welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday april 2nd. i'm kathryn kobyashi. south korean's president has told her people to be ready for any provocation. she's willing to fight back without the political consequences. she said she'd take the recent string of north korean moves and threats very seriously.

she acknowledged that the north koreans have scrapped a nonaggression treaty and unilaterally announced they have entered into a state of war with the south. >> translator: if any provocations happen against our people and our country, the military should respond powerfully early on without any political considerations. >> a navy commander briefed her by video link. he added the north still had five vessels near the area. dell gats to the north korean parliament have added to the tensions. members of the supreme people's assembly adopted laws to strengthen weapons programs.

the state run kreeen central newsing asy reported on the annual assembly in pyongyang. leelder kim jong un attended the meeting. they adopted legislation to reenforce the nation's nuclear capabilities. they also voted to create a bureau of what they call space development. security analysts sat rocket program is a cover for developing balic missiles. dell fwats agreed to increase the quantity and quality of records. the parliament reappointed pack upon ju to the commission. he was appointed director of the light industry. he'll pay a key role in economic policy. the economic interests of north korean leaders are in some cases trumping feelings of

animosity they have toward their neighbor. they allowed south korean workers to cross the border on monday to operate a jointly run industrial complex. but some of the workers say the atmosphere at the facility has changed. north korean officials said over the woke end, they would close the industrial park if south korea continued trying to undermine their nation's dignity. they announced monday they would allow personnel in and out of the zone. many of the workers said operations at the complex were no different than any other day. but some mentioned tougher security checks by north korean authorities. >> translator: north korean workers did not respond to me even though i tried to start conversations. their attitude toward south korean workers has changed. >> 50,000 north koreans work for south korean companies in the

complex. it is source of badly needed currency for the north. nhk world covers the korean opinions for us. >> reporter: north korean leaders are being more provocative because of u.s. drills. it always triggers some sort of reaction. the north korean regime is taking this opportunity to build support for its young leader kim jong un. it's resulted in old tactic, launching out against an old enemy, the united states. the north korean are trying to heighten the sense of crisis. kim reportedly told a former star american basketball player that he wants to hear from president obama. here's what dennis rodman said

in march after his visit to north korea. >> he want obama to to one thing. call him. >> he wants a call from president obama? >> yeah. he said if you can, dennis i don't want to do war. i don't want to do war. he said that to me. >> reporter: obama was reluctant to deal with them during his first term. now that he's started his second term they're hoeing he will change his position. i'm a little bit worried about one thing. kim jong un's predecessors have experienced war, but he hasn't because he's too young. so he might expect to get results by using force. but the threats from pyongyang could wiped down at the end of this month, when the u.s. south korea drills finish. north korea is focusing on july 27th. the anniversary of the armistice that ended the korean war in

1953. officials announced they were nullifying the armistice. this sounds like a threat to provoke south korea and the united states. it's unclear what they will gain with this series of threats. >> a u.s. veteran has finally come face-to-face with a south korean woman he saved during the korean war 60 years ago. former airman and radio mickic richard cad wal der was reunited on sunday in seoul. she was severely burned during an accident in the war. her mother carried her to a u.s. base and begged for help. he did his best to make sure she got medical attention. he asked the government to find

kim, now 71 years old. >> she and her mother were two examples of the most courageous people i've ever known. so this is a monumental day for me. i'm very happy. >> officials from south korea's min vi of patriots and veteran's affairs organized the reunion. they hope events like this can help bring south korea and it's lies closer together. japanese government officials have been discussing how to protect japan's maritime interests. they've released a draft of their plans for the next five years. they plan to increase security around the senkaku islands in the east china sea. japan control the islands. china and taiwan claim them.

