unrelenting force. the government of president bashar al assad launches fresh attacks in the face of strong criticism from the international community. welcome to nhk world "newsline." the raids may never let up. syrian government forces are continuing their attacks on civilians. the forces launched fresh attacks in the past two days on the central town of houla where more than 100 people, mostly women and children, were massacred last week. a human rights group in the country says the troops loyal to president bashar al assad shelled the city killing seven

people and wounding many others. a local activist told nhk government troops fired shells for half an hour in houla thursday morning. the government forces also attacked other places across the country killing more than 40 people on wednesday alone. the free syrian army, comprising soldiers who fled assad's military, has given the government a deadline of friday noon for ending assaults on civilians. they warn they will begin to retaliate if the deadline is not met. most members of the u.n. security council are calling for additional sanctions against syrian. >> i think with the massacre in houla, we have reached a low point in this conflict. >> but we do not have the luxury of time. people are dying in large numbers every day. >> the new sanctions would be further punishment for president bashar al assad's continued crackdown on civilians. u.s. researchers say new

satellite images show iranian authorities are doing more to clean up evidence of their nuclear weapons development program. the institute for science and international security released photos suggesting the country is going out of its way to prepare for international inspections. the institute published images of a military facility near tehran where the suspected weapons development took place. a satellite took the pictures last friday. researchers compared the latest images with those taken in early april. they say two buildings have been demolished. they argue that's where iranian scientists carried out experiments involving powerful explosives used in weapons. the researchers also say the satellite photos show evidence of earth displacement and the movement of heavy machinery. the release of the photos follows a meeting last week in vienna by the international atomic agency. iaea authorities said iranian workers have been scraping away soil in a bid to clean up the site.

agency inspectors arrive in iran next week to check on the country's nuclear program. leaders in tehran insist it's for domestic purposes and not an attempt to make weapons. people in japan are expecting their prime minister to flip the switch. yoshihiko noda says two idle reactors at a nuclear plant in the western part of the country should be restarted. all of japan's 50 commercial reactors were off line, most for safety checks more than a year after the accident at fukushima daiichi. noda says the units at the ohi plant need to start pumping out electricity to deal with the summer demand. but he is still waiting for people who live around the facility to sign off on the plan. osaka is the leading shareholder in kansai electric power company. the manager of ohi, the city's mayor said thursday for first time he agrees with restarting the reactors.

>> translator: i'm effectively accepting the reactors restart so that we can make it through the summer. even though the safety assessments are based on tentative safety standards. >> people in the town of ohi and fukui prefecture say they want the government to fire up the reactors because their jobs are at stake. >> translator: i'm in favor of restarting because otherwise my farm, with this many employees, will collapse. >> not everyone feels that way. people living in the town of takeshima in the neighboring prefek which are worried. they live 30 kilometers away from the ohi plant. >> translator: i'm worried that something might happen. my baby is only 3 months old. >> translator: electricity is a necessity, but using it can be two accidents which affect all of our lives, so it is scary.

>> it's scary because the march 2011 accident at fukushima daiichi highlighted the dangers of nuclear power. but deciding on restarting the reactors at the ohi plant seems to depend on where you live. nhk surveyed people in the town of ohi and in municipalities in neighboring kyoto and shiga prefectures. the results suggest 64% of respondents in ohi support restarting the reactors. however, nearly 55% of respondents in neighboring towns are opposed. essentially the closer the nuclear plant is to their homes, the more residents are in favor of restarting reactors. the survey also asks what people think about the risk of a serious accident after the plant has restarted. 64% in ohi say the possibility of a disaster worries them. nearly 82% in the neighboring municipalities say they're anxious. local and regional leaders were expected to reflect the views of their constituents in their

