welcome to nhk world "newsline." delegates from six major powers wrapped up talks with their counterparts from iran on the cups anuclear program and promised to meet again. they proposed a gradual easing of sanctions, provided they get some concessions. iranian representatives are reacting positively to the idea. representatives of the five permanent members of the u.n.

security council and germany met iranian officials in almaty, kazakhstan. they want leaders in tehran to scale back their nuclear ambitions. catherine ashton chaired the two-day talks. the iranians sent their top nuclear negotiator, saeed jalili. the delegates said they will ease economic sanction it is iranian scientists stop enriching uranium to 20% purity. beyond that, it's just short step to weapons-grade uranium. the proposal is positive and constructive. he's calling on nations to lift sanctions on iran. he says hostile sanctions should cease and confidence building should be promoted. details of the proposals have not been revealed. the delegates agreed to meet again in mid-april in almaty for further talks. they also said theuld get experts together next month in istanbul, turkey, for technical discussions. pope benedict xvi has bade

an emotional farewell to his final public audience at st. peter's square in the vatican. the outgoing pope made his last public appearance on wednesday morning, one day before his resignation. 50,000 tickets were given out to see the pope make his farewell. but tens of thousands more followers were estimated to be in attendance. he is resigning due to old age and poor health. the pontiff bid farewell to followers in the square from his popemobile before making his speech. he said to love the church also means to have the courage to make difficult, painful decisions. there has been no papal resignation since 1415. the outgoing pope will leave the vatican by helicopter on thursday after bidding farewell to the cardinals. police in switzerland are investigating a deadly workplace shooting. it happened at a wood processing company near the city of lucerne. at least three people were killed and several others are wounded.

the incident occurred 9:00 wednesday morning. police say the shooter and two employees died. local media say seven people were injured, four of them seriously. investigators are trying to identify the shooter. they say it was a man. a local newspaper says company managers were believed to be planning job cuts. officials with japan's environment ministry are trying to protect people from pollution blowing into china. they have set new guidelines on how and when to issue warnings. people in a number of chinese cities are dealing with smog for weeks. factories and cars are belting out a new pollutant, pn 25. it can cause bronchitis and asthma. warnings will be issued when pm 2.5 could reach 70 micrograms per cubic meter of air. when that happens, the officials

say they will tell people to stay indoors and shut their windows. they say children, the elderly, and people with asthma should be especially cautious at any time. these people may be affected by even low levels of pollution. officials plan to notify local governments of the new guidelines this week. state-run media in china are reporting the nation's first aircraft carrier has arrived at its permanent home. the ship is docked in shandong province, where the chinese navy's northern fleet is located. military authorities bought the scrapped soviet-era carrier and had it renovated in the eastern city of dalia. it has been tested at sea on a number of occasions. members of the naval air force have conducted drills, landing aircraft on the carrier.

operators of the port made changes to accommodate the new ship. they carried out a four-year renovation. the renovations and the moving it to a permanent port will increase china's maritime power. cradle of culture. economic powerhouse. many enjoy the fruits of prosperity along the path to a new china. but millions are still missing out and public discontent is growing. against that backdrop, officials are choosing a fresh slate of government leaders. we bring you "china: change and challenge." one of the most isolated country nuts world is showing some signs of openness. north korea will allow foreigners in the country to access the internet through their mobile phones and other

desites ares. the pyongyang bureau of the associated press reports the new service is being provided by a joint venture between local and egyptian cell phone companies. foreign residents living in the capital were informed last week of the internet service launch. on monday, the bureau head of ap for south and north korea sent a twitter message from pyongyang saying she was using the service. earlier this year, north korea allowed people to bring their own mobile phones into the country. pyongyang watchers say these moves could be an attempt to attract more visitors from abroad and improve foreign currency by improving telecommunications infrastructure. however, north korean residents are still not allowed access to such service. officials in pyongyang are playing host to an athlete who gained a reputation as a bad boy. dennis rodman was known as much for his tenacity on the court as for his antics off it during 14

seasons in the national basketball association. now he is making a tv documentary in north korea. rodman arrived on tuesday a production team in tow. officials from the north korean olympic committee gave him a warm welcome. >> my first time. i think most of these guys first time here. so, hopefully we are going to be okay and hope the kids to have a good time for the game. >> rodman is expected to play some basketball during his visit. he will also run workshops for children. kim jong-un is said to be a big fan of the nba t is believed played basketball as a student in switzerland. the japanese government has upgraded its overall assessment for the country's economy for a second straight month.

