welcome to "newsline". i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following at this hour. people in singapore are being advise today stay indoors as a hazardous haze causes pollution readings to hit a record high. at least 800,000 brazilians join anti-government protests as the growing unrest forces the president to cancel a trip to japan. and preserving opera makeup

artists with masks. china's cultural thriving once again. singapore residents barely recognize their city. a thick haze has been hanging in the air for days making breathing difficult and dangerous. smoke from fires raging in indonesia is to blame. government officials are telling even healthy citizens to stay indoors. analysts with the environmental agency say the main pollution gauge hit a record high on friday beating a record set in 1997. air quality has been in a range considered unhealthy to hazardous. >> my eyes are kind of sore. when i woke up this morning, my throat was kind of sore. as an employer i've also asked my employees to take the day off. >> this time it's very bad. i could feel in my house, everything, shut down everything, close windows, doors. >> analysts with the national

environmental agency say the main pollution gauge hit a record high on friday beating a record set in 1997. air quality has been in a range considered unhealthy to hazardous. slash and burn farming on forest fires on the indonesia island of sumatra have sent vast plumes of smoke into the sky. seasonal winds blow the bad air across the strait of malacca towards singapore and malaysia. children and elderly and people with respiratory problems have been warned to stay indoors and close their windows. they're even suggesting those considered healthy should avoid going outside if they can. our meteorologist robert speta has been tracking the air quality in singapore and how it compares to other major cities. robert, what can you tell us? >> well, gene, you were talking about the fires out here in sumatra. let's look at satellite picture first. you can see where these fires are really burning clearly from space you have these areas really bright white, that's that cloud cover. it becomes more diffuse as it

pushing off to the northeast. that is the haze and smoke we are talking about. unfortunately as far as the forecast goes as long as the fires are burning in the next several weeks, these winds are going to be still coming in from the southwest off their towards the northeast. it's the southwest monsoon we typically see this time of year. as far as this compares with the rest of the world, it is really quite high. now, this is based on the aqi index, the measure how much particles are in the air, 2.5 micrometers or smaller. right now singapore is at 2.90. this is considered very unhealthy to hazardous. we've seen that number spike up over 300 here today. anybody out in air like that really especially if you have respiratory issues, you might have a hard time breathing. even in healthy people you might be getting some of that into your lungs. it goes into your lungs and you don't want to overexert yourself. that's going to cause some problems. towards new delhi at 155,

beijing at 148. new delhi's problem you have the southwest monsoon that comes in and pushes the particles up against the mountains and makes this aqi index start to spike up. now, in london, tokyo, it's a little lower. even towards new york at 76 more of a breeze in here. but as far as singapore right now 290, that is quite unhealthy. >> robert, thanks. the top united states representative in japan is preparing to participate in an event marking a brutal chapter in the history of the two countries. john rous will be the first american ambassador in decades to attend a ceremony in okinawa. recognizing the ends of military operations against u.s. forces in 1945. people will gather on sunday to honor the dead in the city of itoma, the location of the last major fight in the battle of okinawa. officials from the u.s. consulate general in okinawa and members of the american military usually attend. walter mondale is the only

american ambassador to have participated. he went in 1995, the 50th anniversary of the end of world war ii. he says he would be honored to be there. he hopes to continue to develop ties between americans and people in okinawa. opposition to the u.s. military presence on the southern islands has been on the rise in recent years. residents are angry about crimes committed by servicemen. they also complain about military aircraft in their skies because of noise and the possibility of accidents. japanese and u.s. leaders have been trying to address some of those concerns by reducing troop numbers in okinawa. they've reconfirmed a plan to transfer u.s. marines to the american territory of guam in the pacific. defense ministry noda met in tokyo with u.s. secretary of the navy ray maibus. plans to transfer 4,700 troops to guam by 2020.

