welcome to nhk world "newsline." chinese president hu jintao has arrived in washington and will meet with u.s. president become barack on wednesday. the focus of the meeting will be on whether the two nations can narrow their differences in areas such as appreciation of the chinese yuan and security issues. he was welcomed by vice president joe biden at an airport outside washington on tuesday afternoon. this is the chinese president's first official visit to the u.s. in five years. the two presidents are expected

to discuss the value of the chinese currency and ways to handle tensions on the korean peninsula. the united states is calling for the appreciation of the yuan against other currency. hu has indicated that it's time to change the international financial order centered on the u.s. dollar and this may also be discussed during the summit. relations between the u.s. and china have been tense since january last year when the obama administration decided to sell weapons to taiwan. china apparently wants to demonstrate to the international community that through the visit ties have improved with the u.s. hu will also visit obama's hometown of chicago. a u.s. media survey shows that president obama's support rate recovered to its highest level in nine months thanks to his handling of the shooting rampage in tucson, arizona. 54% of respondents said they approve of the president's performance, an increase of five percentage points from last month in the latest survey conducted by the "washington post" and abc television.

43% said they disapprove, down four points. the latest poll took place shortly after obama spoke at the memorial service for the victims in tucson. six people were killed in the gun attack on january 8th. that targeted democratic congresswoman gabrielle giffords. at the memorial, obama voiced concern about the deepening rift in u.s. society and called for national unity. his response to the incident, including the eulogy, was endorsed by 78% of respondents. the survey also showed that 55% of respondents believe that obama would be able to cooperate with the republican party on important issues. the result may reflect expectations among respondents that the two main political parties, which fought fiercely in the midterm elections, will begin taking a more cooperat stance. republican senator john mccain, obama's rival in the presidential election, expressed his strong support for the president's speech at the memorial in tucson.

a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 has hit southwestern pakistan. the u.s. geological survey says the quake struck baluchistan province near the border with afghanistan at 1:23 a.m. on wednesday. the u.s. agency initially reported the magnitude as 7.4 but later downgraded to 7.2. the depth of the quake was also revised to 84 kilometers from the initial report of 10 kilometers. the extent of the damage remains unknown. rafael abreu is a geophysicist with the u.s. geological survey's national earthquake information center. we spoke to him by phone. >> the earthquake has a magd of 7.2 originally reported at seven.4. one significant change in the earthquake is the depth.

the first on the website was that 10 kilometers. they reviewed and put it at 84 kilometers in depth. that puts it definitely farther away from the surface, which means the ground shaking on the surface is going to be weaker, okay. the area in which it happened is a sparsely populated area, not a lot of population. basically, it's basically located at about 640 miles southwest of islamabad in pakistan, okay. and the closest town to it is a town called dalbaden also in pakistan, which is about 30 miles west -- east of the epicenter. we have received very preliminary reports mostly from the local press saying that there is slight damage in the town of dalbaden in pakistan. there is minor damage reported in other towns closer to the

epicenter. we don't have any reports of casualties at this point. we are getting some on our website -- we are getting some scout reports from iran from one city with an intensity of two, which is very minor shaking. we also have another city called espanada very minor, intensity of two and reports felt in tehran with intensity of two. so it was felt in iran, okay. but at this point we don't have any reports of large effect in terms of damage or casualties. it's fairly distant from iran, so we wouldn't expect to see any sort of damage or casualties. we have seen at least a couple of aftershocks in -- minor aftershocks in the magnitude four range at this particular point. however, given the depth of the earthquake being 84 kilometers

in depth, these are the type of earthquakes that do not tend to generate large destructive aftershocks, like earthquakes that happen within the first 35 kilometers of the earth's crust. >> rafael abreu, geophysicist for u.s. geological survey's national earthquake information center. four cabinet ministers resigned tunisia's caretaker government on tuesday to protest the members of the former administration have retained key posts. the new government was formed on monday and included opposition members and labor union leaders for the first time. but a number of ministers from the old government were retained. prime minister mohamed ghannouchi kept his post along with the defense, finance and interior ministers among others. four ministers who opposed former president zine el abidden ben ali resigned on tuesday. about 300 people in tunis protested against the new government on the same day.