they're calling for a quicker response for vessels found in the area without a permit. it will monitor and protect the coe key areas. the defense ministry is planning to install radar systems on the island. ministers also it outlined a three year plan to survey the seabed. they're hoping to use methane deposits as a source of natural gas. they want to start utilizing the resource around 2018. privately published newspapers have returned to myanmar. our bangkok bureau is following the story. >> reporter: new publications are already rolling off the press and many more are expected to follow. they come by a move by the government of mean march to ease

censorship. nhk world reports. >> reporter: on monday four privately run newspapers hit newsstands in myanmar's largest city. in the 1960s, myanmar's government imposed publication censorship. because at the time needed to get approval. daily papers were -- citizens are reading the new sources of information. >> translator: newspapers used to mean government propaganda. but with the private dailies, i can finally learn what's really happening. >> reporter: that all began to change last year when the government lifted regulations. by march, authorities had

granted permits to 16 private publishers to issue dailies. >> translator: although private dailies have gone on sale they still have a long way to go to improve their quality. i want them to carry more in depth reports to satisfy the readers. >> reporter: groups including private companies are set to laufrns more than 20 daily papers in the country. media analysts view the loosened restrictions as a move by the government to -- both at home and to the world. nhk world. india's supreme court has made a landmark decision that has major implications for the

pharmaceutical industry. in the ruling handed down on monday, the court says the compound made by novartis is not novel enough to qualify for a patent. the company filed the case seven years ago. india has it stricter pharmaceutical patent requirements than other nations. for example it doesn't allow patents for twaeks to existing drugs. this practice is known as evergreening. india is a major producer of copycat drugs which mimic branded products. it also makes generic medicines which are based on expired patents. indian made drugs can be more than 10% less than branned products. aid groups are applauding it

saying it protects the right of the poor to medical treatment. >> i think the supreme court has protected the practice. >> but the company's growing drug industry is raising concerns. anlists point out that cheap alternatives from india could make it difficult for pharmaceutical companies to continue the expensive development of new medicines. responding to the court decision novartis released a statement saying that patents a safe guard innovation and encourage progress. the company sees the ruling as a set-back for patients as it hinders development of drugs for diseases that do not currently have effective treatment options. patients around the world need affordable treatment and pharmaceutical companies seek to protect their intellectual property rights.

the debate on how to best balance the two is likely to remain centered on india. the rapid economic development powering emerging economies of southeast asia is welcome to most. but there is also a price to pay, whether it's in pollution, the costs can be steep. nhk reports on the latest killing of an environmental activist in thailand. >> reporter: once it was a five member family but now there are only four left. in late february, the fed of the family was shot dead. a memorial met by neighbors for the man is displayed at his

house. >> translator: i grieve that he is gone. he's everything to our family. he did so many things for everyone. i'm sure he died because of his work for the community. >> reporter: i am standing where he was killed in late february. witnesses say gunmen shot him four times in broad daylight before fleeing the scene. the killing shocked villagers, because he was a prominent leader in the local movement against environmental pollution. for years toxic waste has been a blight on the province, about is 100 kilometers east of bangkok. there are 11 industrial waste sites near the village. moist of the toxic waste comes

in from the industrial zones that are powering the thai economy. underground water, the only source of drinking water for the village has been contaminated by leaking chemicals. villagers have been forced to endure bad smells skin disease and headaches. >> translator: around 3,000 villagers have been affected. in their blood we found phenol which should not be in the human body. the authority the found the same type of contamination in groundwater in the area. >> reporter: he was fighting this crisis alongside other villagers and his brother john. he brought it to the attention of the authorities and singled out those companies that were accused of dumping toxic waste. the national human rights

commission began an investigation. police told nhk they believe for his activism attracted the attention of unknown people who then gunned him down. >> translator: there must be a mastermind hiring the hit men, the calls of this killing is what the media said. indeed, the residents have flown this all along. >> reporter: human rights advocates warn that the case isn't uncommon. >> since 2001 more than a thousand human rights defenders have been killed. there is very little serious investigation by authorities in east asian country, let alone any prosecution. so there is a culture of impunity. there is a culture of violence. >> reporter: the tragic incident

