welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here is a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. group of eight leaders spend the the final hours of summit trading ideas on fighting terrorism and preventing tax evasion by international companies. >> more than 200,000 people protest across brazil calling on the government to spend on public programs and not international sport events. >> the president of afghanistan hails his country's armed forces

as they take full charge of security from foreign forces. the leaders of eight world powers have met around a table at a resort in northern ireland to share thoughts on everything from the economy to the civil war in syria. they are spending the final hours of the annual g-8 summit talking about how to counter-terrorism and to deal with tax evasion. british prime minister wants them to quit paying ransom to kidnappers. he said that would cut off a main source of funding for terrorist organizations and reduce incentive to take civilians hostage. militant groups are have been active in africa and sahara region where foreign companies are extracting resources. gunman at a facility in january taking workers hostage. japanese, and french nationals were among those killed. u.s. president barack obama defended his government's top secret program to gather personal data to counter terrorism. he said the agency acted in

compliance with the law. the g-8 leaders are also discuss ing the restriction of the ability of multinational corporations to avoid paying taxes. the leaders will issue a joint declaration later in the day to wrap up the summit. yahoo is the latest company to announce it's received demands for user data. facebook, microsoft and apple have already revealed their figures. yahoo received between 12,000 and 13,000 requests between december of last year and may. the most common concern fraud, kidnappings and other criminal investigations. she says the company cannot disclose how many requests were related to intelligence matters because the information is classified. google executives have asked authorities to allow them to release more information on the surveillance program. they say their users want details. the former contractor for the national security agency

disclosed nsa was collecting personal data from mayor telecom and i.t. companies. people in brazil are angry and demanding change. they've held some of the largest demonstrations in 20 years to protest against the rising cost of living and the expense of the world cup. about 200,000 people marched through the streets of major cities. some protesters in rio de janeiro turned violent setting a car on fire and vandalizing property. more than 20 people were injured in skirmishes with police. in the capital brasilia, hundreds of demonstrators climbed on to the roof of the congress building. people started taking to the streets earlier this month after authorities hiked bus and subway fares. then they began to complain about the cost of hosting next year's world cup soccer finals and the 2016 olympics. they say public funds should not be used to pay for these events

and should instead go toward improving people's lives through welfare and education. president ha mid karzai says afghan forces are taking the lead in security operations nationwide. it's a landmark moment in the country whose security has been in the hands of u.s.-led international forces since after the september 11th attacks in 2001. the biggest challenge for afghan troops will be facing down the ongoing threat from the taliban. nhk world's hideki yui reports. >> reporter: the gradual handover of security started two years ago. a ceremony on tuesday marked the final stage of the transition. >> translator: from tomorrow security across the whole country, security responsibility and activities, will be led by our own security and defense

forces. >> reporter: 100,000 international media personnel remain in afghanistan to continue training the local police and army. almost all of them will gradually withdraw by the end of next year. afghanistan security forces total 350,000 people, but doubts have been raised about their overall skills. the taliban is stepping up attacks ahead of next year's presidential election. security in the country remains fragile. hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. >> the handover of security was marred by an explosion in kabul targeting a prominent lawmaker. he survived, but three civilians were killed. the bombing took place shortly before the handover ceremony just kilometers away from the site. local police say the explosion happened as the politician's convoy was passing by.

more than 30 people were wounded. >> translator: i don't know what happened. nobody knows what happened. >> taliban insurgents have intensified their campaign of violence in the run-up to tuesday's security handover. the militant group last week claimed responsibility for two attacks in kabul. they included an assault on the airport on june 10th. the following day a suicide bombing outside the supreme court killed at least 15 people. a chinese commerce ministry official says the country is determined to resolve a dispute over solar panels with the european union through dialogue. the eu has imposed provisional tariffs on chinese-made solar panels. u.s. officials say china is exporting solar panels at unfairly competitive prices.

officials from the chinese government and from the solar panel industry have been in regular contact with the eu officials. >> translator: we believe the two sides can reach an agreement that is acceptable to both through discussions. >> shen also discussed china's investigation into alleged dumping of european wine on the chinese market. the investigation began one day after the eu imposed anti-dumping tariffs on chinese-made solar panels. he indirectly denied the allegation that it was a countermeasure. he said chinese wine makers had long been asking for an investigation. prices of new homes rose in most of china in may. that's a sign that the government's plan to curb housing prices aren't apparently working. the release of the results of the monthly home price survey of 70 major cities.

