welcome to nhk "newsline." the reinforcement follows the north's artillery strike on tuesday which killed four people, including two civilians and injured 18 others. south korean cabinet ministers in charge of national security decided on thursday to double the number of long range

artillery guns on the islands of the yellow sea. the guns have a range of about 40 kilometers, the government cancelled a plan to reduce marine deployment on the islands and decided to allocate additional military budget to defend them. it also decided to review the military combat rules to encounter any further attack by the north. the president accepted the defense minister's resignation on thursday in what is being viewed as a dismissal. kim has been criticized for south korean military's fumbling of the response to the attack. with bipartisan support, the south's parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution condemning the attack. it called on the government to stop any further provocations from the north. >> i'm now in a residential area with some shops nearby. but it's completely quiet, like

a ghost town. the area is still filled with a burned smell probably from the explosives. looking at the damage, i couldn't help feeling that i wouldn't have the chance if i had to be inside. the horror of the attack was worse than i had imagined. i wouldn't be surprised if more damage had been caused by the attack. >> most of the 1,700 residents have already evacuated the island. they say they have been shocked and scared by the artillery attack by the north. many of the residents who have returned to the island on thursday went back to the south korean mainland in the evening after taking necessary surprise from their homes.

at the same time some residents were forced to stay on the island. kim jong-il the captain of a crab fishing boat. he was out at sea fishing at the time of the attack. and was not hurt. but his mother was injured in her home his mother escaped and was too scared to return. kim decided to stay on the island to keep eye on his crabs stored in the freezer. he says he doesn't want them to spoil if there is another blackout. our survey has just begun. it's impossible to say when the vacant house and stores can be rebuilt. the villages evacuated from the island as well as those staying behind are all worried about their future.

nhk world wrong pyeong island. the strike wouldn't have been possible without an order from kim jong-il. he suggested it was part of a plan to secure the succession of kim's son kim jong-un. a photo of the two were secured from the day before the attack. south korean government officials say the father and son had troops stationed at the base a few days before the shooting. his ministers held an emergency security meeting on thursday. they decided to review the rules in case of retaliation by north korea. they are scheduled to start drills sunday. the uss aircraft carrier george washington and four egis

destroyers will take part. the drills aren't in response to the north's attack, but are aimed at deterring future military provocation by the country. but these types of exercise anger north korea. it says it launched the artillery strike in response to drills earlier this week. >> the situation is also causing concern in japan. it's government is working closely with the united states. both sides agree china should use its influence on north korea to calm the situation. the chinese premiere made the official comment about the attack on wednesday. he called on concerned countries to work to ease the tension. he also said china opposes any

provocative military actions in the region. when added that the resumption of the 6 party talks is the best way to maintain stability and achieving denuclearization on the korean peninsula. china has strongly urged north and south korea to maintain calm and start a dialogue as soon as possible. asked about a u.s. south korean plan to hold joint military drills in the u.s. sea. they are paying attention to media reports. >> russian foreign minister has called for restraint from north and south korea. to prevent tensions in the region from growing further. at a news conference in moscow on thursday. he denounced tuesday's shelling.

he did not announce north korea by name. he said that south korea's partly responsible for the tensions. >> south korea's military drill was conducted with disregard the north's demand for the plan to be cancelled. >> the foreign minister also called for restraint from both countries. >> all necessary means should be used to avoid an escalation of fighting on the korean peninsula. >> japan plans to urge china to support south korea in discussions at the u.n. security council over the shelling by north korea. following tuesday's artillery attack. japan is holding unofficial talks at u.n. headquarters in new york. they plan to raise the issue at

the security council. japan a nonpermanent member of the council says it's completely supporting south korea. it will watch how the south refers to the council. even after they take issue with the action it will be difficult to issue a change. considering the sinking of the warship in march, the statement adopted by the security council did not blame north korea by name out of consideration for china. >> translator: china bears a huge responsibility to the international community as a permanent member of the u.n. security council. i believe they should exercise

their power for the good of all nations. >> japan's consumer prices fell 0.6% in october from a year earlier, marking a 20th consecutive monthly decline. the internal affairs ministry said on friday, that the consumer price index stood at 99.5. the core index excludes volatile fresh food prices. the drop is due to falling prices in electronic appliances such as air conditioners. the ministry says it will keep a close watch over consumer price trends following recent developments including a reduction in electricity

