welcome to "newsline." myanmar's president says there is no turning back on the road to reform. hee the comment thursday in a closely watched speech before parliament. myanmar is currently many the grips of a landmark by-election. democracy icon xi is expected to win the parliamentary seat in next month's vote. we have more details from

bangkok. >> the president's speech comes as myanmar approaches the one-year anniversary of its new civilian led government. it took over from the long run of the military junta on march 30th last year. he emphasized the reform is a critical part of the country's dedmok ritization. delegates arrived ahead of the president's speech. >> the president stressed that he would continue working with prodemocracy leader as well as ethnic minority groups. she is currently campaigning for election to parliament in by-elections scheduled for next

month. >> he touched on the reported divisions rumor to exist inside the government between supporters and opponents of reform. he said members of the government might be taking different routes, but they are all moving in the same direction. >> the united states says north korea has agreed to take steps toward denuclearization. the news was announced almost simultaneously by north korea. but the two sides regard differ on several points. the u.s. and north korea announced late wednesday that the north had agrewed to halt the long range missile testing and ewe rain yuchl enrichment. north korea says it will accept inspectors to monitor the moratorium. in return the united states will

provide 240,000 tons of food aid to the north. the u.s. says it wants to see the moratorium cover the activities. north korea state run media said the moratorium will last only as long as productive dialogue continues. the north argues once the six-party talks resume, discussion on lifting economic sanctions and providing light water nuclear reactors will have priority. the obama administration is holding back from drawing any broad conclusions on the move. secretary of state hillary clinton says the plan is to proceed with caution. show told panel the administration still has concerns. we have a report from washington. >> i said that it is our hope that the new leadership will choose to guide their nation on

to the path of peace by living up to its obligations. today's announcement represents a modest first step in the right direction. >> reporter: clinton warned that the u.s. will be watching north korea closely and will be judging the country's new leaders by their actions. weary of progress on north korea's nuclear ebb richment, the united states dmabded concessions from the north in exchange for food assistance. the united states also aims to resume the six-party talks on north korea's nuclear development to further stem the country's nuclear ambitions. the talks have been stalled for more than three years. >> china is a key player in any discussion on north korea. the country's are alies. china chairs a six-party talks on the north korean nuclear program. we have the view from beijing. >> reporter: u.s. and north

korean representatives crafted the agreement here in beijing last week. a chinese foreign ministry spokesperson is welcoming the announcement as a positive step. >> translator: we welcome the sincere and constructive dialogue held by the u.s. and north korea. we also have a positive view of the results achieved by the talks. >> reporter: china wants to re-open the six-party talks. but it's facing many hurdles. one of them is monitoring north korea to make sure it lives up to its side of the agreement. another the convincing the u.s. that it's time to resume the negotiations. state department officials say they want to make sure a winning strategy is in place before they come to the table. it's clear the north koreans

made this nuclear concession because they need the u.s. food aid. but it's unclear whether that will act the way the americans want them to. china's job as a mediator between the u.s. and north korea isn't getting any easier. >> how does this agreement compare to what we've seen in the past? >> well the interesting thing is that the u.s. and north korea released their statements at the same time. that's very rare. it's because both sides wanted results from this bilateral talks, i think. looking at the statement, two things stand out. first, north korea -- while product i have dialogue continues. this would suggest that they can break the agreement if the negotiations don't work out in their favor. history suggests that the north

doesn't always abide by its word. second, the north koreans say once the six-party talks resume priority will be given to the discussions of issues concerning the lifting of sanctions and provision of light water reactors. this implies they will ask for energy assistance before they take steps toward denuclearization. to the return of inspectors and suspension of uranium enrichment activities are just cards they can play as the situation changes. >> the six-party talks have been suspended for more than three years. what's getting in the way to resume? >> each member country is leading with domestic issues. the u.s. and south korea will hold presidential elections this year. a new leader will take over in china. the japanese government is tied up if domestic issues and recovering from the march 11th disaster. so member countries find it

difficult to make a critical decision if north korea were to submit a proposal during the six-party talks. but even if the discussions resume, i believe it's too optimistic to think the north korea will fully commit to denuclearization. >> let's wake and see what happens. thanks. >> thank you. >> next we go back to our bureau in bangkok for more news. >> last year's floods in thailand and the earthquake in is gentleman nan disrupted global supply chains and damaged the world economy. now the thai and japanese governments are starting a joint project to build a system to protect businesses from those sorts of logistical disruptions. the project was explained to representatives from both countries in bangkok on thursday. it brings together local authorities from japan with industrial parks from thailand. the idea is that firms operating

under their jurisdiction will support each other during times when supplies or parts and materials are disrupted. >> translator: the scheme will not only make it possible for both countries to support each other, i also expect the project will create new businesses. >> 17 industrial parks and 15 local authorities have already showed interest in taking part in the scheme. thai prime minister will visit japan next week to learn about reconstruction efforts following the earthquake and tsunami. she'll also be looking for lessons thailand can learn for its own post flood recovery. she spoke with nhk and other japanese media ahead of a visit. >> we were quite impressed with japan how to handle and recover after the earthquake.