talks with representatives of the national government. prime minister noda meets next week with three key cabinet ministers. if authorities in fukui prefecture give them the go ahead, noda will approve restarting the reactors at ohi. japan's nuclear crisis started on march 11th, 2011. a earthquake and tsunami disabled the fukushima daiichi plant. seismologists are trying to figure when the next disaster will hit. they say a powerful quake could strike off a peninsula east of tokyo. the epicenter is different from the one that triggered the great kanto earthquake in 1923. members of the geospatial information authority of japan presented their analysis wednesday at a meeting of the coordinating committee for earthquake prediction. gps data shows the tip of the boso peninsula has been moving about three centimeters northward each year since 1997. analysts say seismic pressure may be building up in the area where an oceanic tectonic plate slights under a continental

plate. the area off the boso peninsula has not had a major earthquake for at least 300 years. >> translator: we'll conduct new surveys and recalculate our assessments. >> geospask information researchers plan to calculate the infrequent says of expected earthquakes in these areas. south koreans forced to work at japanese factories during world war ii are pushing for compensation. they're asking their elected leaders to pressure the japanese government. and the law is on their side. south korea's supreme court recently ruled in their favor. a group of war time laborers and their supporters staged a rally in front of south korea's foreign ministry. they handed their request to a ministry official and demanded action. judges on the south korean supreme court acknowledged last week for first time that war time workers have a right to

seek compensation from companies in japan. they were forced to work when korea was a japanese colony. nine former laborers are demanding compensation from mitsubishi heavy industries and nippon steel. the court's ruling stands in contrast to an agreement reached by japanese and south korean leaders during treaty talks that normalized relations in 1965. a spokesperson for south korea's foreign ministry says the country's stance on war time compensation remains unchanged. people around the globe are observing world no tobacco day. it is a day to raise awareness about the health risks of smoking. researchers at the world health organization estimates tobacco kills almost 6 million people every year. this includes deaths by secondhand smoke. leaders chose tobacco interference as their theme this year. they say more manufacturers are taking governments to court for

restricting sales of their products. one in australia, for example, filed a complaint against the government for a decision to ban packaged designs that attract consumers. >> there is no way any industry, especially the tobacco industry, can intimidate and threaten a government when they are taking appropriate action. >> leaders are calling on governments around the world to toughen restrictions. getting smokers in japan to quit has been harder than in any other industrialized nation. the government supports the tobacco industry, takinging the bite out of anti-smoking campaigns. some politicians and health authorities are keeping at it, though. officials implemented a one-day smoking ban in one of the city's most popular places. they covered up all 20 ashtrays in the peace memorial park. the park is dedicated to the victims of atomic bombing. it attracts visitors from around the world.

>> translator: i think it will be nice to have at least one place where we can smoke. >> translator: many places have gone smoke free. so this place should follow suit. >> city officials say they'll only keep the lid on 15 out of 20 ashtrays after the day ends. they'll decide whether to make the park smoke free permanently after they see how visitors react. these local efforts are repeated across the country. but health authorities say japan needs a national strategy to get smokers to kick the habit. nhk world explains. >> reporter: an estimated 22 million adults in japan do this every day. that's around 20% of the population. it is down from 50% in the 1980s. but the smoking rate is still higher than it is in the u.s., australia, or some asian countries. the tobacco business act went into effect in 1984 to secure

tax revenues. former w.h.o. director says it makes it difficult for the health department to get people to stop smoking. >> translator: the act has caused contradictions in the country because some measures for tobacco control are included in the act. >> reporter: japanese leaders are trying to change the situation, but it's slow going. they hiked the tobacco tax in 2010 but that did little for encourage smokers to stop. cigarettes cost less than in most industrialized nations. japanese politicians nine years ago agreed to toughen anti-smoking laws. they introduced legislation to prevent secondhand smoke exposure in public places. but here, in their own cafeteria, it only took effect

earlier this month. smokers in the lower house building now squeeze into this designated area near the cafeteria. this man chairs the committee on rules and administration. he proposed the ban which won support across party lines. >> translator: politicians may be behind banning smoking. >> reporter: w.h.o. officials want authorities to do more to curb tobacco use. they say the country has been slow to alert the public to the dangers of smoking. they point out warnings cover over half of the cigarette pack in 30 countries. but in japan it's been limited. >> translator: no matter how much the government supports the industry, there's no question about the toxicity of tobacco.