charges. the eu has posed a ban on carbon offsets starting in 2013. some gas is applicable in the carbon trading have not been effective in reducing global warming. the european unions executive commission announced the eu ban on thursday. the protocol allows nations to sell their quotas of greenhouse gas emissions to developing countries. hfc-23 and nitrous oxide whose warming potential are far more powerful than carbon dioxide amount to over half of the emissions traded in the world. these gases are commonly sold in china and india, but emissions have not been reduced in an efficient manner. it also says these gauss have been produced excessively for sale of gas emission quotas. the executive commission is also proposing a ban on international trade of hfc-23 and nitrous

oxide emissions. japan will set up a panel to study measures for making the country's farming sector more competitive globally. the move follows the government's decision earlier this month to begin talks with relevant nations on a free trade deal called the trans pacific partnership or tpp. observers say the tpp would lower tariffs and hurt domestic agriculture. the government plans to hold the first meeting of the task force next tuesday. discussions will get underway on concrete steps to help japan's farming sector raise its global standing. all cabinet members will attend the first meeting. the panel will consider how to encourage efficient management through larger scale farms. it will also study how best to process and sell agricultural products to increase farmer's income. the government plans to implement the necessary measures put forward by the task force targeting june 2011. let's take a look at the latest market figures.

iraq's prime minister nuri al maliki has begun forming a new government. maneuvering has already begun among various political groups which may complicate the assignment of major cabinet positions. on thursday, talabali asked al

malaki to call on all people to overcome the disputes of the past. he proposed that everyone put their differences aside and open a new chapter in the history of iraq. the move comes two weeks after iraq's political groups reached a compromise on the power sharing agreement. it follows an eight month deadlock after an inconclusionive parliamentary election in march in which no political party merged with the economy. al malaki must deliver a list of cabinet members to parliament within 30 days. japan's supreme court has rejected an appeal by ichiro osawa to suspend indictment procedures it against him in a political funding scandal. he's the former leader of the ruling democratic party of japan. osawa faces mandatory indictment after an independent judicial panel ruled for the second time he should be indicted on charges

of violating the political funds control law. he filed for an injunction saying the panel's second judgment covers an allegation not included in the criminal accusation. on tuesday, the presiding justice of the supreme court's first bench said the inquest panel decision should be judged in a criminal trial and cannot be disputed in litigation. the court does turn down osawa's appeal handing down the court's first ever judgment of this type. osawa has separately followed litigation demanding the state nullify the inquest panel's decision. the trial is set to begin at the tokyo district court on december 21st, but the case will very likely be dismissed following thursday's supreme court decision. a district court in japan has handed down the country's first death sentence for a minor in a judge court. the 18-year-old youth responsible admitted to killing

two women. he was indicted for breaking into a house in the northern part of japan last february and stabbing to death his former girlfriend's sister and her friend. in thursday's ruling, the presiding judge said the defendant had a strong intent to kill anyone who would keep him from being with his ex-girlfriend. the judge called the crime cruel and extremely brutal. the judge also said the defendant's words of repentance were superficial and he did not recognize the seriousness of his crime. the judge said the court found the debt's age at the time of the crime is no reason for him to escape capital punishment. this is is the first time the death penalty has been handed down to a minor since the judge system was introduced last year. one of the judges told the media about the difficulties he experienced.

tens of thousands of people took to the streets of new york city on thursday for the annual thanksgiving day parade. ♪ >> this year's parade included floats and ten meter high balloons featuring movie and animation characters. inflatable versions of anime characters were included in the parade. he joined the procession dressed in a flower-inspired costume. an ongoing exhibition of his work at the palace of versailles in france has been criticized by some. many called his balloons cute. >> beautiful, i love it. anime.

yeah! >> new york -- meanwhile, at the white house, u.s. president barack obama has pardoned two turkeys that were to be roasted for thanksgiving. every year americans celebrate thanksgiving with a big turkey dinner. it's estimated about 45 million turkeys are going to be consumed this season alone. it's been a tradition for presidents to spare two of the birds, saving them from becoming dinner. at the white house rose garden on wednesday with, obama along with his two daughters offered the presidential pardon. referring to the democrat's defeat in the midterm elections earlier this month, obama entertained the aten des. >> for the record, let me say that it feels pretty good to stop at least one shellacking this november.

history buffs are on the march in france from roman ruins to napoleon's battle formations. there's growing curiosity to learn more about the country's past. the trend is not confined to classrooms and museums. people want their history up close and personal. nhk world's virginia pinion reports. >> reporter: the history instructor makes his points. this is a hands on class. the students are experiencing what it's like to be a roman gladiator. the class is held once a month and costs about $48.

