hello there, and welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday april 3rd, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. japan's space development agency received an invitation from north korea to attend its satellite launch later this month. japan aerospace exploration aswrensy officials were handed the invitation on monday by

members of the tokyo-based general association of korean residents. the invitation was sent under the name of the north korean committee for space technology. it calls on officials to visit the launch site in pyongyang bucto. the association hopes for a rely by thursday. jaxa officials say they will discuss the offer with the supersizing science ministry, but the ministry says the space agency may have to decline as it may be seen as approval of the launch. north korea tends to launch a rocket carrying a satellite between april 12th and the 16th. country's state run news agency says international journalists and experts have been invited to watch the the launch. north korea sent an invitation from officials from the u.s.er a nottics space administration. japan's science ministry thinks the north is inviting foreigners to witness its achievement in

order to evade international criticism that the launch is, in fact, a long-range missile test. pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi says she hopes myanmar is beginning a new era. her national league for t democracy says it won a landslide victory in the by-elections earning aung san suu kyi and other members seats in particlele. our bureau in southeast asia is covering the story for us. >> the national league for demock sayde m demo demo democksy says it won almost all of the seats. nld leader aung san suu kyi faces a difficult journey to establish a solid democracy in myanmar. nhk world has the story from ya yangon.

>> it is not so much our triumph as a triumph of the people who decided they must be involved in the political process of this country. we hope this will be the beginning of a new era with more emphasis on rule of the people and the everyday politics of our country. >> reporter: sunday's by-elections filled 45 vacant seats in myanmar's 664 member national parliament and local assemblies. aung san suu kyi won her seat in a consistency in southern yangon. in total, the national league for democracy claimed to have won 43 of the 44 seats it contested. but even with the nld's gains, the party will hold less than 10% of the seats in parliament. the governing party retains a commanding position. aung san suu kyi called on this

leadership to cooperation with former democratization. >> we would welcome all pears who would wish to join us in the process of bringing peace and prosperity to our country. >> reporter: the government is likely to tout the election result as another step toward democracy. it may also urge western countries to lift economic sanctions. aung san suu kyi campaigned knowing how the the government intends to use the result, but she has bigger goals, aiming to win general elections scheduled in 2015. the latest vote marks only the beginning of expected political maneuvering between aung sauaun san suu kyi and the government. nhk world, yangon. >> the international community has shown strong interest in the

by-elections in myanmamyanmar. western countries will likely use the vote as an opportunity to review economic sanctions against the country. the european union sent five election election observers. eu officials are expected to start discussing whether to reduce sanctions later this month. >> we want to try and continue to support and encourage this tremendous momentum for changing myanmar. that's what the european union wants to do and that's why we were here. >> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton congratulated the people under the government of myanmar, but she pointed out that more needs to be done. >> we are committed to supporting these reform efforts. going forward, it will be critical for authorities to continue working toward an electoral system that meets international standards that includes transparency and expeditiously addresses concerns

about intimidation and irregulari irregularities. >> the japanese government welcomed the election result and suggested it would consider increasing aid to myanmar. >> translator: in regard to redeeming full supportive measures to myanmar, we're looking into the current state of our support. we will consider this election result as an important factor. >> asean foreign ministers said they hope the by-election would encourage myanmar to further integrate with the global community. >> myanmar and asean will be able to work on other issues that would be more meaningful in contributing to the wellbeing of the people of myanmar rather than being stuck on the issue of instability and lack of political reconciliation inside

myanmar. >> myanmar's president, sein, will attend a summit of members in cambodia on tuesday. he's expected to ask his southeast asian neighbors for support to achieve an end to economic sanctions against his country. turning now to the situation in afghanistan. the government of president hamid karzai has dispatched its foreign minister to qatar as part of efforts to advance peace talks with the taliban. qatar is the location of the taliban's office giving the nation certain influence over the militant group. nhk world reports. >> reporter: foreign minister will meet tuesday with his counterpart and ask for cooperation in resuming negotiations with the taliban. a spokesperson on sunday stressed that the views of the afghan government must be reflected in the negotiations. >> translator: the process of

talks with the taliban in qatar must be one that is approved by the afghan government. >> reporter: the taliban have refused to hold talks with the karzai government. calling it a puppet of the americans. that makes it hard to get peace talks off the ground. the united states has said it's desirable for the afghan government to take the lead in talks with the taliban. the obama administration headed talks with the taliban to try to persuade the group to stop terrorist activities and fighting in afghanistan. but the taliban announced it was suspending the discussions, accusing the u.s. of making unfair demands. the afghan government had said the the move was a bargaining strategy by the taliban. it believes negotiations may be resumed. if so, it wants to be part of