japanese leaders should emphasize the dangers more clearly. >> reporter: dr. mizuzuki and other health officials want to cut japan's smoking rate to 12% by 2022. they believe that will give politicians and smokers a push toward curbing the habit. government leaders have never set a numerical target. they will decide next month. nhk world, tokyo. here is the latest market figures.

businesses in the united states are racing to stake their claim in space. the company space x is leading the pack. its engineers set the first private cargo craft to the international space station. the dragon as it is called docked last friday to deliver food and other supplies. >> this really is, i think, going to be recognized as a significantly historical step forward in space travels. >> one, zero. >> the dragon's docking is a

major boost for u.s. government leaders. their current policy relies on the private sector to develop spacecraft following the end of nasa's shuttle program. let's take a look now at how the folks at space x got to this point and how other companies are positioning themselves in this space race. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: the dragon spacecraft was developed by a venture firm space x. the company entered the space business just ten years ago. now it has a contract with the u.s. space agency nasa to deliver cargo to the iss. space x first hit the headlines in 2010 when it became the first private company to successfully launch a spacecraft into orbit and then return it safely to earth. the company's next goal is to develop a manned spacecraft.

>> we want to keep upgrading the technology and making improvements so that ultimately therecan be journeys beyond the space station. >> reporter: what makes spacex so remarkable is the low cost of its operations. the launch cost of this type of rocket was about $54 million. that's about half of what it cost japan's space agency to launch the h2a rocket. how does spacex keep its costs down? one factor is the low-tech approach in its falcon 9 booster rocket. the first stage is made up of a cluster of nine rocket engines. the basic technology for those engines was developed over 40 years ago for apollo 11, the spacecraft that put the first man on the moon back in 1969.

moreover, the rocket will return to earth using parachutes, just like the apollo modules, instead of landing on a runway like the space shuttle. >> what we try to do here is not to just use the best technology or the newest technology. we try to use the right technology. >> reporter: spacex is not the only venture that's making inroads into the space business using old technology. one company is recycling passenger jumbo jets that have recently been decommissioned. >> maybe some of the actual windows themselves, it would be nice, they are a pretty valuable item and are well engineered. it would be a shame to have that go to waste. >> reporter: strata launch systems is developing a huge airplane with the wingspan of over 110 meters. the plan is for the plane to carry a rocket into the upper

atmosphere and launch it into orbit from there. the plane's engines and landing gear will be recycled from passenger jets. this approach is expected to reduce development costs significantly. >> we are looking at bringing in innovative solution to air launch of a large payload. >> reporter: other companies are focusing on manned space flight. at xcore space factory, they are developing a small spacecraft that will carry passengers. the cost into space will be about $95,000. some would-be space tourists have already bought tickets. the company's trying to cut down on costs by using parts developed for automobiles. >> i think the day will come when anybody who has the means

to afford something like a luxury car, who has wanted to go to space, will be able to do it. >> reporter: the development of commercial spaceships could fly cargo and eventually people is revolutionizing space exploration. reporting for nhk world, hawthorne, california. >> the dragon capsule is due to parachute into the pacific ocean later on thursday. between now and 2015 spacex is planning to launch the dragon spacecraft a total of 12 times to deliver food and other supplies. after that, its goal will be manned space flights. a decade of fighting has left many young people in afghanistan unable to see a bright future for their country. but they're finding solace in the new experience of rock music. hideki yui has the story. ♪

>> reporter: a recent rock festival in afghanistan drew crowds of young people who were thrilled by the wild performances on stage. it is a new experience for them as all music was banned under the former regime. >> translator: because of conflicts in the taliban, we haven't had a chance to enjoy live music for years. ♪ >> reporter: this group is composing songs for their upcoming album. music provides them with an outlet for their rage against war. ♪ this song was inspired by a fatal blast in 2008. u.s. led coalition forces mistakenly bombed a wedding hall, killing the bride and groom. ♪