police used teargas and batons to break up the demonstration. the downfall of tunisia's dictator president ben ali was triggered by the protest of a young unemployed man who set himself on fire. similar acts are spreading to other arab countries. in egypt three men have set themselves on fire since monday. one of the men has died. his family said he had repeatedly criticized the government. in algeria four people have burned themselves in the past week. they were protesting the government's failure to fix chronic unemployment. arab leaders plan to meet on wednesday in egypt to discuss emergency economic measures. they'll attempt to ease people's frustrations over price rises and high unemployment. in biz news, japan airlines is predicting a profit one year after it began a state-backed business turnaround. the struggling carrier filed for

bankruptcy protection on january 19th last year with debts of more than $11 billion. the company drew up a rehabilitation plan that includes investment from a government-backed organization and debt waivers from banks. japan airlines got rid of 42 domestic and 15 international routes and cut 16,000 jobs or one third of the group workforce. these restructuring efforts are expected to help the carrier return to the black in the business year that ends in march, but many of the passengers who deserted the airline after the bankruptcy filing have not returned. chairman kazuo inamori told nhk vigorous cost cutting in all divisions is producing better results than planned. inamori said although the number of passengers is gradually rising japan airlines will have to keep correcting shortcomings to attract more customers. >> translator: we have to correct mistakes made in the past and prove that we are transforming into a new firm that satisfies customers.

>> japan's mobile phone operator ntt docomo has joined hands with the largest carriers in china and south korea in an aim to expand overseas. ntt docomo said on tuesday it will work with china mobile and kt to develop infrastructure in the two countries for high speed communications technology called long term evolution. the three firms will also discuss a framework to discuss software applications for smartphones. ntt docomo says it hopes to extend services in other parts of asia and increase revenue from its overseas business. isuzu motors will build a plant in saudi arabia becoming the first japanese automaker to open a production base there. this comes as more japanese firms look to the middle east for business opportunities. sources say isuzu plans to build an assembly plant and start manufacturing midsized trucks next year at the earliest. engines and other key components will be exported from japan.

the company wants to raise annual output at the saudi plant to several thousand units in the future. land for the plant is expected to be provided by the saudi government. the world's top crude oil producer has been posting economic growth due to recent high fuel prices. demand is growing for trucks to construct roads and other infrastructure. isuzu joins other japanese companies trying to expand their business in the middle east and africa. these regions are considered the next promising markets after china and india. china's foreign direct investment in 2010 rose about 36% from the previous year to a record high of 59 billion dollars. commerce ministry spokesperson yao jian spoke to reporters on tuesday. >> translator: about 40% of china's foreign direct investment, around $23.8 billion was used to purchase companies.

>> last year the state-owned china petroleum and chemical corporation spent $7.1 billion to partially acquire the rights from a spanish oil company to develop oil and gas in brazil. china national petroleum corporation invested $2.4 billion with other major international oil firms to buy an australian energy company. it was not only energy firms investing big overseas. geely automobile also bought the swedish automaker volvo. sources say the sharp increase in china's foreign direct investment means that the country will have more power to influence the global economy. let's take a look at the latest market figures.

next, a story about a new innovation in cosmetics. most kinds of nail polish give off a paint-like smell but not a new one made from natural materials. this didn't come from the lab of a cosmetics company but from the factory of a centuries-old paintmaker in kyoto. >> reporter: these fingernails are being painted with a new kind of nail polish. it's made of scentless ingredients and can be removed with alcohol.

it does not contain organic solvents like lacquer and toluene which is found in regular nail polish. a kyoto company that had been making paint for 260 years developed the formula. five years ago, yumi began helping her parents who run the factory. profits from japanese painting materials had fallen to a sixth of their former level after western painting became popular and painting materials more available. >> translator: we had a huge amount of debt, enormous, and you could see this was just a shoestring operation. it seemed like there were no signs that business was going to get better.

