welcome to nhk world. i'm gene otani. clinton in central asia has had a lot of explaining to do to foreign leaders after the embarrassing wikileaks release of classified u.s. embassy cables.

>> i have certainly raised the issue of the leaks in order to assure our colleagues that it will not in any way interfere with american diplomacy. >> clinton was attending a meeting of the organization for security and cooperation in europe in the kazakhstan capital on wednesday. she later told reporters that the participants there agreed that despite the document leaks, the u.s. would continue to play an important role in the international community. clinton added that it is natural for foreign governments to raise questions about the leaks and pledged to offer a satisfactory explanation. in washington, state department spokesperson phillip crowley said the u.s. government is investigating the leaks as a criminal matter. he said the government will continue to review security procedures to make sure that this does not happen again. the leaking of classified documents the whistleblowing website wikileaks is drawing mixed reactions. some say the site supports the

public's right to know while critics warn that secret information is being leaked at the discretion of one individual. since its foundation four years ago, wikileaks has repeatedly published internal documents and video footage considered classified by the u.s. military. this is a video released in april of this year. it shows a u.s. combat helicopter killing more than ten iraqi people in a attack. in october, the site uploaded u.s. military reports revealing the civilian death toll in the iraq war has risen to at least 60,000. the founder julian assange spoke to nhk about why he's been publishing classified information. >> ultimate goal is to have a more just world and we had a philosophy about how to do that and a method, which is we bring

knowledge to people that is otherwise suppressed. >> the u.s. diplomatic cables revealed in the latest disclosures by wikileaks are classified and not intended for the public. when being with the japan foreign ministry, they are concerned about the continued leaking of certain information. >> translator: it may help prevent injustices but it must not be forgotten that this is an individual seeking justice at his own discretion. i think it is wrong for an individual to make a judgment that secret materials should be exposed in the full knowledge that this violates rules. >> he also points out that revealing documents that include diplomat's true feelings and opinions about their negotiating partners could have serious diplomatic consequences.

>> translator: there is nothing unusual about diplomats assessing the personalities of other countries's leaders and senior officials. and sending cables to their home countries. i think the issue poses a grave problem because the possibility of leaks can significantly undermine national interests. for example, by derailing ongoing negotiations. south korea's intelligence chief says north korea is likely to attack again in a bid to shake up the government.

the director of the national intelligence service made the remarks at a closed parliamentary meeting on wednesday. his warning came after south korea shifted to a tougher alignment against the north following its attack on a south korean island in the yellow sea last week. lawmaker who is attended the meeting say won't explain the background of the north's attack. the chief reported that the north was irritated with south korea's rising international status after the group of 20 summit in seoul last month. he also said that the north's leadership needed to distract from the worsing on the economy and the success of kim jong il. china's foreign minister says that china remains neutral on the korean issue and is working towards calling attention on the korea -- calming tensions on the korean peninsula. he made the remarks at a forum

attended by foreign diplomats based in beijing on wednesday. >> he stressed the importance of not enflaming intention and ask that the country exercise restraint. diplomatic sources say china will send two senior officials, one state counselor in charge of diplomatic affairs. and a special envoy on korean issues to the north. observers say yang's remarks were aimed at rebutting criticism from the international community that china acts in favor of north korea. the u.s. naval fleet is taking part in an annual exercise with japan's maritime self-defense force.

the uss george washington aircraft carrier is sailing towards waters near okinawa being accompanied by the uss shiloh, able to shoot shoot down ballistic missiles. this is based on the asums that north korea will launch one. a spokesperson said the u.s. will continue to work closely with south korea and japan and will be ready to respond to any situation. meanwhile, a japanese government task force on north korea has said it will stay on alert for further possible provocations by the country. the members re-affirm the stance in a meeting at the prime minister's office in tokyo on wednesday. the foreign ministers of the united states, south korea and japan will meet in washington on monday. secretary of state, hillary

clinton, south korean foreign minister and japan's foreign minister will discuss responses to north korea's artillery attack and they'll also talk about disclosure of a uranium enrichment plant. >> this demonstrates the close coordination between the united states, republic of korea and japan and our commitment to security on the korean peninsula and stability in the region. >> crowley rejected a chinese proposal for an emergency meeting of chiefs of the six-party talks on north korea's nuclear program and express nod interest in re-opening the dialogue with north korea. they say the three country also call on china to increase pressure on the north. the federal reserve says the u.s. economy is continuing to improve gradually but its outlook remains uncertain because of a sluggish housing market. on wednesday, the u.s. central bank released it's so-called

"beige book" the latest survey of business activity and says the overall economy is on a recovery tract including chicago and new york improving at a faster pace than before. manufacturing is growing and most districts due to the auto industry. consumer spending is picking up especially in new car sales and tourism. that may bode well for the holiday shopping season. employment rose slightly in most districts but businesses are still cautious about hiring or raising wages. meanwhile, the housing market has worsened over the past six weeks with home prices falling in some districts. the u.s. manufacturing index also continued to grow in november. that's the 16th straight month it's pim proved but at a slightly closer clip than october. the institute for supply management released its manufacturing index on wednesday. the index fell to 56.6 in november from 56.9 the month before. readings above 50 show an

expansion. ism chair said new orders and production help to fuel the growth and said manufacturing continues to benefit from the recovery in awes to and added that industries relying on housing are still struggling. toyota motor has launched compact cars for the growing indian market. the etios with an engine capacity of even 1,200 and 1,500 ccs hit the market on wednesday. the model has generous space and storage targeting families with greater purchasing power. the cheapest model in the 1,500 cc class is priced at around $11,000. toyota's president akio toyoda made an announcement in ban galore, southern india, where the firm's plant is located. >> this is first launch for indian customers with a car for we have given up new and especially for indian needs and wants.