prices climbed from april in 65 of these cities. they were up 1.9% in shenzhen and 1.6% in the capital beijing. housing prices in two cities remained high though they stayed at the same level as in april. three cities showed fractional declines of less than 0.1%. the government has raised property taxes and taken other steps to headoff speculative transactions, but the latest survey appears to show that the efforts aren't entirely succe successful. officials are worried that a sense of frustration will grow among potential home buyers if housing prices continue to rise. the head of japan's shipbuilders association says the industry's reorganization will be inevitable despite the recent breakup of merger talks between two major shipbuilding companies. last thursday kawasaki industries announced it had scrapped negotiations to merge with mitsui engineering and

shipbuilding. the chairman of the shipbuilders association noted on tuesday that japan's shipbuilding industry has capacity that's double the actual demand. he said cutting this capacity will be one way to narrow the supply/demand gap. he said the industry's reorganization is already underway. he added that the collapse of the merger talks will not disrupt this broad movement. a new york-based activist hedge fund says it has raised its stake in the japanese electronics giant sony. now the fund company is seeking to put more pressure on sony to spin-off its interpaentertainme sectors. u.s. officials informed in a letter that the company had boosted its stock holdings of sony. the hedge now holds nearly 7% of sony's outstanding shares up from more than 6%. the letter reiterated third point's previous suggestion. in may the fund urged sony to spin-off its movie and music division and sell part of its

shares on a u.s. stock market. that would enable it to secure funds for the rehabilitation of its electronics sector. the latest letter also suggests that he would head the new firm. sony officials say its board of directors will consider the proposal. the focus is now on how sony will respond if third point tries to exercise more power as a major shareholder. here are the latest market figures.

experts on a japanese government panel are poised to approve research that would allow scientists to try to grow human organs in animals. the experiments could help lead to the production of organs for transplant. they would involve ips stem cells. scientists want to program ips cells to develop into specific organs and then inject the cells into the pigs or other animals. the eggs put back into the animal's womb and the animal's youf spring will be born with human organs. medical teams could transplant organs and get them to people in need. the government panel has drawn up a draft proposal saying this type of research should be permitted. but the experts are calling for case by case assessments of experiments that would use

primates to produce human egg, sperm and brain cells. they will finalize proposal next month. bioresearchers at the tokyo foundation is calling for caution. he argues this type of work involves the manipulation of life. he says the government must impose strict ethical guidelines. authorities in laos have allowed 20 north korean defectors to leave for south korea. the government was criticized last month for sending another group of defectors back to the north. members of a south korean human rights organization say the latest group includes children and people with disabilities. the defectors had entered laos from china and they took refuge at the south korean embassy. they traveled to south korea earlier this month. united nations representatives expressed concern last month when laos sent six defectors back to north korea. people protested outside the embassy in seoul. and a south korean envoy went to laos to nand leaders give

humanitarian consideration. allowing the new group to go to south korea in response to the criticism and to smooth relations with the south korean government. but north korea condemned the move calling it an illegal abduction of its citizens. north korean officials are looking for ways to get back to the bargaining table. the country's top negotiator is on a visit to china. the trip comes two days after north korean leaders propose new talks with the united states. first vice foreign minister kim arrived in beijing on tuesday to hold meeting with his chinese counterpart. he'll brief him on the summit held earlier this month. they'll discuss the six-party talks on north korea's nuclear program. the discussions have been on hold for four and a half years. kim has been north korea's lead negotiator in the talks. he has also led negotiations

with the u.s. people in singapore and parts of malaysia have been could having and rubbing their eyes recently. a blanket of smoke has drifted in from indonesia. field burning causes the annual haze, but the problem is particularly bad this year creating diplomatic heat over who's to blame. we have a report from singapore. >> reporter: here in singapore the entire city is covered with smoky haze and the acrid smell of burnt wood that fills the air. the haze has shrouded singapore and areas along the western coast of malaysia since last week. >> as you can see it's very, very hazy. and my kid is currently sick. >> reporter: the smoke comes from burn on the indonesia island of sumatra which also oftentimes causes seasonal

fires. hazy skies are an annual phenomenon. the singapore government has analyzed satellite images and found more forest fires than average on sumatra this year. a gauge of air pollution in singapore monday night hit its highest level in 16 years. singapore and indonesia have to tackle the problem. but companies also burning the fields and generating the smoke. the role is escalating into a diplomatic issue. the three countries are scheduled to hold a meeting soon to discuss the situation. for the time being, singapore is urging children and the elderly to stay indoors as the haze is expected to linger for several more days. mark ho, nhk world, singapore. members of japan's self-defense forces have staged a landing drill with u.s. troops

on an american island. it's the first training exercise by amphibious japanese units overseas. about 1,000 personnel from the ground and maritime self-defenses took part. u.s. osprey aircraft landed about 80 marines on the island off the coast of california. delivered personnel positions alongside u.s. marines. then a japanese hovercraft landed on the island's beach. >> translator: we have just started to improve our capability to the same level as the u.s. marine corps. a joint exercise like this is very significant for us. >> china's growing maritime presence has prompted the ruling liberal democratic party to take action. it has proposed building an

amphibious force similar to the u.s. marine corps. united nations delegations say children are more vulnerable than ever in conflict zones around the world. members of the u.n. security council have adopted a statement condemning violence against young people. demanding warring groups respect the rights of young children. the council heard from the special representative of children in armed conflict. >> the evolving nature and tactics of armed conflict have created unprecedented threats for children. >> she says armys in the country such as syria have recruited children to fight. the security council remains divided over how to address the civil war there. an impact on the regime of president bashar al assad, leaders in russia and china say sanctions are not the answer.