>> translator: you should have focused on gofun, a white pigment essential to japanese painting. the substance is made from scallop shells, which have a natural luster. the paint is also used on traditional japanese masks. ishieda realized the value of its natural shine. as she developed her new product, she received advice from other paint manufacturers. in the process, she learned that she could make a nail polish by using scentless ingredients. she started adding dye and succeeded in making red, pink and blue nail polish. it's the first time a long-standing paint company has invented a product outside its specialty. the first 6,000 bottles sold out in six months.

the lack of a chemical scent accounted for much of the product's success. >> translator: it doesn't smell. it doesn't have that bad manicure smell at all. >> reporter: another benefit is how easy it is to remove. it comes off with rubbing alcohol. acetone remover which can be bad for nails is not needed. ishida visited a senior center to win over potential customers. she decided to give elderly people manicures because their nails tend to be more brittle. some people can't use nail polish because of its strong smell. ishida also hopes that pregnant women and hospital patients use her brand. >> translator: there are many people who want to paint their nails but can't.

if they know that this polish is available, i think people of all ages will want to use it. we never outgrow the desire to feel beautiful, right? so i want to make the product easily accessible to women of all ages. >> reporter: from traditional paints to women's nails, this kyoto-based company is willing to take a chance in a new market. >> in addition to her scentless polishes she's working on a line that contained aromatic oils. taiwan has conducted a large-scale military drilled based on the assumption that the chinese military would launch air strikes. about 600 personnel from the army, navy and air force took part in the drill at a base in southern taiwan an news.

president ma ying-jeou attended the exercise. soldiers fired domestically made sky bows ii missiles. f-16 fighter jets simulated air attacks. relations between taiwan and china have been improving especially in economic markets since ma took office in 2008. president ma spoke to reporters after the drill inspection. >> japan has vowed to closely protect any classified information it receives from the united states on its f-35 stealth fighter jets. the defense ministry is considering acquiring the jet as its next mainstay fire -- fighter, rather. on tuesday, japanese former minister seiji maehara and the u.s. ambassador to japan john roos signed and exchanged

documents sharing secrecy about the f-35. specific measures to prevent leaks is to be worked by the ministry and u.s. defense department. japan sunday pressure from the u.s. to tighten data security since a mayor time self defense force officer leaked information about the radar information aboard an eveningis destroyer in 2000. in iraq a suicide bomber has blown himself up. at least 60 people were killed and about 150 injured. iraqi police said the explosion in the town of tikrit tuesday occurred when people were wait to apply for police jobs. it was the deadliest attack since the coalition government that includes ethnic groups and religious sects was set up last december. police suspect militant groups linked to al qaeda were responsible. iraqi police and troops face the task of maintaining security without help from the u.s. military which is expected to complete withdrawal of its troops by the end of this year.

the prosecutors for a u.n. tribunal set up to investigate the 2005 assassination of a former lebanese prime minister rafiq hariri has filed the first indictment. a truck bombing killed hariri on beirut's mediterranean sea front in february 2005. no one claimed responsibility, but the shiite militant group hezbollah is expected of being involved in the attack. the name of the accused and the charges against the person were not released, including whether or not they are a member of hezbollah. prosecutor daniel bellemare stressed on tuesday that the tribunal will bring to justice the mastermind of the assassination. >> this indictment is not only a first step on the road to ending impunity in lebanon, it's also the first step of our judicial process. >> lebanese prime minister saad

al hariri, son of the leader, has shown a willingness to cooperate with the investigation. last week 11 pro hezbollah ministers resigned from the unity government to protest the expected indictments of hezbollah members. hezbollah has indicated that it will re-tal yet if its members are indicted. a maritime watch dog says pirate attacks around the world hit a record high last year. nearly half of them were carried out by somali pirates. the international maritime bureau, which has a piracy reporting center in malaysia said tuesday a total of 445 attacks were reported in 2010. the watch dog said the scope and activities of the somali pirates is expanding year by year and has reached the coast of mozambique. the bureau attributes the expansion partly to the fact that somali pirates useijacked

ships as fueling bases for further attacks. the captured crews are forced to operate the ships. it says a japanese vessel hijacked last october is one such ship. the international community including japan has been sending patrol vessels to secure safety in the area. the report says piracy in the gulf of aden has been cut by more than half since 2009 because of this effort. hello and welcome back to your world weather update. we take a look at conditions across asia. in the southeast in and around the philippines looking at very active clouds developing. rain has just been going on here for quite some time now. looks like once again today too we will be seeing the tropical showers and thundershowers in northern areas he pegsly locally heavy rainfall.