those talks and is asking for the cooperation of qatar to try to make that happen. nhk world. >> and that wraps up our bull ten in bangkok. the international security assistance force says 17 of its personnel have been killed by afghan security forces this year. isaf spokesperson spoke to reporters on monday. he said the number of killings by afghan interpreters has d dr u.s. soldier burned a koran in february and another went on a shooting spree in march killing afghan civilians. the brigadier general says the nato will work closely with the afghan government to stop the attacks. he said isaf will step up background checks on afghan recruits to get a better

understanding of their private lives and relationships. the international body has been hiring soldiers and police officers from among afghan civilians to replace isaf personnel before completing a transfer of security to the afghan government by the end of 2014. but anti-government taliban infiltrators are said to be among the newly hired personnel he says the reasons for the attacks lie with the individual and expressed concern over the increasing anti-u.s. sentle among ordinary afghanis. the the u.n. arab league special envoy to syria says the country has pledged to stop armed violence by april 10th. now, kofi annan says he received a letter from syrian foreign minister. it promised to honor the terms of the six-point peace plan signed last week. the former u.n. secretary general on monday joined a u.n. security council meeting via video phone from geneva, switzerland. he asked the council to prepare

to serve monitors in the event of a cease-fire. some council members raised doubts about syria's promise. >> the proof is in the actions, not in the words. and past experience would lead us to be skeptical and to worry. >> the the syrian government is continuing to attack civilians. local residents say troops fired rockets indiscriminately into south syria, a stronghold of the anti-government free syria army. human rights activists say troop froms are burning houses in homs and detaining civilians who cooperated with the free syrd" p.m. japan time here on "newsline." the mayor of a village that was emptied of its residents following the accident at jap japan's fukushima daiichi nuclear plant says it's time to

start over. yuko endo is the leader of the area located in the evacuation zone around the damaged facility. he's telling his citizens to get ready to come home. japan's central government lifted its entry ban restri on three municipalities within the 20 kilometer evacuation zone, effective this month. part of kawauchi village is outside the no go area. still almost all of its approximately 3,000 residents fled after the pufukushima accident. about 2,700 or 90% haven't returned. they're worried about radiation contamination and about getting work. mayor endo and other people who work there are trying to show they're ready to welcome citizens back. they held a ceremony monday in the old village office. the mayor formally appointed employees to their new positions. the village government has had to operate outside the evacuation zone until recently.

>> translator: everything we do is for our citizens. we can move forward, step by step, to rebuild our village so that it returns to what it wases. >> mayor endo plans to build homes in parts of the area that have been determined safe. the village is pressing ahead with decontamination work and job creation to be ready for the residents' return. the japanese government has set stricter standards for permissible levels of radioactive cesium in food products. the authorities want to further emphasize safety. local governments have begun checking food products based on the new standards. screenings started on monday throughout the country, after the new rules came into effect on the previous day. the government is calling on 17 of japan's 47 prefectures including fukushima, to conduct periodic checks of radiation levels in food products.

other local governments are carrying out safety checks on their own initiative. the health ministry says four prefectures have reported the results of their inspections. none of the products tested exceeded the new limits. under the stricter rules, common food products such as rice and vegetables containing up to 100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram can't be sold. baby food and milk with up to 50 becquerels can be offered to the public. and drinking water must not show readings above 10 becquerels. the central and local governments will not allow food exceeding the permissible levels to go on the market. an nhk survey shows 21 prefectures in japan have stepped up screening measures to meet the tighter standards. they're doing so by such means as introducing additional checking devices. japan's prime minister says worries about power shortages should not come ahead of safety. yoshihiko noda is deciding

whether to restart two idled nuclear reactors in the person part western part of the country. he's seeking approval because of concerns following last year's nuclear accident. the two reactors are at the ohi nuclear plant in fukui prefecture. the units are currently offline for a scheduled inspection. under new government guidelines, reactors that have gone offline before or after the fukushima accident must pass stricter safety checks. the stress tests are designed to make sure the units can be withstand earthquakes and towering tsunami. only one of japan's 54 reactors are online right now. some people are concerned there will be power shortages this summer. noda addressed those worries before an upper house committee but made his position clear. >> translator: priority one for restarting the reactors is checking their safety. >> the two reactors at ohi have

pass passed the stress tests. noda is now consulting with local government officials in fukui to get their opinion on restarting the units. egypt is due to hold a landmark presidential election in may. the first since the ouster of the hosni mubarak regime last year. the country has never had a free and fair presidential poll. now young people who played a key role in ousting the mubarak regime are at the forefront of efforts to spread the word about democracy. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: every day, 25-year-old lawyer mustafa, hits the streets. he's the leader of a volunteer group formed last year to tell people about the elections and the candidates who will be running. >> translator: which candidate is most suited for the position

of president? why do you back him? >> translator: i value his campaign pledges. >> reporter: demonstrations against the regime of president hosni mubarak erupted in january of last year. over the following month, there were fierce clashes with security forces and many casualties. every day, he joined in the demonstrations in tahrir square. in the heart of cairo. now he works to support the victims of the harsh government crackdown during the upheaval. after a year after the mubarak regime was ousted, families are still contacted him to find out how they can claim compensation.

