egypt on edge. voters vent their frustration as election officials delay releasing the outcome of the presidential runoff. welcome to nhk world "newsline." people in egypt have been without a president for almost a year and a half now. they're going to have to wait a little longer. election officials are holding off on announcing who will be the country's first freely elected president following the ouster of hosni mubarak. report from cairo. nhk world's yujiro futori reports.

>> reporter: the commission planned to announce the results on thursday, but members said they need more time to study appeals from the candidates. mohamed morsi leads the islamist party, the muslim brotherhood. former commander ahmed shafiq served as hosni mubarak's last prime minister. both candidates have declared victory, and both sides cited results they claim to have obtained from the election commission. commission members have not said when they will declare the winner. some of them have said the results should be ready within a few days. some egyptians fear the announcement will renew tensions between the two camps. yujiro futori, nhk world, cairo. nobahisu is nhk's senior

commentator and a former middle east correspondent. so, why do you think the election commission suddenly held back the election results? >> that's a good question. it's not clear. the commission says it has received 400 complaints from two candidate sides. it says it needs time to study them in detail. >> all right. >> there's plenty of speculation as to whether we should take this statement at face value or if there's some other political motive at work. there's a reason we should be skeptical. while local media reports have put mohamed morsi in the lead, the country's interim authority, the supreme council of the armed forces and the constitutional court have recently made certain decisions that appear to benefit ahmed shafiq and the old regime. this has made the morsi camp suspect the old regime is trying to let shafiq win, but we can't say for sure. this is anymore than

speculation. >> let's go into that a little bit. looking back, can you go over where there seems to have been some favortism for shafiq. >> first, on june 14th, just two days ahead of the runoff election, the supreme constitutional court ruled that the parliamentary election of a half a year ago was unconstitutional. after announcing this decision, the supreme council then said, it would dissolve parliament. this would mean the muslim brotherhood would lose an important political power base. >> okay. >> the party won 46% of seats in that parliamentary vote and became the leading political group. then after presidential runoff voting was finished on june 17th. the supreme council suddenly announced new amendments to egypt interim constitution. the changes give far greater power to the military council. they include authority to draw

up legislation, approve budget, and even form a committee to create new constitution. they also limit the power of the president. the move has stirred anger among the egyptian people. they say things like the supreme council is trying to prevent the muslim brotherhood from acquiring power or keep issuing orders to maintain their enormous interests. this is just the coup d'etat without weapons. this kind of criticism is now spreading. >> when will officials announce who is president and what's expected going forward? >> it has been decided when they will declare the winner. but the election commission told the media the announcement can be made within a few days. the muslim brotherhood is trying to build momentum after the yoke of the dictatorship has come off. struggle is developing between

them and the military which has controlled country for more than 60 years. amid the election uncertainty, the muslim brotherhood has started massive demonstrations. they reject both the dissolution of the parliament and increase in authority of the supreme council. what's uncertain is that victory by either candidate will spark anger from the opposing side and a big matter for concern is that major demonstration will lead to bloodshed. >> okay. thank you very much. nhk world's nobuhisa degawa. >> thank you very much. an indonesian air force plane has slammed into a housing complex in the capital of jakarta. seven soldiers on board, six are dead. an air force spokes person says the fokker-27 turboprop was on a routine training flight. the plane took off from a base

in eastern jakarta. reports say the house is a military facility near a base. police and military officials are searching the area to make sure there are no other victims. a rescue under way in the indian ocean. a boat carrying about 200 suspected asylum seekers capsized off australia's christmas island. australian maritime safety authority representatives say the accident happened about 220 kilometers north of the island. one of the country's defense force aircraft spotted survivors in the water. members of the defense force say their vessels will carry out the rescue in cooperation with indonesia. this kind of accident has happened before. a boat carrying would-be refugees mainly from iran and iraq crashed in christmas island's rocky shore back in 2010. more than 20 people died.

