welcome to nhk world "newsline" on this national holiday. independent south korean candidate ahn cheol-soo has given up his bid in next month's presidential election. he made way for moon jae-in of the democratic united party. ahn made the announcement friday at his campaign office in seoul. >> translator: i am giving up my presidential candidacy. my fellow citizens, our sole candidate is cheng. we need all your support. >> ahn apologized to his

supporters but said his standing against moon would not be good for the people. ahn and moon were in talks aimed at selecting a single candidate between them for the upcoming election, but they failed to reach an agreement. one of the two needed to compromise, and he was the one to do so. ahn was a former software entrepreneur. he was popular with young voters and others not affiliated with the national party. he visited colleges across south korea and spoke to students facing high unemployment. moon will challenge the ruling party's front-runner park geun-hye in a one-on-one battle for the presidency. park is leading the polls ahead of next month's election. a cease-fire between israeli militants appears to be holding. no major violence has been reported since thursday when the truce went into effect. israeli military has started to withdraw its tanks and armored vehicles near the border with the gaza strip. it has also started to release about 60,000 reserve soldiers.

many palestinians were seen friday morning buying fruit and vegetables at a gaza market. many citizens in gaza are now expecting israeli officials to lift their five-year economic blockade of the city. the agreement states israel will open border crossings and allow people and goods to pass 24 hours after the cease-fire takes effect. >> translator: i hope the blockade gets lifted so i can look for work and make a living. >> hamas leaders are calling for the removal of the blockade while israeli officials may seek a partial lifting. the two sides are faced with the challenge of narrowing the gap through discussions. investigators in israel say they've arrested an israeli arab man in connection with the tel aviv bus bombing. the attack happened toward the

tail end of the gaza conflict. it wounded nearly 30 people. israeli police announced the arrest a day after the cease-fire. they say the suspect is associated with hamas and another militant group, the islamic jihad. investigators say the organizations gave him instructions and he used a mobile phone to detonate the bomb. police suspect the man may have targeted the bus in retaliation for israel's attacks on gaza. they're investigating the possible involvement of hamas officials. south koreans on friday marked the second anniversary of north korea's shelling0gz of yeonpyeong island that killed four people. a ceremony to remember the two soldiers and two civilians was held on the island in the yellow sea. nhk world has more. >> reporter: about 100 people took part in the ceremony with many offering flowers at a

monument dedicated to the fallen. the shelling bombed 40 houses. it's been two years since the island came under a shelling attack. the south korean government decided to permanently preserve these three houses that were directly hit. it also built a museum where people can learn about the incident. an exhibit displays photographs of shells and footage of the attack to coincide with the anniversary. >> translator: i didn't suffer any direct damage, but the memories of the attack still haunt me. >> translator: north korean officials had threatened it would attack the island again with if the south went ahead with the memorial services.

the south korean military staged a drill at the exact hour when the island was bombed in a show of defips and to prepare for similar attacks. shoko matsumoto, nhk world, yeonpyeong island, south korea. north korean defense officials have transferred what appear to be ballistic missile parts to a launch site in the country's northwest. their neighbors to the south see it as a sign the north is building another long-range missile. south korean officials say u.s. satellite photos confirm the parts were transferred to the site. the north korean government failed in april to launch what it called a satellite-carrying rocket. the attempt came soon after ununassumed leadership.

the north korean military may carry out a new test to make up for the april mishap despite criticism from around the world. south korean defense minister kim kwan-jin says he expects an act of provocation soon. south korea's presidential election is set for next month. conservationists around the world mourn the death this year of a 100-year-old giant tortoise named lonesome george. he was thought to be the last of his kind. lonesome george belonged to a subspecies native to the tiny island of la pinta in the galapagos islands. conservationists believe it became extint wheng george died in june. but a research team examed blood from about 1,700 tortoises on isabella island about 60

kilometers from la pinta. the scientists say they share traces of george's genes. 5 of the 17 are at most 20 years old and that their parents could be pure la pinta tortoises that are still alive. a large aquarium equipped with giant fish tanks is making a splash in singapore.jcj the aquarium is located on a resort island. its tanks hold 45 million liters of seawater. the tanks are home to 100,000 marine animals representing about 800 species. the largest tank is eight meters high by 36 meters wide. manta rays and sharks swimming with smaller fish entertain visitors. another tank features a tunnel. it gives visitors the sensation of walking on the seabed. >> will there's a lot of big fish inside which are very nice. >> one section of the tank doubles as a wall of a hotel. guests can get a glimpse of the

underwater world while lying in bed. over 13 million foreign tourists visited singapore last year. that's more than twice the country's population. now the city has another site that will reel in visitors. and now here's the weather forecast. ♪

we'll be back with more news

next hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.