the environmental surveys go through and facilities are constructed. the u.s. senate has only partially granted the obama administration's request to the fund transfer. >> translator: we are aware of various opinions on the plan in the u.s. congress. we want to make sure that the u.s. government will implement the agreement. >> we consider this relationship both nation-to-nation and particularly for me our navy and our marine corps relationship to be one of the closest we have in the world and one of the most important. >> mabus said the transfer will begin once an environmental assessment is completed in 2015. onodera called for boosting defense for remote islands in japan. japanese leaders have been wary of china's increased activity at sea. mabus said the u.s. hopes to continue offering its cooperation. the diplomat vying to be the top envoy to east asia referred

to the territorial dispute between japan and china at his confirmation hearing. daniel russell says he'll do everything in his power to ease tensions over islands in the region. >> we have had this discussion directly in bilateral and in multilateral form with the chinese. and i think the chinese similarly are in no doubt that america stands by our allies. >> russell spoke in washington at his senate confirmation hearing. he's been nominated for the position of assistant secretary of state for east asian and pacific affairs. kurt campbell stepped down from the job in january. leaders are at odds over the senkaku islands. japan controls the territory, china and taiwan claim it. brazilians are bandi together in greater numbers to hammer home their message. at least 800,000 people poured into the streets across the country. they have been voicing their frustration over a range of issues including government

spending on hosting the world cup and olympics. brazilian media estimated the number of demonstrators was 1 million. they say people took part in protests in more than 100 cities. the unrest began earlier this month as a protest against transit fare hikes. the demonstrators soon began calling on the government to spend more on welfare and education rather than the 2014 world cup and the 2016 olympics. authorities have reported the first fatalities since the protests started. a car drove into demonstrators who had blocked the road in a city in sao paulo state. one man died. some protesters in rio de janeiro targeted property. they shattered windows and set cars on fire. >> translator: we all fight for our own rights. we want justice.

>> in the capital police fired tear gas on crowds that tried to tear gas on crowds that tried to break into the congress and ministry buildings. the growing unrest has prompted brazilian president dilma rousseff to change her schedule. she postponed a trip to japan next week. the protests have been spreading because of a growing dissatisfaction with government. an expert in government affairs says it's time to focus more on the people's needs. >> brazilian people have been so fretful and dissatisfied with the government because the government was keeping more priority to world cup or national political interests and for private sector interests rather than social and public interests. public and social interests need

help, assistance in education, and they are so precarious. the people living in big city brazil are so stressed, mainly caused by a very bad transportation. so their daily stress has been so huge. their patience is i think over in this case. so many protesters are holding banners demanding better education and health care. i think the government has underestimated people in this regard. the brazilian government has to give more priority to improve their social area.

>> and he specializes in latin-american affairs. u.s. tech giant apple lost a patent order. the judge said the technology used in some of samsung's products infringes on apple's patent. the patent in question involves so-called bounceback technology that's used for scrolling the screen on smartphones and tablets. with this technology icons on these devices can quiver back when they come to the end of the page. apple claims that samsung sells products involving the infringed patent total about $760 million. the trial will continue to determine damages for a final verdict. samsung said it will study friday's ruling to decide whether to file an appeal.

it said the technology in question is no longer used for any of its products currently on sale. softbank president son is famous for thinking big. he told shareholders today he's confident his company will become one of the world's biggest mobile phone firms, after acquiring u.s. mobile phone carrier sprint nextel. he told his annual shareholders meeting in tokyo the tide turns in softbank's favor earlier this week. that's when u.s. satellite tv firm dish network effectively gave up its counterbid. when the buyout is complete softbank will become the world's third largest mobile carrier in terms of sales. he aims to make softbank the number one carrier by boosting in the u.s. market. >> translator: i like the deal. i want softbank to become a global company. >> translator: i want softbank to show the world what japanese

companies can offer. >> softbank plans to complete the acquisition by early july. one factor that would help him realize his dream is the prized internet bandwidth of a company called clear wire. shareholders in that firm say they're ready to accept a buyout by sprint nextel. sprint bosses already hold a controlling stake in clearwire, but they've struggled to wholly own the company if sprint succeeds in its bid for clearwire, this could potentially deliver all of clearwire's bandwidth to softbank. there could be a spoiler to the deal. dish network's softbank's old rival in the race for sprint, has also bid to buyout clearwire. clearwire officials said last week they supported dish's proposal but since accepted a better deal pitched on thursday by sprint. here's more of the latest market figures.