it's the first time in about two years we have seen two consecutive upward provisions. in its monthly report for february, the government says the economy is bottoming out, though weakness can be seen in some areas on corporate profits. the recovery is mainly in the auto sector and states the recent yen weakness helped boost exports as investors are more optimistic about the government's economic policies. assessments for corporate production and consumer spending improved as well. looking ahead, the government hopes to see the economy move toward recovery. but that trends need to be closely watched. japanese researchers say rare earth reserves found on the pacific seabed more than 1,800 kilometers south of tokyo are much higher in denser than china's inland deposits. the finding has raised the prospect of raising them. researchers raised mud from the seabed more than five kilometers

deep last month. it followed the discovery by a group from the university of tokyo last year. they have collected black-colored mud. the color indicates it contains large amounts of rare earth medals. a metal called dysprosium has been found, it is essential for producing hybrid vehicles. its density was about 20 times this of mines in southern china. the sample contained other rare earths as well, indispensable for i.t. devices. >> translator: the latest research found high concentrations of rare earth metals. the findings have raised the possibility of developing them as resources. >> but no such research development has taken place at sea depths of over 5 kilometers. the japanese government plans to discuss relevant issues, including technologies to pull the reserves. executives from a major japanese trading house are

hoping tap into japan's volcanic resources. they want to build a geothermal power plant in the country's largest national park. officials were in hokkaido tuesday for talks with representatives of the lot government and hot springs association. the trading house executives have been studying the possibility of building a power plant in a national park. they hope to begin surveying the ground in june. they want to use electromagnetic waves to check the scale and location of the heat source. local council members would then study the impact of a power plant on the local environment and hot springs. it would be the first such survey in a japanese national park. the government last year eased regulations for developing parks. innovators everywhere are battling to find ecofriendly power sources. this week, more than 125,000 professionals from 65 countries are showcasing their ideas in tokyo at the world's largest renewable energy expo.

nhk world's rina nakano plugs us into this year's korean energy wins. >> reporter: solar, wind, fuel cell, there's plenty of power at tokyo's world smart energy week 2013. industry professionals from around the world are manning nearly 2,000 stalls, sharing ideas and new technology. they're trying to pave the way for a cleaner tomorrow. visitors are particularly steamed up over fuel cell vehicles, or scvs. these cars are powered by hydrogen and oxygen so they only give off water vapor. one five-minute charge can get these cars to cruise800 kilomet. that's more than four times the distance of regular electric vehicles. makers admit it will be hard for consumers to swallow the initial cost and inconvenience.

but by 2015, there will be more than 100 hydrogen stations in japan. makers say ultraefficiency and better infrastructure will make the customer's investment worthwhile. >> translator: our goal is to bring down the initial cost of our scv to that of a current gas powered luxury vehicle. in the long term i believe the total running cost will be much lower. >> reporter: big innovations are also being made on a much smaller scale. this year, professionals from all sectors of clean energy have their eyes set on the idea of portability. compact alternative power generators and mobile battery chargers are also big hits. these eco-friendly and convenient devices allow consumers to be prepared for a natural disaster.