drivers in cairo often feel they're going nowhere fast. traffic seems to get more congested by the day. the demonstrations during the so-called arab spring and the protests since have made things worse. so now egyptians are turning to the same technology to help them pressure for political change more than two years ago. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: cairo is home to 18 million people. many of them often stuck in traffic. it's time for commuters to head home. all of them are in a hurry, but the cars are barely moving. traffic has come to a halt.

the same thing has happened at another location. riding over the center divider or turn around and drive the wrong way. political demonstrators are not the only cause of traffic problems. authorities have built a stone wall around this government building. such walls have been put up around town to keep crowds of demonstrators away from the police. but now they are contributing to traffic congestion. >> translator: traffic is interfering with my work. i'm already tired by the time i get to the office. i want to go directly home and sleep.

>> reporter: online communication helped bring down spring.rs during the arab software developer such technology could be used to help traffic. he created an application that allows people to share the latest traffic information. users rank the stability of congestion at their current location based on five color coded levels. the app is a hit and now has half a million users. >> translator: our role has expanded since the arab spring. people not only want to know where the traffic jams are but also which roads are closed. they want more detailed

information. their needs have evolved. >> reporter: he uses the app for work. on this day he's taking japanese tourists. they have an itinerary and have to reach the destination on time. that's where the app comes in handy. the group was able to avoid traffic jams and make it to the appointments on time. >> translator: it's invaluable because it gives me the current conditions. i needed to tell which roads are empty and which aren't at this very moment.

>> reporter: egyptians continue to live in a state of unrest, but they have found comfort in an app that relies on their position and makes their daily lives easier. nhk world, cairo. a tropical storm is headed towards japan, but it's also causing problems in the philippines. meteorologist robert speta is here with more. >> yeah. we are continuing to watch our tropical storm pulling off towards the north. it is going to eventually impact japan here as we go through the mid and latter part of the week. but right now we are seeing that heavy rainfall across much of the philippines here. into manila school's closed on tuesday. most public schools going into wednesday as well are going to be closed out here as well. we also saw a rather strong tornado push through the area there that caused damage to about 20 homes, really just damaging the roofs out here.

thankfully no injuries, but it does look like foul weather still in the forecast as we continue to see that monsoonal flow push on shore here, that heavy rain's going to continue to come down. still risk of flooding and even landslides, but the tropical storm itself, that's the inflow coming into it. this is going to still pull off here towards the north expecting a slight intensification with it. not expecting to reach typhoon status. don't expect damaging winds coming out of it, but what you are seeing especially down here towards the southern japanese islands on the southern coast of okinawa, waves will be about six meters high crashing on shore. if you're a surfer, don't try to venture into the water. this is going to be dangerous surf continuing to push on shore as that moves to the west also the gale force winds coming with it as well. then you can start to see it turn here towards the east. there's another factor coming into play here. that's a stationary boundary that's now over japan and south korea. it is going to be dropping some heavy rainfall. the next 24 hours ho ku ri cue

to hi -- our tropical system pulls in from the south and going to grab moisture out of that. western japan see those showers. and wet weather continues to push towards the east. at least by the weektd it will start to clear up. shanghai with a high of 31. beijing at 34. chongqing 38. it is remaining rather hot out here. throughout friday even saturday you're going to be pushing near the 40-degree mark. it's not until about next week when we see those temperatures cool off. let's talk about the americas. well, the severe weather going on here. rain now we actually have this stationary boundary, area of low pressure off of it bringing heavy rainfall along the mid-atlantic states extending towards the southeast. this is going to be driving about 100 millimeters of rainfall next 24 hours. risk of some flash flooding with it as it continues to pull off towards the east, even stronger cells developing within this storm. and then farther towards the west we want to break and high

pressure but into the high plains severe weather here and low pressure moving through the northern rockies. this in itself is going to bring some gusty winds, some wet weather there. but we're also going to be seeing the gusty winds into the desert southwest and in the southern rockies. the problem with that it is very, very dry out here. 65 kilometer per hour winds, possibly dry thunderstorms into that. and that's going to trigger up this fire weather with those wildfires very prone right now. so going to continue to watch that story as it develops across much of the southwest into denver getting up to 28 though. winnipeg 25 here on your tuesday. let's talk about europe. well, really a similar setup that we saw yesterday out here. low pressure area spinning over the iberian peninsula. this is bringing rain and cooling off temperatures into france of course extending across spain you're going to be seeing temperatures drop into the lower 20s through the latter part of your week, but farther towards the east this high pressure is dominating. and it is keeping things dry where you want it. also warming up temperatures

vienna up to 34. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

hard work has paid off for a group of japanese farmers. they've won an annual competition to provide the imperial household with its seasonal fruit. farmers presented loquats to the royal family for more than a century. representatives of eight growers associationed prepared it packed in cedar boxes. judges evaluated the fruit shape, color and quality and then announced their choice. >> translator: we're truly honored that our biwa will be delivered to the emperor. >> the custom of presenting biwa to the emperor began in 1909. the only time it was suspended was during world war ii. >> that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

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