hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." it's thursday, june 13th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. turkey's ruling party may have blinked first in its standoff with protesters. officials say they are open to holding a referendum over an istanbul development plan that triggered the two-week protests. it's the first gesture by the government of prime minister recep tayyip erdogan to defuse the tensions. but despite the gesture, demonstrations continue in istanbul.

the announcement by a justice and development party spokesperson follows talks between erdogan and the activists on wednesday evening. erdogan met an 11-member delegation of protesters, his first meeting since the crisis began. the protests erupted at the end of may after police stormed a sit-in by activists. the activists were protesting a redevelopment project to turn an istanbul park into a replica ottoman-era barracks. the protests spread to cities across the country and have attracted tens of thousands of people nearly every night. the referendum proposal is the first sign that erdogan might compromise on the redevelopment plan. until now he has talked tough and recently said his patience is wearing thin. the demonstrations have morphed into demands that erdogan step down. protesters say they'll continue until he goes. syrian government forces have opened fire on targets in a lebanese border town. the town is a stronghold for

those opposed to syrian president bashar al assad. at tlooes three people were wounded in the helicopter attack. residents of the town of arsol support syrian opposition forces in their fight against assad's troops. they've taken in opposition fighters and treat the injured. they say the government missiles landed near a hospital. more and more lebanese are taking sides in the syrian civil war. members of the shia militant group hezbollah are fighting on behalf of the government. they help defeat opposition forces in the syrian town of kusar. but opposition forces have been hitting back from their positions along the border. in one of the latest battles they fired eight rockets into the hezbollah stronghold of hormel. google and other internet companies have built their brands on trust. the people who run them say accusations they're giving security agencies unrestricted

access to users' data are not true. the people at google have asked government officials to allow them to publish requests by security agencies to hand over such information. they say they must fulfill their responsibility to their customers. managers at facebook have made a similar request. the appeals follow media reports that intelligent authorities have collected records of private telephone calls and e-mail messages. "the guardian" newspaper and the wp. interviewed a whistleblower who gave details of the national a security agency program. former contract worker edward snowden revealed that the government collects phone and internet records as part of counterterrorism measures. u.s. president barack obama has defended the programs. he says they're necessary to prevent acts of terrorism. south korean officials are pressing their neighbor to live up to an agreement and sit down at the negotiating table. authorities in north korea backed out of meetings set for this week in seoul.

these would have been the first high-level talks between the two koreas in nearly six years. but neither side could agree on who should lead each delegation. the north koreans then announced they would not attend. >> translator: the stalled talks represent the growing pains of creating new inter-korean relations. pyongyang should show its sincerity if it wants to move forward. >> another senior south korean official said his government now has no intention of renewing its offer. north korean authorities hinted through state-run media they would join the talks, but the south koreans say two phone calls they made on wednesday over a hot line that links the countries went unanswered. if the meetings happen, both sides want to discuss a number of issues, including the reopening of a jointly run industrial complex and a tourism destination. anti-government taliban militants are stepping up

attacks in kabul. this week they targeted a key facility and supreme court staff. two separate incidents on consecutive days raised concerns that the taliban may be preparing further action targeting the afghan capital. nhk world's hideki yui reports. >> reporter: a suicide car bombing on tuesday targeted many buses carrying employees of the country's supreme court. local police say at least 15 people were killed and around 40 others were injured and the victims included children and female pedestrians. >> translator: the violence is increasing, and we are terrified by the situation. people are losing their optimism for the future. >> reporter: the taliban claims in a statement that the supreme court infringes upon people's rights and justifies oppressive rule by handing down rulings

favoring non-muslims. the car bombing comes just one day after a failed assault on the international airport in kabul. afghan security forces suppressed the attack and the airport escaped damage. the government says the incident proves the local security troops are improving their capabilities, but there is growing fear that insurgents may stage more terrorist attacks on key facilities and government employees in the capital. the united nations points out the civilian casualties from fighting and attacks have increased this year. the u.n. is particularly concerned about the surge in the death toll among children. a u.n. representative says the taliban is showing its intentions by stepping up attacks.

>> we'll try to prove that the afghan national security forces are not in a position, are not capable to do so. >> reporter: security responsibilities are being transferred to the afghan military as international forces prepare to end combat operations by the end of 2014. the taliban is staging massive attacks in kabul where key government entities and 40 embassies are concentrated. this is a parliamentary move to damage the credibility of the government of the president hamid karzai. the afghan government is facing a crucial test. it is under pressure to show it can maintain security in the lead-up to the presidential election in april of next year. hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. the travel plans of

thousands of people in france continue to be disrupted because of an ongoing strike by air traffic controllers. more than half of the country's scheduled flights were canceled on wednesday. more chaos is expected on thursday. the air traffic controllers began their three-day strike on tuesday. they are protesting a proposal by the european commission to privatize some air traffic services. just one quarter of the controllers turned up for work. officials at eight major airports including paris' charles de gaulle said they expected about 2,000 flight cancellations on wednesday alone. the european commission wants to streamline air traffic services by consolidating different national control systems under a single authority. the plan is part of efforts to prepare for an expected rise in the number of flights. but the controllers union says privatization and payroll streamlining will threaten safety. television viewers in greece are flicking through the channels, but they can't find