so we would like to -- i think we saw from the news -- everything from japan very strong commitment from -- >> reporter: the prime minister referred to the floods in thailand that caused damage to many foreign companies. japanese firms were among the most seriously affected. she expressed confidence that the government would prevent any similar disaster from happening again. >> we -- the problem last year of flooding disaster. so we'll fix this as the immediate plan and redecide what are the root cause of the problem and then make sure that

it won't reoccur to thailand again. >> reporter: she said emergency construction of drainage tunnels is underway in bangkok and at key industrial complexes. she also expressed hope that her visit to japan would help restore trust in thailand and encourage japan to continue investing in the country. the government says she will arrive in japan on march 6th. she's expected to meet japanese prime minister noda and corporate officials. she will also visit part of the disaster zone in the north. >> in singapore an electric car for personal use has gone on sale. it's the first of its kind to

hit the southeast asian automarket. environmentally friendly transport is attracting consumers. the country is also keen to be a pioneer. >> reporter: french auto maker renault on thursday unveiled its electric vehicle for sale in singapore. marking a first for an asian country outside japan. the car will retail for the equivalent of about $160,000 excluding a subsidy paid by the singaporean government. >> the range is a key factor for an electric vehicle today. we have a range of 185 kilometer. >> reporter: singapore is trying to promote the use of electric vehicles. the nation's tiny size is an advantage because it can easily build infrastructure like charging stations. other automakers like daimler and mitsubishi are also

conducting public trials of electric models. it doesn't just feel like a conventional car. it's quieter and the pickup is really good. it's excellent. the city state has already installed charging stations to try and convince consumers to look seriously at electric cars. it also plans to build a next generation smart grid. >> the government agency it's our responsibility to help both industry as well as to help users and prepare them for some of this future technology. >> reporter: with the government and citizens all keen to advance electric vehicles in singapore, the drive towards environmental friendly transport in southeast asia is well underway.

>> that concludes our bulletin for today. thanks for joining. >> thanks. >> on this week's nuclear watch, birds eye view of a badly damaged facility. nhk took to the air last weekend hours after the japanese government scaled back the no fly zone over fukushima daiichi. a year ago explosions devastated the nuclear plant turning it into a twisted mess of metal and debris. our reporter was in the helicopter when the camera captured the images. we're going in speak in japanese with simultaneous interpretation. >> translator: tell us why the no fly zone was modified? >> the japanese government reduced the no fly zone around the fukushima daiichi power plant from a radius of 20

kilometers to three because it was determined that the radiation dosage in the atmosphere did not pose a problem for safe flying. nhk's helicopter captured images from the skies near the plant for the first time since the accident last march. >> translator: now on the screen we see the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant reactors one, two, three, and four. the number three reactor had a hydrogen explosion and is the most severelydamaged. from the mountain side it is possible to see the ocean through the crumbling wall. the number four reactor also had a hydrogen explosion. the yellow round object visible in the building is the lid of

the outer containment vessel. the containment vessel is designed to prevent radioactive substances from the reactor leaking out but is now exposed to the outside air. the yellow green device is the crane above the spent fuel rod pool used to move fuel. at the time of the accident the number four unit was going through a routine inspection and had no fuel in the reactor. the pool below the crane still contains many fuel rods. now at the west side of the plant property, there are about 1,000 tanks. the tanks contain roughly 120,000 tons of contaminated water that is treated. when molten fuel caused by the meltdown is caused by water, treating the contaminated water is one of the most difficult efforts.

the space for tanks is limited. how to add more is another issue. >> translator: how much radiation was in the air? >> translator: when we were about four kilometers away from the plant, we were flying at an altitude of 700 to 800 meters. the radiation level was 0.15 per hour at the highest. this was marginally higher than the normal average reading before the quake. it was lower than what we had expected. >> translator: what did you think when you saw it from above? >> translator: i had actually covered the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant prior to the accident. back then the reactor facilities were in an orderly layout and there were even trees on the property. now the buildings have been blown apart and the trees have been cut in order to make room

for the tanks. i was speechless at the staggering change. we also flew within the 20 kilometer radius of the power plant. the area in a 20 kilometer radius from the plant is off limits. there are no people in the homes. there are no cars on the road. this is a supermarket parking lot you can see that it's empty. to the north to have power plant is a town around the port is devastation from the tsunami remains untouched. fishing boats grounded on the land have been left abandoned. the baseball field is about three kilometers from the power plant. it's being used as a temporary storage ground for removed dirt. there's a plastic sheet on the ground so that the contamination