left a widow struggling to raise three children without a husband. >> translator: my husband used to say that if he did nothing about their problem the next generation would only have to suffer more. now he's no longer with mow. i believe he knows i will do everything i have learned from him and seen him doing, because i was with my husband all the time. >> reporter: a police investigation is underway. but so far it has failed to yield any arrest. the truth remains elusive. nhk world, officials from the world health organization are trying to determine how three chinese people con tracted a strain of bird flu. they say two have died and a third is in critical condition. who officials have issued a

global alert for the h7n9 strain. they are asking authoritying to monitor the spread of the virus. chinese health authorities said sunday at that two men had died of pneumonia in shanghai. a woman in the eastern province is in critical condition. who officials say there's no link between the three cases. who investigators are conducting genetic tests on the virus. they're trying to find out how it was transmitted and its level of toxicity. authorities in germany decided to phase-out nuclear power in the wake of the accident at fukushima daiichi. we told you last week about the long process of decondition being the reactors. but germans are focusing on a new issue -- where to store the

waste. nhk reports. >> reporter: german ideas have had their eyes on this town for decades. they've considered it the main candidate to host the permanent storage facility for nuclear waste. they've been carrying out experiments there to build their case. spent fuel rods and other types of nuclear waste are planned to be stored underground at the maximum death of 933 meters. but as authorities have assessing the plan they face strong resistance from local residents residents. >> translator: we heard the drums get rusty and that radioactive waste can leak out. there's the chance of gas leeks. this place is too dangerous for permanent storage.

>> reporter: the position forced the government to reconsider the project. last week environment minister announced a compromise. he launched a commission that will include representatives from environmental groups. the government will come up with new criteria by 2015 to find a proper site for the permanent storage of nuclear waste. there are still doubts. >> translator: there is still possibility that this will be the storage site. so we cannot be relieved by the announcement. >> reporter: a large majority of germans supported their government's decision to phase-out nuclear power. but at the same time they are sensitive to the reaction because of the cher noble accident.

nhk world, berlin. the debate is being followed closely by government leaders in many countries, including japan. officials here have yet to decide on a final place to store nuclear waste. among the 31 nations andterritories only finland has picked a permanent storage site. now let's take a look at the market figures.

meteorologist sigh ca mori joins us now. what can you tell us? drenches rain battered madagascar over the weekend. 152 millimeters of rain in a span of just two hours. which is double the amount what we normally see for the entire month of march or april. this is the cloud which caused heavy rain. let's go to some footage coming out of this area. sudden downpours left at least ten people dead. it submerged vehicles and power

lines. emergency works began clearing debris on roads and repairing power workers. aid workers were handing out food and water supplies on monday. now because of the rain ban lifting towards the north, rain is easing across regions and on tuesday conditions are clearing. now somewhere else that has been dealing with heavy rain and serious floods are areas of the southeastern corner of china. it looks like a rainy season started nine days earlier than normal. the ground is already very well saturated. unfortunately, an additional 120 mill meet irs or more is likely for the area and more heavy rain is in the cards as we head into saturday. so conditions will remain quite serious into the next several days here. now across japan, it was dry and

warm yesterday. however, it's a different one today. we are seeing wet and windy continues once again. this is caused by these low pressure systems. this one is bringing warm air from the south. and this one right here is packing cold air aloft. so as this air system moves into japan because of the temperature contrast we're going to be seeing very unstable weather, that includes thunderstorms, winds and risk of hail as well as tornados. and central japan, including tokyo will start to see more intense rain from tonight into tomorrow morning. that could cause some traffic delays. as for temperatures it's going to be chilly once again in tokyo. 11 degrees. that's four degrees colder than seasonal. meanwhile 10 degrees in seoul. and 26 bangkok. spring is the hottest season for you. very hot day in spring in bangkok again.

36 degrees on tuesday. finally, in north america, showers are easing across the northeastern part of the u.s. but very unstable acongress eastern canada. 25 sent meters of snow is likely in southern quebec. but, again, dry weather across the northeastern u.s. and strong northerly winds are creating some lake-effect snow. here are your highs. mild toward the south. meanwhile very chilly in oklahoma city, 8 decrees. across the eastern seaboard, a cool down. 11 in washington d.c. here's your extended forecast.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm kathryn kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.