40 years. finding enough workers and managing their health, including their psychological care, is indeed a challenge. the 40th anniversary of the normalization of japan/china relations is being celebrated in shanghai. japan is exhibiting materials about the recoveries of last year's earthquake and tsunami. it is the latest in a series of events planned by the two nations to commemorate what they

call the friendship year for japan/china people to people exchanges. about 600 people took part in thurgs's opening of the shanghai eye vent. on display is how japan has recovered, as well as panels promoting various tourist spots. an artist from sendai city drew an impromptu picture of a dragon. the legendary creature is renown in japan and china for bringing good fortune. >> translator: i believe japan will overcome the difficult times as everyone is working together. a world famous singer made a bumpy transition into politics. he wanted to be the next president of senegal, but the high court in the west african country barred him from running in sunday's elections.

still, he is determined to change the way things are done. >> reporter: he is a superstar in his home land, and is well known around the world. many of his songs call for action on issues such as poverty and the environment. his blend of traditional senegal ee rilt am has won him many international fans and in 2005, he won a grammy award. his music is rooted in the tradition of the griots, whose songs keep alive the ancient culture. griots are cherished in senegal, performing at weddings and other

events. he is descended through his mother and grandmother. this connection is focused on social issues. >> translator: in the old days, nobody had televisions or radios. the stories were transmitted by the griots who memorized everything. i was born into this tradition. and so i game a griot of the modern world. >> now he is back in the international spotlight after declaring his candidacy in senegal's presidential election. he says he felt the need to enter politics so he could help bring about social changes. >> translator: a great majority have said yes, we would like you

to defend our cause. >> but his election bid hit a major hurdle. incumbent president is running for a third term, despite the constitutional two term limit. this was approved by the nation's highest court. the court also bans him from running on the grounds he was about a thousand signatures short of the number of supporters needed to run. the court's ruling triggered widespread anger. many see the president's move as a threat to democracy. there have been violent protests in dakar and other parts of senegal. meanwhile, he defied the court's decision and continued his campaign, along with the other

opposition candidates. >> translator: my music comes from senegal, and senegal is more important than my music. now i'm focusing on the issues facing senegal, even if i am not yet president, i am working for senegal. >> with the arab spring upheaves from last year still fresh in people's minds, the world will be watching closely as they head to the polls sunday. i was pleasantly surprised with the warm breeze on my way to work this morning. sayaka mori joins us with the world weather forecast. can we finally put away our winter coats? >> yes, catherine, we won't need them today. the expected high here in tokyo is 14 degrees, definitely feels like spring. the reason why is we got a high pressure system moves into our

area, bringing sunny and warm temperatures. but as you can see, showers are impacting much of the southern islands of the nation, and that's going to spread into much of japan again tomorrow. tokyo area will see cold precipitation tomorrow. as for the korean peninsula, staying dry at this moment. a winter mix develops tonight. as for china, showers in the southern corner of the country are diminishing, but another round of rain is headed your way. for the philippines, thundershowers in mindanao will be moving into the north over the weekend. temperatures are looking like this, up to 21 degrees with light showers in hong kong, 25 in taipei, still warm are not than average in seoul, coming in at 14, request plenty of sunshine, the temperatures will drop to 8 degrees, so we may need winter jackets again. now, heading over to the

americas, we've got a pacific storm moving into british columbia and the pacific northwest that will bring coastal rain, heavy mountain snow, as well as gusty winds. up to 45 centimeters expected in western can dane the next 24 hours. then we've got another active system moving into the great lakes region, blowing snow conditions are impacting this area. that will move into quebec tonight. on friday, severe weather will impact much of the eastern seaboard. that includes severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging winds, even isolated tornados. but back behind the system, very strong winds are blowing, so raising the risk of wildfires in much of the southern plains. temperatures are looking like this, warmer than average temperatures are continuing on the even seaboard. we're expecting 19 degrees in washington, d.c., ten degrees higher average, and 13 degrees in oklahoma city.

but as you can see, cooler air is sweeping in, dropping temperatures in the west, getting up to 4 in denver, only 2 expected in chicago on friday. heading over to europe, very stormy conditions are still continuing across northern europe, gusts exceeded 120 kilometers per hour in scotland, as for precipitation, heavy rain will continue in norway. on friday, a mix of rain and snow will be moving into eastern europe. down toward the south, things are settling down, and sunny weather will continue in the eye -- iberian peninsula. as for temperatures getting up to 20 degrees in lisbon and 16 degrees in madrid, and still a very warm in berlin with 12 degrees despite rain, and out toward the east right at the freezing point in moscow and 4 degrees in kiev. with a mix of rain and snow. here is your extended forecast.

our lead story this hour, the united states and north korea will continue talks on friday, related to pyongyang's nuclear program. the talks are the first since the death in december of former leader king jong-il. >> talks today were substantive and serious. we'll pick up again tomorrow and see if we can't make a bit of progress and have something a bit more substantive to report to you. >> translator: we have discussed all the issues that concern us. both sides were sincere. >> during the meeting the u.s. is believed to have urged north korea to take steps toward denuclearization, including

ending all uranium enrichment. north korea is believed to have asked for food aid before the celebrations in april. it would have been the 100th birthday of the founder, kim il-song. they hope the two sides will reach an agreement that will lead to resumption of six party talks on the north's nuclear program. north korea pulled out of the talks three years ago. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com