>> in india, annual new auto sales forecast to top 2 million units for the first time ever this year. compact cars account for about 70% of the market. that's 70%. competition with rivals is heating up. nissan began marketing compact cars in the country this year, while honda has a announced it will roll out compact cars next year priced at just over $10,000. a major japanese chemical company said it will develop products that use less rare earth metals. they said on wednesday that it will step up development of next-generation magnets with less rare earth metals while boosting efforts to secure new supplies. japan's largest maker of magnetal lies using rare earth metals says it will consider setting up a mining business in viet nam to extract the metals. the move comes as prices of metal is soaring due to china's temporary restrictions on exports. japan currently imports almost

all rare earth metals from china. the metals are essential for high-tech products. tokyo stocks regained and wall street's overnight surge boosted market sentiment. the nikkei ended at 10,166 up 1.78% or 178 points from wednesday's close. the better than forecast u.s. jobs data pushed up the dow jones index more than 2% operate. in currencies, the dollar's rallies against the yen as u.s. long-term rates surged on wednesday. it's now trading at 84.08-12 against the yen. the widening interest rate gap between japan and the u.s. is encouraging traders to buy back the greenback. spanish police have arrested seven men in connection with providing forged passports to terrorists who staged attacks on hotels in mumbai two years ago. the police announce on wednesday

that they had arrested six pakistanis and one nigerian in barcelona, the suspects are thought to have helped the islamic militants who attacked two luxury hotels in mumbai in november of 2008. a total of 166 people were killed in the attacks. nine of the ten militants, shot dead during the siege. the remaining attacker has been sentenced to death. the police say the seven suspects sent passports stolen from tourists in the barcelona area to bangkok where they were forged before being handed to the militants. authorities in india and spain are also investigating groups suspected of having supported the attackers from abroad. japan's agriculture ministry steps up measures against a possible outbreak of bird flu after the deadly h5 strain was found at a poultry farm. ministry officials visited the farm on wednesday. they found two holes in a net used to keep wild birds out.

the ministries say that it is not sure if there is any relation between the holes and the infection but while birds could have brought the virus, the ministry has told every prefecture government to ensure that farmers properly maintain bird's nets and thoroughly disinfect farms. analysis of the viral samples from the shimane farm has concerned the virus is an h5 strain. they have set up a six-man research team to identify the infection route. they'll start the investigation in shimane on thursday. countries taking part in the so-called "cop 16" meeting in mexico remain divide on how to cut grease house gas emissions. during the second day of talks, developed countries stressed the need for verification by a third party and said that would be more transparent. >> we also need to verify, obviously, if somebody did his

efforts or not. >> but developing countries don't want to go through the same verification procedure as developed countries. they say industrialized nations face a greater level of responsibility for having triggered global warming in the first place. >> the developed countries, they need to provide support nationally and to for the technology transfer. to do the mitigation. >> another issue facing delegates is whether to extend the existing kyoto protocol. the agreement expired in 2012 and obliges industrialized nation to reduce their output. developing u countries want to extend the protocol but developed countries are opposed to the ideas. researchers have successfully found a rare species of fib in indonesia

japanese and indonesian researchers have successfully filmed a rare species of fish in indonesia, where its existence had never previously been reported. members of aquamarine fukuchiyama, a japanese aquarium, carried out their research on coelacanths with indonesian researchers for about two weeks last month. the aquarium says the team found and filmed a total of five adult coelacanths about 200 meters underwater deep off biak island in eastern indonesia. the fish has only been found off africa in an area near sulawesi island, 1,500 kilometers west of biak island. nearly two months has passed since the miracle rescue of 33 miners in chile. people around the world were thrilled at one by one, the rescued men surfaced unharmed after weeks underground. now, before that memory faced, locals are hoping to profit from the event. nhk world has more.

>> reporter: in child's capital of santiago, people see history. the phoenix capsule that lifted the chilean miners to the surface. and the government care, it is displayed in front of the presidential palace. this area where the rescue drama unfolded, residents want to bring the phoenix capsule back and make it a tourist attraction. the writing on this taxi said, the phoenix belongs to our town. it is written on the company's 1400 taxis. the city's cultural center displays month men tos from --

mon momentos. the phoenix will be an attraction and they are collect signatures to bring it back. >> translator: a new museum will bring in tourists. >> reporter: some want to go further. they want to turn the mine site into a tourist attraction. local travel agent maria is among those groups to support the idea. the area had been restricted to authorized personnel and the media. from this spot, reporters sent out live broadcasts around the world. you can walk very close to the tunnel. >> translator: we in the travel business need to turn the

accident into a business opportunity. we've gotten a lot of free publicity. >> reporter: maria offers guided tour into the mine. so visitors get an impression of what mining is like. she takes them to a family-run copper mine 42 meters from the rescue site. 2,000 mines in the area have been supporting the local economy. the tour is led by a miner. he first went underground at the age of 10, 63 years ago. she guides the tourists 10 meter into the tunnel.