researchers say global clean energy investments last year totalled nearly $270 billion. that's five times the 2004 figure. china was the biggest clean energy investor at $70 billion followed by the u.s. with 40 billion. japanese investors are also cleaning up their act. they boosted spending to $16 billion after serious power shortages following the fukushima nuclear crisis. professionals say it's an industry with limitless potential. >> renewable energy in japan is a huge opportunity for us. so we need to try to dominate 10 times or 20 times from now within five years. that is my expectation. >> reporter: visitors here are energized by these innovations.

they're beginning to think a renewable planet might not be so far away. rina nakano, nhk world, tokyo. officials at japan's nuclear regulatory body have released new evacuation guidelines for any future power plant disaster. the announcement is about one month behind schedule. the nuclear regulation authority says residents within five kilometers of a disaster-stricken nuclear plant must evacuate before the release of radioactive substances. iodine tablets will be distributed to households within five kilometers of a nuclear plant. iodine helps prevent the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactivity. residents within a 5- to 30-kilometer radius will be asked to evacuate if radiation levels reach 500 microsieverts per hour. the new guidelines replace measures set in october of last year. in compiling their review, officials spent more than two weeks from the end of last month gathering over 3,000 opinions from the public on what to include in the new guidelines. among the opinions, some people said iodine tablets should be

distributed over a wider area. others called for lowering the radiation level requiring evacuation. however, almost none of these views are reflected in the guidelines. nra officials said they drew up the new rules based on lessons from the march 11th disaster in 2011. now the guidelines are set. local governments within 30 kilometers of a nuclear plant must review by march 18th their own disaster preparedness programs. but due to the nra's delay, many have yet to decide on evacuation methods and locations. people in northeastern japan are reminded daily of what they lost on march 11th, 2011. the earthquake and tsunami took away loved ones, homes, entire communities. survivors are moving ahead. but they still face obstacles at the damaged nuclear plant and all along the pacific coast. "newsline" will bring you their stories.

don't miss "path to recovery two years on." u.s. court of appeals judges say activists with anti-whaling group, sea shepherd, is conducting piracy. it comes amid sabotage effort buys japanese whaling ships. the court said those who ram ships and damage propellers and rudders are pirates, no matter how high-minded they perceive their goals. an injunction prohibits the group from attacking whaling ships and their crews. they were responding to an earlier ruling by a u.s. district court. in that decision, judges issued an injunction against sea shepherd. -- judges rejectsed inusualing a preliminary injunction against sea sheppard.

the question is whether the anti-whaling group will abide by the latest court decision. scientists in russia have gotten their hands on an almost intact brain of an animal that lived 39 million years ago. they removed the brain from the carcass of a mammoth discovered in the siberian tundra. she is believed to have been about 10 years old when she died. the carcass was about 3 meters long and partly covered with soft hair. the academy of scientist released photos. they cut open the skull and put the extracted brain in a preserving solution. several hundred mammoth skulls have been found in russia. but yucca's brain is the first to be extracted in near-complete form.

>> translator: it's a great scientific discovery. i have never seen a brain before. >> they hope studying the brain will help them understand more about the extinct animal's behavior. charlie chaplin said a day without laughter is a day wasted. on a daily basis, them pakistan face news of political instability and terrorist attacks but one man is devoting him stove bringing laughter back into their lives. nhk world's correspondent has more. >> reporter: this tv commercial is widely popular in pakistan. it features this perform er. you would think it is mr. bean, but it would be wrong, but it is the pakistani take on the

british icon. the mr. bean character was created by comedian rowen atkinson. although he got his start on british television, mr. bean won enormous worldwide popularity in the 1990s. it takes mr. bean from the original program and translates it into pakistan.