>> translator: so you can see the wound in the back of his body where he was shot by the security forces? >> reporter: one of his own friends was shot as they were taking part in the demonstrations. each time he visits the site, he pl prays for the victims. >> translator: i will never forgive mubarak for the crackdown. for firing at the people of egy egypt. >> reporter: recently he visited the office of one potential candidate to find out his position on democracy. and to hear his election pledges. >> translator: what will you do to help egypt break with the politics of the mubarak regime?

>> translator: i will forge ahead of democratization and respect the the opinions of the young people who helped achieve the revolution. >> reporter: every weekend, he goes to tahrir square to scretr videos of his interviews. he wants ordinary egyptians to be aware of the candidates' views. >> translator: i used to have no interest in politics, but now i found out a bit about the candidates. i'm going to think about who to support and who i'm going to vote for. >> reporter: he and his associates intend to continue working right up to the election t day. they want people to think hard about who they want to become their next president. >> translator: i want the candidates to never forget they must work for egypt and the

egyptian people. i will to my utmost so that people choose a president who will put the people first. >> nhk world there. rebels in the west african nation of mali are tightening their control over much of the northern parts of the country, amid a political vacuum. the northern based rebels seized timbucktu, a world heritage site. one day later they overran the government strong hold of gao. the militants intensified their attacks earlier this year with the help of mercenaries who returned from libya with their weapons where they were fighting for forces loyal to the late leader moammar al gadhafi. the last month a military coup added to the instability. after the president fled, --

they say groups linked to al qaeda are active in the country's north. the u.s. government is warning that the region is becoming a new base for al qaeda-linked groups. the employment situation in the eurozone continues to worsen due to austerity measures adopted by debt-ridden member countries. the region's jobless rate has marked an eighth consecutive monthly rise and a record high since the launch of the euro in 1999. the european union statistics office said on monday that unemployment in the 17 eurozone nations in february rose to nearly 11%, up 0.1 percentage point from the previous month. spain had the highest unemployment at 23.6%, with a jobless rate for those under the age of 25 at more than 50%.

unemployment rose in portugal to 15%. and in italy, to more than 9%. the eu is urging its member nations to promote measures to create jobs for young people. it also plans to accelerate moves toward free trade agreements with japan and other countries outside the region. now let's take a look at the market figures. lst.

it's a nice morning in tokyo. i hear we'll be seeing a different picture later today. let's bring in sayaka mori for the world weather forecast. good morning. what's in store for us? >> good morning, catherine. things will turn quite stormy this afternoon. a low pressure system which could become as powerful as a typhoon is approaching. and it's currently impacting western japan with very wet and windy conditions. and it's going to impact the rest of japan today. so gusts could, winds could exceed 80 kilometers per hour and up to 101 kilometers per hour. with such wind speed, trees may be uprooted. and it may be difficult to stand without any support. so very destructive winds. and speaking of rainfall, up as much as 160 millimeters. mainly along the pacific side. including the tokyo area. so very wet and windy conditions are on the cards.

over the next 24 hours, much of the western japan as well as the tokyo area should get drier, but cool air will flow into northern japan, so rain will change over to snow. so blowing snow conditions will hit northern japan on your wednesday. as for the korean peninsula, heavy rain and snow is impacting at this moment, but that will move out to sea by this afternoon. meanwhile, mostly dry across much of china, but the southern indochina peninsula will continue to see a lot of rain because of the remnants of a tropical storm. the highs, 43 degrees in bangkok with thundershowers and gusty winds. 27 in hong kong and the same goes for taipei. seoul cooling down to 5 degrees which is 10 degrees lower than yesterday. tokyo coming in at 17 degrees because of lots of warm air coming in to the center of the storm system. now, as for the americas, a couple of low-pressure systems are producing heavy snow in

central canada, and thundershowers in central u.s. severe weather in much of the plains and the lower mississippi valley will continue overnight. and the threat will likely continue in the southern plains into tomorrow and rain is going to be very intense. so watch out for flooding. and out toward the west, there is another powerful low pressure system moving into the west coast. that's going to produce staggering amounts of coastal rain and mountain snow across parts of british columbia, the pacific northeast and even northern california. as for the highs, getting up to 10 degrees in seattle and 11 degrees in winnipeg. across the east, unusual warmth is still persisting, reaching 20 degrees in chicago, 25 in oklahoma city, and 31 degrees is expected in miami. all right. here's your extended forecast now.

and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com