>> translator: i had no idea what a mine was like. it was a completely new experience. >> translator: people didn't know about our work until now. but finally, we're getting recognition. >> reporter: since the accident, the locals have found a insurgent pride in their roots. maria hopes that the tourists can sense that pride. >> translator: until an accident like this happens, we couldn't place much value on the mine. we've had success showing it to visitors. >> maria and others like her hope to boost the local economy by combining the mine tours with visits to other nearby attractions like desserts. here's the weather forecast.

welcome back to your "world weather update" for wet weather is going to be moving into japan over the next couple of days. active low pressure system is sweeping across bringing rain first of all around lunchtime today and then, sweeping across western portions of the country. and then reaching tokyo as well later tonight. over toward northeastern china, you see wintry precipitation working its way and that's going to be moderate snow for you and then as it moves to north korea, it will perhaps turn into cold rain and sleet while the south also, is going to be looking quite wet throughout your thursday. elsewhere across china, dry and settled for the most part. a little cloudy in places like shanghai. and very mild. 12 degrees in seoul and tokyo is going to be 7 degrees. very warm for this time of year we head over to the americas.

the winter storms affect eastern canada and heavy rain for the northeastern corner of the u.s. so significant snow and sleet will continue to affect ontario, canada and then heavy rain developing around the great lakes region and then for the northeastern corner of the u.s. you need to watch out for things like flooding. drying up in the southeast. it is going to be a little bit chillier than yesterday and across the upper midwest, frigid air continues to dominate.r tow northwestern corner, another round of coastal rain and inland snow. we can potentially see significant snow up in the cascades and northern rockies. 4 degrees in seattle. 13 in denver. mild in los angeles and 21 in houston. not too bad here. certainly looking much cooler across atlanta today. 11 degrees and 22 in miami. now, we take you to the freezing cold in europe. the freezing cold and heavy snow have caused severe disruption of

air traffic and road traffic. it will continue to be pretty cold, lots of widespread snow extending from the ukraine through central europe and to the uk and island with heavy snow. widespread icy conditions. that will cause dangerous driving conditions. do take care if you are going to be driving outside. now, for northern end of spain and portugal to getting a good deal of snow here we could well see snow? madrid as well but toward the central mediterranean it turns much milder for you so that translates to rain rather than snow. heavy bursts of rain and stormy conditions expected to really affect italy and the western balkans and flooding is also a possibility as well. so do keep that in mind. taking a look at the temperatures, it will 23 in athens with sunny spells. 17 in rome with lots of thunderstorms. and then over toward the north, looking at subzero figures for many of you, minus 17 in moscow. minus 9 in berlin and hovering

above freezing in vienna. here's your extended forecast.

the headlines for this hour. u.s. secretary of state, hillary clinton, in central asia has had a lot of explaining to do to foreign leaders after the embarrassing wikileaks release of classified u.s. embassy cables. >> i have certainly raised the issue of the leaks in order to assure our colleagues that it will not in any way interfere with american diplomacy. >> clinton was attending a meeting of the organization for security and cooperation in europe in the kazakhstan capital on wednesday. she later told reporters that the participants there agreed that despite the document leaks, the u.s. would continue to play an important role in the international community.

clinton added that it is not natural for foreign governments to raise questions about the leaks and pledged to offer a satisfactorily explanation. in washington, state department spokesperson phillip crowley said the u.s. government is investigating the leaks as a criminal matter and said the government will continue to review security procedures to make sure that this does not happen again. south korea's intelligent chief says north korea is likely to attack again to upset the government of the president. the director of the national intelligence service made the remarks at a closed-parliamentary committee meeting on wednesday. his warning came after south korea shifted to a tougher line against the north following its attack on a south korean island in the yellow sea last week. lawmakers who attended the meeting say he explained the background of the north's attack. the chief reported that the north was irritated with south korea's rising international status after the group of 20

summit in seoul last month. he also said the north's leadership needed to distract from domestic criticism of the worsening economy and the succession of kim jong il to his third song kim jong un. >> and hillary clinton, south korean foreign minister and japan's foreign minister will discuss responses to north korea's artillery attack. they will also talk about its disclosure of a uranium enrichment plant. >> this demonstrates the close coordination between the united states, republic of korea and japan and our commitment to security on the korean peninsula and stability in the region. >> crowley rejected a chinese proposal for an emergency meeting of chiefs of the six-party talks on north korea's nuclear program. he expressed no interest in reopening dialogue with north korea and said that the three countries will call on china to increase pressure on the north.

that's it for this edition of "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. we'll be back in half an hour with the latest news and weather.