snow has meanwhile, there's been a lot of moisture in place and with all that cold air aloft, we've been seeing snow. snow has been continuing here for the past couple of days and things are looking definitely wintry in the southwest of china. you can see pretty heavy snowfall falling here. areas like hunan province picking up on that snow. it is a pretty sight, but a lot of traffic disruption have been reported. so that definitely is causing a few problems. looks like that moisture will linger about and not moving a whole lot over the next 24 hours. it gets a little bit better in inland areas but not too much change going on. some more snow could be set to pile up here over the next few days. as we look to the north, china here looks dry as does the korean peninsula. for japan today the pacific side as well as a lot of southern japan looks to be in the clear. but northwestern sections once again looking at more snow coming on in. it is going to be piling up yet again over the next couple of days. tokyo's highs today at 10, minus

2 for seoul. 5 in shanghai with cloudy skies, 20 degrees in taipei. balmy 30 degrees meanwhile in manila. as for the americas, we are looking at pretty messy picture across the northeast united states, eastern canada. that, however, is looking to pull away tonight and it should look a little bit more settled as we head into wednesday. however, there's still just going to be a little bit more snow as well as icy weather, freezing rain for those of you here travel problems could persist. do watch out for that. a little rain moves through the tip -- or rather the end of the florida peninsula and parts of georgia. then out west moisture will be pulling in quickly to the rockies and a lot of that will be snow. here's a look at highs for you. 23 in l.a., meanwhile, 3 degrees in denver. minus 12 in winnipeg, then minus 5 in toronto. cooler air getting into the great lakes region on wednesday.

as for europe today a little bit of rain moves in to central sections, slides in from the north sea. it will be pulling in cooler air along with it. we'll see that rain start changing over into an icy mix, a slushy mix that is. then more into snow as we head into the latter part of this week. that snow area will gradually spread in towards parts of the balksians as well as eastern europe. western russia, baltic states and finland still looking at a mix of rain and snow today. here's a look at highs for you. zero in stockholm. we're looking sat 5 in berlin. 6 degrees in paris so getting a little bit cooler again today. then 11 degrees for madrid. so that is a look at your weather for now. and here is your three-day outlook. ♪

once again, the headlines this hour. chinese president hu jintao has arrived in washington and will meet with u.s. president barack obama on wednesday. the focus of the meeting will be on whether the two nations can narrow their differences in areas such as appreciation of the chinese yuan and security issues. he was welcomed by vice president joe biden at an airport outside washington on tuesday afternoon. this is the chinese president's

first official visit to the u.s. in five years. the two presidents are expected to discuss the value of the chinese currency and ways to handle tensions on the korean peninsula. the united states is calling for the appreciation of the yuan against other currencies. hu has said it is time to change the international financial order centered on the dollar and this may be discussed during the summit. tense between the u.s. and china when the administration decided to sell weapons to taiwan. china apparently wants to demonstrate through the visit ties have improved to the u.s. hu will also visit obama's hometown of chicago. a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 has hit southwestern pakistan. the u.s. geological survey says the quake struck baluchistan province near the border with afghanistan at 1:23 a.m. on wednesday. the u.s. agency initially

reported the magnitude at 7.4 but later downgraded to 7.2. the depth of the quake was also revised to 84 kilometers from the initial report of 10 kilometers. the extent of the damage remains unknown. four cabinet ministers resigned of tunisia's caretaker government on tuesday to protest members of the former administration have retained key posts. the new government was formed on monday and included opposition members and labor union leaders for the first time. but a number of ministers from the old government were retained. prime minister mohamed ghannouchi kept his post along with the defense, finance and interior ministers among others. four ministers who opposed former president zine el abidden ben ali resigned on tuesday. while 300 protested against the new government on tuesday, police used teargas and batons to break up the demonstrations. we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes.

i'm gene otani. o/