>> i write a song about that, because not to say that we hate you because you bombed these people, but let's write something that represents that we're tired of this. >> reporter: more than ten years after the taliban regime ended, shopping malls and fast food stores are popping up in the capital city of kabul. people are also enjoying the return of music. but the new popularity of music is drawing sharp reactions from taliban remnants. cd shops are being attacked where the taliban are still active.

in the eastern city of gentle n jalalabad, all the shops were forced to close. musicians themselves are also pressed with threats. this footage from three years ago shows the members unknown. they hid their faces behind white masks after becoming victims of threats of people who want to ban music. but the group decided to go on stage without their faces covered at the country's first ever rock festival. ♪ >> translator: even if the risk of losing our lives, we perform with our faces unhidden. we wanted to share our rock music with the whole world. >> reporter: musicians in afghanistan face strong, even

violent opposition. music has provided them with a voice. now that they have the voice, they are not likely to give it up again. hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. it was a pleasant day here in tokyo with some overcast. it looks like more unstable weather in the philippines. robert speta has the details. robert? >> there is a tropical depression east of isais right now. you see the cyclonic circulation forming up here as it does push off towards the northwest. and with that, you're going to be expecting some further intensification. the japan meteorological agency here, the official forecasting agency out in the western pacific for tropical systems, is expecting this to go up to a tropical storm within the next 24 hours. with this is going to be bringing is a threat of some heavy rainfall across most of the philippines here. you see areas in reds, those are

indicating up to about 100 millimeters in the next 24 hours. and already in manila, you're seeing some flooding reports due to some of these bands pushing into the center of the circulation. not only the floods, but then what comes with that is the risk of landslides on some of the steeper elevations. we'll keep you posted as the system does continue to develop through the next several days. look off here towards the north, southern japanese islands, all that area is in red. this is due to a separate system that is bringing widespread rain showers, actually amani prefecture on the source of the northern portions of the japanese islands there, you're seeing upwards of about 150 millimeters in the past 24 hours. unfortunately, the next 24 could see up to about 80 millimeters. good news it will start to taper off going into friday evening. then unfortunately, as that whole boundary starts to lift back up to the north yet again it will be picking back up through saturday. even some few isolated thunderstorms could pop up along the eastern portions of honshu.

tokyo, your afternoon and evening hours, a few isolated storms going into your weekend as well. temperatures are looking like this. seoul, 27. beijing, 32. even ulan batur, your highs are getting up to high teens. unfortunately, your low will be at only 5. over towards the americas now, the big topic has been in the central plains here already, numerous hail reports, damaging wind reports, damaging structures out here and already several tornadoes have been reported in the past several days. it does look like going into your thursday, this system will keep bringing more severe weather. as it pushes off towards east through the mississippi river valley, off towards the ohio river valley, a large hail, up to baseball sized, could be expected here and damaging winds, 130 kilometer per hour winds also could be coming with this as it continues to push towards the east. so anybody flying in and out of the east coast going through your friday, do check ahead of time. these storms can definitely bring the risk of canceling or

delaying your flights. behind it, cooler weather in the north. winnipeg, high of 23. freezing temperatures into your overnight hours. that's extending out towards wisconsin and even over towards michigan. down into the desert southwest, las vegas, look at that high, 39, but in death valley, you could be expecting a high almost to 50. not one of those weekends here, you'll be wanting to venture out to that tourist spot, east coast, high temperatures there in the high 20s and low 30s. over towards europe, wet and chilly and unstable weather across much of the north here. this is due to a cutoff low spinning here. will be bringing yet more rainfall there towards germany and even over towards poland as that whole system continues to push east and behind it, cooler weather, london, looking at a high of 18. going into sunday this could be dropping down to only 11. now, here is a look at your extended outlook.

we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.