some of their favorite programs. officials shut down the country's public broadcaster as part of spending cuts. employees and viewers are opposing the closure and the government's austerity measures. a government spokesman says that ert would stop its television and radio broadcasting at the end of tuesday. he criticized ert's operations as wasteful. the spokesman said greece needs to slash its fiscal deficit and end the country's economic crisis. he said the government will prepare bills to set up a new, leaner broadcaster. >> now 600 people are going to be without a job tomorrow. and i hope that they would have given us a notice. >> employees and viewers protested the closure in front of the broadcaster's head office in athens. european union officials arrived in the capital on monday to assess the country's austerity programs and discuss its fiscal reconstruction. iranians face a choice on

friday. they're voting in a presidential election. we're looking at some of the main candidates vying to succeed outgoing leader mahmoud ahmadinejad. on thursday we'll be focusing on the reformists. today we're talking about the conservative hard-liners. the guardian council of islamic scholars screened 686 candidates. they chose eight based on factors such as devotion to islam. two have since dropped out. of those who remain, three are conservative. two are independent. and one is a moderate conservative who is supported by reformists. two of the conservative candidates leading in this race are close to the country's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei. nhk's reporter in tehran tells us more about who they are and what they stand for. >> reporter: saeed jalili is a close aide to khamenei.

this is tehran's conference center. conservative supporters are chanting jalili should be the next president. jalili has strong support but is loyal to the islamic regime. >> translator: we will expand the influence of islam around the world, and we won't back down against the united states or other dommen ooerg nations. >> reporter: jalili has acted on behalf of khamenei. he has taken charge of the negotiation with the west on iran's nuclear program. just after the talks, jalili explained in an exclusive interview with nhk that iran will not yield to the west on the nuclear issue. >> translator: the entire nation is united in terms of the nuclear development issue.

iran will take this path and demand its rights in solidarity. >> reporter: jalili is 47, the youngest candidate. the fact that he lost a leg in the iran/iraq war helps makes him a hero. he lacks experience in national politics, but he tried to cast himself as an economic specialist. he's also garnering support from the growth led by ahmadinejad. >> translator: jalili will never give in to the west. he's the only candidate who can get the economic sanctions lifted. >> reporter: another strong contender is mohammad bagher ghalibaf. he is thought to be a political rival to ahmadinejad. he says the failure of the current administration has brought about iran's current economic turmoil. ghalibaf is touting his current

post as the mayor of tehran and his past position as chief of police. >> translator: it could have turned the decrease in the nation's oil income into an opportunity to make iran a country less dependent on oil. i promise to focus on stabilizing foreign exchange rates. >> reporter: as the mayor of tehran, ghalibaf is well known in the capital and surrounding areas, but he has tried to gain recognition in remote areas where 80% of the constituents live. >> translator: with the enthusiasm of young people in the province, we will have the highest vote for ghalibaf.

>> reporter: today unemployment is serious among young people. i will restore the economy within two years. >> translator: i think ghalibaf has the ability to run the government thanks to his previous jobs as mayor and police chief. >> reporter: jalili and ghalibaf are dueling for the presidency. with camps merging to support one candidate, the election will continue to heat up as the people go to the poll on friday. hir o heato nezu, nhk world, tehran. japan is about to join an international treaty designed to give greater protection to children. the 1980 hague convention on international child abduction aims to protect children caught in international custody disputes and from abusive parents.

lawmakers in japan's upper house approved ratification of the hague convention on international child abduction last month. on wednesday, they unanimously passed a bill to implement the convention. the treaty covers cases in which a parent takes his or her children to another country without the other parent's consent. it says children must be returned to the countries where they usually live. family courts in tokyo and osaka will hear cases involving international custody disputes. hearings will be conducted behind closed doors. if a parent refuses to cooperate, the courts will be able to take the children away. the legislation also allows a parent to refuse to hand over a child in cases where domestic violence or abuse is suspected. two rival game consolemakers have squared off with each other at the world's bigs game industry exhibition in los

angeles. the electronic entertainment exbo or e-3 kicked off on tuesday. some 200 related companies took part this year. sony computer entertainment and microsoft, both showcase their new models at that time annual event. at sony's booth many visitors tried out its playstation 4, the new console offers a function that enables users to share the game screen with a number of others over the internet. playstation 4 is scheduled to go on sale for $399 ahead of the year-end holiday shopping season. >> it's significantly better than the playstation 3, and the controls feel really, really good. i really love the controller and the graphics are really amazing. >> microsoft's new machine xbox 1 also attracted attention. the new console is equipped with a function that allows users to control games through gestures or with their voice. microsoft plans to begin sales of the xbox 1 in november at

$499. >> the fact you can do multiple things, like they're trying to advertise the all-in-one system. you can do games, movies, skype, everything like that. it's amazing. >> the trade show will be held until thursday. all right, time to check the latest market figures.