officials at japan's labor ministry have released some grim statistics. they say at least 93 people have committed or have attempted to commit suicide in the past year from job-related stress. >> the officials say people suffering from depression and other mental health problems became eligible for compensation in the year through march. the figure is up by 150 from a year earlier and is a record high. most of the sufferers, about 60%, are in their 30s and 40s. those in their 20s account for

20%. the most common reasons for health problems are an increased workload and changes in job duties as well as bullying. one 31-year-old man killed himself two years ago, the man's sister said he had been working long hours with little rest since he was transferred to a new section. >> translator: he was complaining that he was having a hard time. he often said he couldn't adapt to his work. >> before his death he was working 170 hours a month in overtime. that's ten hours longer than the government standard for workers compensation. the man was also subject to physical and mental abuse by his superior. a legal expert says the severe employment situation is behind the rise in the number of suicides. >> translator: young people tend to stick to their jobs no matter how hard they work, so some

workers can't cope with their mental stress. >> the lawyer says the government should crack down on illegal labor conditions and do more to protect the health of workers. japanese cabinet ministers say more women should take on leading roles to help boost the country's economy. they say the government will ask companies to do more to support female employees. the cabinet approved an annual report on gender equality. it says women are a potential pillar of economic growth as japan's economy undergoes drastic change. but the white paper says women in japan account for only 11% of managerial positions. that compares to 53% of the philippines and 43% in the united states. it says 28% of female employees in japan resign when they marry, 36% quit when they give birth to their first child. it notes that many who return to work can only get non-regular

jobs. allow employees to balance work with raising children. the family of a chinese human rights activist is living in fear about his latest campaign. chen guangcheng is scheduled to visit. chinese authorities may react with more harassment against members of his family. chen has spent years challenging authorities about forced abortions and sterilization under china's one-child policy. in 2005 they placed him under house arrest. he escaped last year and fled to the u.s. embassy in beijing. government officials allowed him to fly to the u.s. to study at new york university. his elder brother said local authorities have repeatedly harassed members of his family. and he said it could get worse if chen delivers a lecture in taiwan on human rights. >> translator: posters have been put up in my village. they read that if my brother

goes to taiwan, his relatives will have their legs broken. i fear that we might not be able to live peacefully if he travels to taiwan. >> he said government officials have promised to investigate his allegations of harassment, but he said he has yet to see any results. beijing opera is the traditional performing art whose roots go back hundreds of years. just as old are the masks that preserve the performer's colorful makeup. nhk world has reports on efforts to conserve this traditional culture for future generations. >> for centuries masks have been made worn by chinese opera actors. some 5,000 varieties are said to exist. this 49-year-old is a maskmaker not far from the chinese

capital. his exquisite painting techniques have earned him the official designation of master. his family has been making masks for six generations, since the early days of beijing opera. but this 150-year-old tradition barely survived one of the darkest episodes of contemporary chinese history. the cultural revolution set in motion in 1966 banned beijing opera and mask making as occupations. >> translator: when i was a child, we had masks everywhere at home. but all masks were destroyed during the cultural revolution. >> against his father's advice,

he quit a stable position as a civil servant. he was determined not to let the tradition wither. he took over the family business at the age of 22. his masks soon came to be admired as ornaments too. orders started pouring in from abroad. the situation encouraged him to innovate. until that time masks were made of clay. painters had to wait three years until the moisture disappeared, a process that severely limited production. he started using paper, resin and plaster. the process now takes ten days at the shortest. new materials became available making it possible, for example, to embed mask in glass.