>> translator: my kids love him. they are always watching. >> translator: we are bombarded every day with bad news. he helps us relax a bit. >> reporter: he is played by 35-year-old mohammed asef. when he was very young, his father died and he was forced to quit school. after leaving junior high, he found work in his hometown. but this one video clip turned around his life. one of asef's friends posted the footage online three years ago. it became a wild hit in the country. a local tv station started to take notice.

asef gave up his day job as a cotton trader and made the risky transition to show business. he had only one part in his mind. >> translator: i decided to become an entertainer because terrorist attacks were rampant in our country. we were swamped with grim news every day. i wanted to become a mr. bean lookalike and bring smiles back to people's faces. >> reporter: rowan atkinson now knows about his counterpart on the other side of the world. the sponsor of the ad, a pakistani bank, sent the footage to the british actor. >> rowan atkinson finally saw the films and i think his reaction was he is a bit chubby and that's okay. he got up and he left.

and said, okay, that's answ aet approval. we are just happy to know he was fine with it. >> translator: i feel truly honored to be recognized by the great mr. bean. i'm determined to do my utmost to entertain people. >> reporter: asif's humor dispelled some of the clouds that hang over pakistani society. his show remains in high demand. nhk world, karachi. northwest australia continues to be impacted today by a severe tropical cyclone. meteorologist robert speta joins wuss this storm and the rest of the world. robert? >> well, we are continuing to watch cyclone rusty here. it has made landfall just to the east of port headland but still continuing to bring these very gusty winds and heavy rapes. i actually want to show you

what's going on on the ground here near the coast lines, cyclone rusty strengthened up to a category 4 storm trier prior to make landfall there to the east of port head land. warnings exceed 500 kilometers inland. hardest hit areas will receive 600 millimeters of rain. some areas received significant rainfall, rains linger near the coast lines. you can see here the video, the heavy rain continuing to come down, unfortunately that will extend farther inland, the storm starts to track down there towards the south. now picking up the pace i the good news where it did make landfall, relatively unpopulated, still have a small villages here but the big city you port headland, about 20,000 people, that missed the height of the storm. some minor damage being reported here. now though, it is going to continue the track down toward the south. expected to see winds 125 kilometers per hour, that is does push overhead not just the winds but the heavy rains coming with it as it continues to push

down there really going to spread out across much of western australia. so, there is that continued risk of some flooding. definitely a storm system to still watch here, even well after landfall. take a look at eastern asia here, japan actually high pressure moving in overhead. the except sex hokkaido, low pressure area bringing still snowfall there, but it's hokkaido in february, something you typically expect. this high pressure is also going to be bringing in warm air. that comes at a price. some of the higher elevations here, you have a fairly strong snow pack, going to be some avalanche risk going through jut your day on thursday, more air continues to bring linger to them, friday, rain showers coming in, that is going to make it worst and start from northeastern china, snow here, 15 to 20 centimeters, 70 to 75-kilometer winds with it as well. not a weak system at all that will continue to push over through the korean peninsula and eventually through japan. shifting over the rain. the main reason is things are going to be more spring-like

here. take a look at the temperature in tokyo on friday, up to 16 degrees, once again that is going to combine with that warm air and continue to cause that snow melt and that avalanche risk but seoul, you are continuing to cool off. take a look at the americas. a storm system, very strong one, continuing to cause some travel impacts across much of the great lakes are extending into the northeast, heavy snowfall still lingering in much of this area here on your wednesday. if you are in any of these areas you are seeing the rain, unfortunately, looks like it will shift over to snow, cold air will continue to pour in out of canada. and is going to mix in with this and widespread snowfall even into pennsylvania and eventually off toward new england, seeing about 20 centimeters, a few areas very well see 30 centimeters and on the front side of the storm, we have warm air actually in the easterly winds pulling onshore and what that is going to be doing is not just creating this precipitation but also, high waves near the coastlines and even that risk of a slight storm surge, coastal

flooding there in new england. so, ral complex system still and causing problems all week. down to the south, temperatures remain in the teens, miami up to 26. i quickly want to show you, high pressure dominating low countries of the british isles, this disturbance here across the iberian peninsula. madrid, snowfall on thursday, east of madrid, 57 meters of snow in the forecast going thursday near friday. so if you're out there, definitely going to be a rough go that is a look at your world weather. here is your extended forecast.

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with more of the last. i am he's gene otani in tokyo. \s