traditional japanese sweets are pleasing on the eye. shaped like flowers or leaves, they get you thinking about the seasons. but two young women decided it was time to try something new. they're creating snacks that stimulate all the senses starting with your sense of humor. ♪ all eyes at this recital are on the musicians and a row of traditional japanese sweets. almost traditional, gracing the top of each sweet is a tiny musical note. the theme of the sweet is eating sound. the audience gets to savor two cultural experiences at the same time. food for the soul and the mind. the fun treats are the work of two kyoto confectioners. she used to work at a publishing

company. her interests in japanese sweets started with a book assignment. she quit her job and moved to kyoto to learn more. say ako came to the capital for college. soon after she developed a taste for old-style confectionary and started working at a traditional sweet shop. that's where she met uchida. sharing a hunger to create their own style of treats, they set up their own business. their creations are characterized by stylish or funny motifs. and they give all of them names just like traditional japanese sweets. this design is called tetris. it's named after a popular computer game. this one is 3:00. the hands of the clock are set for tea break. this one is food for deeper thought. it's called the grass is always greener.

>> we just wanted to make something that would make people lafl when they ate it. >> reporter: the two sweet chefs are always working on new ideas and motifs. they carry a notebook with them at all times. they have a sharp eye for the funny and quirky side of life. >> translator: i always have my antenna up. i ride my bike a lot. and i always pay attention to what i see. if i found something interesting, i'll write it down. posters or someone's hairstyle, for example. >> reporter: the women started out making sweets for weddings and tea ceremonies, but word on their creations is spreading. they now sell directly to the public once a month. a line forms outside whenever

their shop is open. >> translator: the names are great, and they're stylish little treats. they are really cute. >> translator: they have one called the apollo with just one little footprint on the moon. then there's another, the moonwalk, which has many footprints. it's such a cute idea. >> reporter: the two sweet maestros recently published a book of their designs. it went into a second printing almost immediately. >> translator: we just hope that people who become interested in our work will head to japanese sweet shop and learn about all kinds of sweets, both modern and traditional. >> translator: i hope, for example, people enjoy the design of sweets on a museum, then they can eat it later. our goal is to create something that can be enjoyed both

visually and for its taste. >> reporter: uchida and sugiyama have found their following. using rice flour, sugar and beans and a strong pinch of humor. the kyoto stamp on a japanese tradition. all right. time for a check on world weather with may shoji. it is cloomy and looking rainy outside our windows here in tokyo, but that's not the case in other parts of japan. >> quite some gloomy sky we have here in the tokyo metropolitan region. however, out towards northern japan as well as the sea of japan side, really different sky. let me show you a picture coming out from yesterday. a high pressure system that has left much of japan in the grip of scorching hot weather

temperatures soared to 35 degrees in some places making it the hottest day of the year so far. dry weather will likely prevail into early next week. authorities are advising people to take precautions against heat stroke and farmers have been told to watch their crops. pulling you back, the temperatures for today, it's going to be like this. asahi ka wa is in the 20s, but the high 20s there. akita prefecture in tohoku region is seeing 32 degrees for your high. kyoto is expecting about 35 degrees. so it's going to be a really hot midsummer day. except for central japan where we had this tropical storm now down to a tropical depression, however, it will be clinging on to this area bringing heavy rain into the next 24 hours. the past 24 hours in shizuoka

has already seen 200 millimeters. an additional 100 millimeters could certainly cause flooding condition, so we should be watching out for that. down to the south, more rain to come here akoss the southern coast of china due though this low pressure system. it's moving at a very slow pace. it is feeding the seasonal band, and that's going to create some localized heavy showers about 100 millimeters of additional amounts as well. another area to be watching out for flooding is here in southern thailand, where we will be seeing another 150 to 200 millimeters on top of the 200 millimeters that has already fall number the area. bangkok 33 degrees temperature wise with thundershowers as well. taipei and hong kong, rainy weather there. taipei hanging on to 30s. the same in seoul. down to 28, now overcast, but that will be up to 31 degrees on your sunday.

back again with the temperatures. here across north america, we had severe weather across the upper midwest. that's now down towards the southern great lakes region. and it is going to create more severe weather across the very well populated regions. these big cities such as chicago and annapolis, they're under the severe weather threat. tornadoes are not going to be ruled out. in fact, we already have seven tornado touchdowns reported in a very short timespan across iowa and in and around that region. that's going to move towards new york, the capitol and philly into your thursday. temperatures are shaping up like this. phoenix still at 42 degrees, but down to 23 in chicago. now a very quick look here in europe. the midsection of central europe's looking fine and clear, which is great news for the areas where we have been seeing the torrential flooding rain. temperatures are as follows -- madrid up to 33, london on the

cooler side with 17. here's your extended forecast. ♪

one more story to share with you before we go. wine experts in japan have put their senses to work to judge some of this year's whites. they gathered in one of the country's largest wine producing regions. the event featured 87 offerings from 29 wineries in central yamanashi prefecture. nine judges examined each entry. they checked for flavor, aroma and color and gave scores on a scale of one to five. >> translator: this year's wines all have fruity aromas and deep flavors. i'm sure everyone will enjoy them. >> 85 of the wines received an official endorsement. they'll go on sale later this month at local wineries and tourist centers. that is all for this edition of

"newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.