aung san suu kyi has received an honorary doctorate. she is on her first visit to britain in 24 years. patchari raksawong is in bangkok and has an update on the visit. >> in her speech at oxford university, aung san suu kyi hoped democratization would lead to greater opportunities for her country's people. >> i have lived a happy life, and this made me understand so much better the young people of burma who wanted to live a happy life and who had never been given an opportunity to lead one. >> wearing a traditional black hat and red gown, aung san suu kyi accepted her honorary doctorate on wednesday. she said myanmar needs support to develop its democracy and economy and establish human rights. the nobel laureate studied philosophy, politics and economics at oxford in the 1960s. aung san suu kyi's european tour has given encouragement to

people who fled myanmar to live abroad. her long-delayed acceptance speech for the nobel peace prize in oslo last weekend was a landmark moment. exisland from myanmar, living in norway, say it made them more hopeful of returning home. nhk world tiha tway reports. >> our aim should be to create a world free from the displaced, the homeless and the hopeless. a world of which each and every corner is a true sanctuary where the inhabitants will have the freedom and the capacity to live in peace. >> reporter: aung san suu kyi's sweep of brought hope to myanmar people living in exile. many fled the country in fear of oppressions by the former military government.

47-year-old moammar was involved in democracy movements in myanmar. he was arrested four times during the era of military rule. >> it will not be very good. we are not -- we were not enjoying. we always worry for our daily life. >> reporter: seven years ago, moammar and his family were granted political asylum in norway. he still lives here with his wife and daughter. he has continued to work for democracy, taking part in rallies outside foreign embassy in oslo. as myanmar steps toward democracy, he hopes to go back to his country with his family and help build the new society. >> i will find a way. how can i participate with this democracy procession.

>> reporter: after her nobel peace acceptance speech, aung san suu kyi addressed thousands in front of city hall. >> people want to return to their homes, and i would like to appeal to you to help them all to return to their homes. >> reporter: moe maungo was in the crowd. after hearing the speech he became all the more convinced it's time to go home. >> it is very exciting for me because we didn't think we will meet her alive like that, very closely. >> aung san suu kyi is the icon of myanmar's democratization. they encourage european people who now live abrood to strengthen her campaign abroad. nhk world, oslo. and that will conclude our

bulletin for today. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. the people of south sudan will soon celebrate the anniversary of a hard-fought victory. theyeclared independence on july 9th last year. but the shadow of conflict still hangs over the world's newest nation. poverty is also a problem. u.n. peacekeepers are trying to make a difference. we learn more about their mission in an exclusive interview with the force's commander, major general moses besong obi. obi spoke to nhk at u.n. headquarters in new york. more than 200 japanese ground self-defense force troops are part of the peacekeeping mission. they are helping to develop infrastructure in the hapt juba. one project involves creating parking space for planes at an airport.

obi praised the skills of the sdf personnel. >> i feel proud to have a contingent from japan because of the level of high technology that japan has. the quality of personnel. i think anybody would be proud of that. they work according to schedule. they met all their targets in good time. i have no doubt, even the people of south sudan will be impressed. >> the governor wants a second team from japan to help construct paved roads and bridges in south sudan. a small chain of disputed islands is fanning national sentiment in both sides of the east china sea. but the chinese ambassador to japan cheng yon hua says the two countries should take their times over the senkaku islands. a joint survey says anti-chinese centiment in japan is growing and vice versa.