will not spread. the dirt that has been removed is being piled on top of the sheet. >> translator: i've seen the impact the nuclear accident had on wider areas. did anything catch your eye? >> translator: seen from the skies the homes and the shops are still there. however, there was a thin layer of snow on the ground and despite that, there were neither footsteps nor tire marks of cars. within a 20 kilometer radius from the plant, there are no residents or no people at work. it was truly a town without life. and this was stretching across a vast expanse. the gravity of the nuclear power

plant accident and the painful struggles of the local fukushima people struck home with even greater force. >> that was today's nuclear watch. an earthquake that jolted a nation. a tsunami that swallowed a coastline. a nuclear plant that spiralled out of control. japan marks the first anniversary of the march 11th disaster. what lessons have been learned? find out on "newsline" starting monday, march 5th. then sunday join us at 2:00 p.m. japan time for lessons of march 11th, one year on. >> people in japan pulled together after last year's disaster. they helped their neighbors, their fellow citizens. many were japanese, but some were foreign residents. and these expats ended up helping a lot as prompting the government to think about how it can be more inclusive with the foreign community in the event

of a disaster. international experts shared ideas at a workshop in tokyo. >> reporter: this woman has a lot to say about her experience after the march 11th disaster. and the japanese government is eager for her to tell her story at this workshop. >> translator: there's so many things i can't forget. >> reporter: she came to japan from the philippines in 1959. she married a japanese man and learned the language. this is her home now, which is part of the reason why the disaster affected her so much. >> translator: i saw my neighbor waving her hands from inside her house as the tsunami swept it away. there was nothing i could do. >> reporter: she also lost her home, but her family was safe.

they moved to an vacation center and soon she volunteered to run the place. >> translator: i helped with translation. i helped hand out supplies. i was thinking about what i could do for the community rather than what the community could do for me. >> reporter: she was one of 20,000 registered foreign nationals in the three hardest hit prefectures. many left after march 11th, but some stayed. and they became a great help especially in towns with aging populations. >> translator: those people started acting with the idea that they're part of japanese society. they wanted to make the best of their abilities. >> reporter: their stories are

helping to change the government's view of foreign residents. people at this workshop talked about the need to build a system to support expats so they can get involved in regional disaster and relief activities. one idea is to invite them to participate in disaster drills. the hope is foreign residents will feel part of a community and want to pitch in when they're needed. as she proved, help from all members of society can be invaluable. >> we have weather up next. hi welcome to your weather update. here in tokyo we had a very warm day and a clear sky. things are going to get

different from friday. this low pressure system will be traveling all the weibringing wet weather to much of the country. on saturday high pressure will dominate and crest overhead. so clearing up the sky yet again intense rain band from southeastern china is creeping all the way towards japan in a northeasterly direction. the end of the weekend looks the rain is going to be starting. early next week tokyo is going to be looking at another round of wet weather. lingering showers here in southeastern china could become strong in some areas. and in the north and higher elevations snow could make an appearance. lingering showers here in the philippines could get heavier, too. and there's a low -- active low pressure system that is going to be approaching manila and things could get a little bit troublesome triggering some landslides. manila at 32 degrees

temperaturewise. hong kong you might see some foggy condition in the morning. mystery condition many the morning here in bangkok is forecasted. temperaturewise 36 degrees. 8 in shanghai. tokyo 10 degrees. the temperature is going to be dipping down on sunday to again single digits, but early next week we may even see temperatures rise to about 20 degrees. let's now head over to the americas. we had reports of nine tornado touch downs yesterday in the mitt western states. things are are going to be much calmer on thursday. even in new england is system is going to move away exiting the area. another round of this winter storm could impact the great lakes on friday. so let's take a look at what's going to be happening into the next 48 hours.

you can see some stuff could be nasty here. severe weather outlook for friday is as follows. well primary threats could be locally heavy rain, damaging winds, large hail as well as tornados still not going to be ruled out anywhere you see this red. also we have red flag warning which is extreme fire weather conditions that could be triggered here in new mexico and western texas. this is of thursday. los angeles temperaturewise 16 degrees and oklahoma city at 24. ahead of that system everything's going to make things warm up in washington, d.c. already looking at those temperatures above seasonal average at 18 degrees. heading over to europe. well turkey you're going to see things taper off that's snowy and windy condition exiting the country. and also the balkans are going to be looking at clear weather there. things are going to be messi a little bit here with some wet

rain. the warm air is still persistent there. much of the precipitation will be rain rather than snow. out towards the west. looks like we may have some welcoming rain in the iberian peninsula where the drought condition is severe. madrid at 16 degrees. lisbon at 17 in the double digits. but out towards the east moscow still only hitting minus 1 for the high. 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. . .