>> i really felt what it's like to be a gladiator. >> there aren't that many people who can say, i'm a gladiator. >> france is enjoying a history renaissance. the village in the west of the country is one of the places benefiting from this trend. this is france's only theme park based on french history. the park has six stages. this one brings a roman coliseum back to life. the huge scale of the stage -- most of the performers are from the village or nearby areas. one of the founding members --

not so long ago this castle ruin from the middle age was the only tourist attraction in the village. then alber and others came up with the idea of using the castle site to re-create historical scenes. >> france has such a rich history. i wanted to inspire people with a faithful re-creation of that histo history. >> this is a re-enactment of the viking attacks in the seventh century. the costumes and props used are also reproductions. once lost in the midst of time, critical events of the country's past are brought to life in dramatic fashion. the drama and realism is making shows very popular. with 1.4 million visitors per

year. it now rivals france's most popular theme park. >> i wanted to see what i learned at school. my friends who came here told me it's really fun. >> i've always been interested in history. being here is like traveling back in time. it's really fabulous. >> the re-creation of the revolt during the french revolution. all french people know the story, but nothing beats a ringside seat in the struggle for freedom and liberty. >> translator: the concept of this park is time travel. visitors can experience our

country's history firsthand. >> with more attractions coming on the scene, france's history boom looks to stand the test of time. virginie pinon, nhk world, paris. some schools have begun to incorporate visits to the theme part as part of their history classes. one reason for the growing interest in history is thought to be the economic recession. some say social instability and the loss of personal connections is making people more nostalgic about times gone by. here's the weather forecast with saki ochi. welcome back to your world weather update. we do continue to see clear skies across a lot of change in a and the korean peninsula. japan should see more settled conditions today.

it looks a little wet, but pulls away in the morning hours. we do have a low that's going to drop out of mongolia, spreading a little bit of wintery precipitation. cold rain will spread in the northeast of china, also moving down into the korean peninsula as well on saturday. as for highs, 17 in chong ching and 17 in hong kong. it's going to be a little on the mild side today. but not lasting for too long. in north america, it remains dry across mexico and through a lot of the western half of the united states. we do have a new system moving into british columbia. that will bring winds in of more wintery precipitation, we're keeping an eye on this big system moving into the east of the united states and canada, continuing to bring in snowfall anywhere along the great lakes region, up in through central or eastern canada. on the southern end of this, it's going to be a lot of rain and heavy rain as well as thunderstorms, severe

thunderstorms, possibly even tornadic activity possible right through the mississippi valley. now, following that rain is going to be a big dip in temperatures, a lot of cool air coming in here, 12 degrees for your high in houston, so big change from yesterday minus one in chicago, two degrees in toronto. it's going to be a chilly friday for those of you in the midsection of the united states. as for europe, remaining unsettled, and especially in the north, a lot of chilly winter precipitation falling again today. british isles saw some significant snowfall on thursday. let's start off with a look at that situation coming in from thursday. this will be in scotland. traffic problems definitely due to all the widespread snow. as much as 15 centime falling in northern england. a pretty rare event. widespread snowfalls, the

earliest we've seen in about 17 years here, so unusual amounts. looks like we have more snow in the forecast. definitely travel conditions could remain a little bit serious into the weekend. here's a look at the snow forecast, all the way into saturday morning. wide area looking to pick up on those flurries, upper elevations like the alpine region, look for more significant snowfall amounts, like 25 centimeters or more of accumulation. good news for ski resorts, but travel conditions could be quite dangerous and difficult. in the south, it's going to be warmer, so the mediterranean region will see a couple thundershowers and maybe some gusty weather. for the eye beeri berian peninsl a little dry. winds could start picking up for you. it is going to be a chilly friday with 1 only for your high in warsaw, 1 also in berlin.

in london remaining in single digits. here is your three-day outlook. once again, the headlines this hour, the south korean government has greatly increased the number of troops deployed to the islands near north kpree ya. this following the strike on

tuesday which killed four people and injured 18 others. south korean cabinet ministers in charge of national security decided on thursday to double the number of large range artillery guns in the yellow sea. the guns have a range of 40 kilometers. the government decided to allocate additional military budgets to defend them. it also decided to defend the military's combat rules. the president accepted the prime minister's resignation wednesday in what is being viewed as a dismissal. with bipartisan support, the south's parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution, condemning the north korean attack. it called on the government response firmly to any further provocations from the north. that concludes this edition

of newsline, i'm gene otani in tokyo. we'll be back in half an hour with the latest news and weather.