>> translator: china and japan should not link public emotions with this issue. we should give it time and talk about it. and eventually arrive at a solution. >> cheng also criticized a plan by the outspoken tokyo governor to buy some of the senkaku chain from their private japanese owner. the chinese ambassador said some people are deliberately inflaming tensions between the two nations people. recent developments have cast a shadow over events marking the 40th anniversary of normalization of ties. the ambassador's comments apparently reflect hopes of preventing the senkakus from damaging ties and ultimately affect dog mestic politics. the chinese communist party will choose its new leadership this autumn. the senkaku islands are part of okinawa prefecture but also claimed by china and taiwan.

officials at nissan motor are scaling back production at their main factory near tokyo as part of a cost-cutting effort to survive the prolonged surge that we're seeing on the yen. nissan will be shutting down 1 of 2 assembly lines at its oppama plant by the end of the month. the automaker will shift part of the production to a factory in western japan. it will also transfer assembly of the model to thailand. the move will cut nissan's domestic production by about 200,000 units per year. but the automaker hopes to maintain its goal of building 1 million units per year in japan. it also says no jobs will be cut. an australian court fined apple 2.3 million u.s. dollars because the u.s. firm falsely claimed the latest tablet computer is compatible with the country's next generation broadband network. a federal court ruled thursday that apple misled consumers for two months this year.

that was in its advertising for the ipad model that went on sale in march. the ads falsely claim the ipad could connect directly to the broadband network operated by australia's dominant telecom carrier. the court said the ads were deliberately misleading and therefore unacceptable. the case was brought by the australian competition and consumer commission which said apple's conduct violated the country's consumer law. the commission says apple has agreed to pay the fine and has been giving refunds to people who bought the product. the firm has also revised its ads for the product. one of japan's three big makers of nuclear reactors is turning its focus to alternative energy. engineers at toshiba helped build fukushima daiichi. now executives have announced they'll develop the largest solar power project nearby. the managing director takota signed a deal with the mayor. the city is just north of the

plant. engineers will build several solar power stations along the coast. the construction of new houses was banned last year. the area was designated a tunisia-risk zone. city officials plan to buy 1.5 square meters of land. the plants are expected to begin operating in 2014. they will provide up to 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to meet the demands of 30,000 homes. >> translator: the project will be a big step forward for our reconstruction. and it will serve as encouragement to residents. >> sakurai says he wants to end minamisoma's dependence on nuclear power and switch entirely to renewable energy. vladimir putin returned to the russian president about a month ago.

and he has wasted no time targeting critics of his rule. earlier this with me squashed legislati legislation. people who organize protests could be up for fines about $30,000. the new laws also forbid demonstrators from wearing masks to conceal their identity. but instead of discouraging protesters, the president has them marching again. nhk world's yuria natarova reports. >> reporter: on the 12th of june, russia's opposition forces staged their first demonstrations designed to restrict anti-government rallies. this woman was distributing

white ribbons at site of the demonstration. she's among those who are calling for a change in russian politics to ensure fairness in political affairs and in elections. the white ribbon is the symbol of their campaign as the color white is thought to represent purity. >> translator: many people want to change this country. there's no other choice. >> reporter: yelena is a housewife in her 40s. she used to have little interest in politics. but last year, she became active. lower house election held in december last year changed her. suspicion arose that the government was involved in massive election fraud. yelena started to take part in opposition rallies and distribute white ribbons.

she also encourages other people to join in protests by posting messages on web pages and blog sites. >> translator: the rest of the world, particularly europe, is much more civilized. i have to say that russia is still a futile society. i want a government to respect the public just like other governments do. ♪ >> reporter: president vladimir putin plans to clamp down on opposition forces as soon as he returned to the country's top post last month. the ruling united russia party submitted a bill to the lower house of parliament to raise fines imposed on anti-government protesters. the opposition reacted sharply, blasting the government for trying restrict freedom of assembly and contain protests against the government. >> translator: the new fines are the average yearly income for

russians. the law will keep a tight leash on the public. >> reporter: heated deliberations from the bill lasted nearly 12 hours. but the ruling camp, which has a majority in both houses of parliament, eventually prevailed. president putin wasted no time signing it into law. >> translator: our law contains no clause that is stricter than any existing law in europe. we recall last summer's riots in london and other violence across europe. >> reporter: yelena is increasingly alarmed by putin's relentless drive to crack down on any moves against his position of power. >> translator: putin probably doesn't know any other means of proceeding. he thinks of people like us as his enemies.