he was free to unleash his creativity. >> translator: i've researched different materials to come up with new production techniques. if i adapt my work to our times, i think i'll be in a better position to convey the appeal of beijing opera to a wider audience. >> he is committed to training the next generation of mask painters. he's been teaching his son and his other apprentices under his wing. the works of his grown over time to produce an astounding 5,000 masks per year. about half are exported to the united states, japan and other countries. his long-term project is to paint a scroll that records the 4,000 variety of masks he's

produced so far. it's one way for him to ensure the survival of his trade. >> translator: it's our duty to hand over this tradition to future generations. if we fail to preserve this culture, the tradition of beijing opera mask making will be lost forever. >> he and his disciples have managed to revive interest in the craft, both in china and abroad. they hope their efforts will be enough to protect this tradition for many more years. nhk world, golan, china. populous, prosperous, pushing ahead. china's rise brought it wealth, power and problems. an income gap divides its people, pollution threatens their health, and disputed seas strain relations with its

neighbors. find out the challenges china faces on "newsline." meteorologist robert speta joins us once again for the weather. robert. >> well, today we've been continuing to watch this this rainfall across western japan behind this frontal area stalled out overhead all week. and then we had a tropical storm come up that really died off here. a lot of this moisture pulling towards the east as well. even going into saturday morning we're still going to be seeing heavy rainfall in around shokuku area. in the past 72 hours we've been seeing totals add up. 388 millimeters. over towards the region 368 and as the tropical storm pulled through it dropped heavy rainfall in the southern japanese islands. at least for the forecast in western japan you've been looking at risk of flooding and landslides throughout the midweek, latter part of this week going into the weekend, it is slowly going to be improving. still lingering showers in and

around the tokyo area is to be expected. nothing too heavy but still have an umbrella handy saturday in towards sunday. this tropical system died off, a new one was born up here and it's moving off twarz e towards the northwest. right now just holding onto that tropical storm intensity. gusts up to 90 clom terse per hour. still organized going to pull off to the northwest making landfall north of hainon. and gusty winds towards hong kong seeing heavy rainfall. even effects towards southern taiwan, north western philippines the monsoonal flow continuing to push on shore. that will bring risk of flooding here. i know we've been talking about the tropics a lot recently. it is june, southern china,

you're still watching this. look at northwestern china. completely switch gears here and there's snowfall going on out here into northwestern china where we have been seeing a lot of it come down. if we can go ahead and roll that video. all right. that's actually -- there we go. we continue to watch that snowfall. this is very nonseasonal into northwestern china where although the snow is disrupting many people's lives and really disrupting local traffic here, it is also considered to be actually quite a relief because we've been watching a drought there recently. the rain, snow, snow's going to melt off and it will be good nenenenenenenenenenenewswswswsws here, bangkok, 34 with the thunderstorms. also manila with the showers continuing to push on shore. now, in the americas, extending across the dakotas moving towards wisconsin, michigan, we have this low pressure area continuing to push through. and that's bringing some large hail up to golf ball size hail, even some winds coming out of this up to about 100 kilometers per hour and frequent lightning. that same stationary boundary

extending towards the west into british columbia and that has been causing problems as well. show you this video out of canada with the gusty winds and torrential widespread rainfall has flooded some areas here in western canada, washed out these bridges and really washed away many people's belongings. one person unfortunately is missing at this time due to these flood waters. just trapping actually some people there into a local convenience store. the rescue workers come out and help them out. the good news is at least somewhat improving. we are seeing conditions get better, but still showers in your forecast as the low pushes through and eventually out towards the east. denver, 34, sunny skies there for you. oklahoma city up to 32. and houston at 34 here on your friday. that's a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

in late may, a mass demonstration was held in central hong kong.