if there's an enemy, all he can imagine doing is eliminating it. >> reporter: the steep fines are the latest attempt by putin to silence detractors. he has already in his favor and public security authority are searching and arresting protesters. now more russians share yelena's frustration with putin. julia navatova, nhk world, moscow. hideao is nhk world's moscow bureau chief. why did the russian government push through with the controversial legislation, despite much criticism from the public? >> i think it showed extent putin has. putin has said that russia's a large ethnic nation with a complicated federal system and should avoid radical reform. he also said he will adopt a

movement that wake up the nation, break up society and give a shock to last year's society on the economy. putin said opposition has forces that will destroy the country's society rather than someone to hold discussion with. >> what will freedom in russia look like under another putin presidency? >> last year under putin's previous president was referred to as managed democracy. i think putin will stick to this motto as president again. the new protest law has clearly shown that putin is not aiming to bypass russian society by promoting freedom. he believes strong control is needed over any freedom that can bring cause. dmitry medvedev, former russian president, held talks with opposition leaders, but putin has shown no intention of lending an ear to the opposition

or discontent of ordinary russians. politics warn that putin's legislation will sooner or later start losing public support, mainly from urban residents, unless it departs from its strong-arm tactics and let the people breathe the air of freedom. >> that was nhk world's hid hideo amma from moscow. for an update on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. >> tropical storm talim has downgraded into a remnant low over the pacific coast of japan. combined with the rainy season band. before i get into the details, let me show you the damage already done by the previous rainfall. this is coming out from kagushima prefecture today where a landslide occurred destroying a house due to the to rential rain. no injuries but the land is very prone to further landslides and warnings are in effect. the river levels in miyasaki prefecture are exceeding well

above normal levels and no additional rain is welcomed here at all. but if we can pull back, i can show you that the boundary is just over the pacific coast right now. and that will be passing towards the konto region by friday evening dumping some quiteraphy rain. already 244 millimeters has been reported in miyazaki where the video came up from, topping up to about 150 millimeters into friday evening. 233 millimeters was reported in and around shikoku region. up to 250 millimeters of additional rainfall. so this could definitely trig smer further flooding, land dld slides and mudslides toward hokkaido region. also up to 150 mill peters could be found. and accompanied with this rain band system moving towards konto region is the thunderstorms. large hail could be possible as well as damaging winds. and also tornadic activity

cannot be ruled out. out towards southeast china, this is where the tropical storm talim has slammed the area with very heavy rain. another round of rain band will be developing over the similar areas. fujian province and hunan province. these are the areas that will be worst hit with additional of 150 millimeters and a very well saturated land. so that also flood threats, mudslides and land slides. hong kong at 30. chances of thunderstorms are in place here. and tokyo, we're looking at 24 degrees for our friday high. heading turnover the americas now, this is the area where we may see some severe thunderstorms today. and that could associate with some hail that could be about 3 centimeters in diameter. damaging winds also. but this cold front is weakening. however it will be passing through the great lakes region

and that will be erasing the heat. the atlantic high pressure system over here. that is surging a lot of warm air all the way up towards the northeastern regions. and air stagnation could result in some respiratory problems. and also out towards the west, dry and hot weather continues there as well. gusts could reach up to about 60 kilometers per hour and the humidity is about as low as 5%. and so the critical fire, rather, still alive in these areas. but take a look at your temperatures in the eastern coast. toronto reaching 34 degrees. that's ten degrees above average. boston, that could be a record high temperature. and all the way to new york, philadelphia, washington, d.c., in the high 30s for your thursday. still keeping its heat in the 30s to your friday. i know some people in new york were sunbathing today, but you'll be seeing a very sunny day for your thursday as well.

here's our extended forecast. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

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