civilian protesters and military observers have taken control of benghazi and some other northwestern towns. they have also expanded their influence to the west, moving closer to tripoli by seizing zawiya about 50 kilometers west of the capital. local media reported 23 people were killed in zawiya on thursday when colonel moammar gadhafi's security forces attacked protesters at a mosque. >> translator: they were just standing around in a park. the military fired from the air and from the ground. >> violent clashes have also been reported in libya's third largest city of misratah as government forces attempt to retake the city from the control of protesters. troops loyal to gadhafi are dispatched to guard the capital.

tripoli residents say government forces have been deployed in many parts of the city with soldiers firing at demonstrators. thousands of people are trying to flee libya as clashes between security forces and protesters intensify. more than 15,000 people, including libyans and foreign workers from tunisia, egypt, and china have so far streamed to the ra's adir crossing point, tunisia's western border with libya. many of them are evacuees from the capital tripoli. the number of people fleeing the city of zawiya also surged on thursday after sources loyal to gadhafi at the mosque fired at the mosque killing dozens.

killing dozens. >> the u.n. and ngos are making plans for the arrival and exodus of refugees in the border area near libya should the situation worsen. the u.n. high commissioner for refugees will begin to airlift tents and relief supplies to the region this weekend. japan's prime minister naoto kan has condemned the libyan government for causing many deaths and injuries in attacks against protesters. kan told a meeting of cabinet ministers on friday that the situation in the middle east is very tense. kan added that he hopes libya will carry out reforms in a peaceful manner and succeed in establishing a stable government. he told the ministers to coordinate appropriate response to the situation in the oil-producing region as the instability could have a major

impact on the japanese economy. foreign minister maehara told the meeting there are about 50 japanese citizens in the libyan capital of tripoli. he said half of them want to leave the country. and they're expected to depart aboard charter flights or ships. the new york-based human rights watch has been keeping a close eye on events in libya ever since the arrests broke out earlier this month. the group says the death toll in libya has climbed to nearly 300. including more than 60 people who have been in hospitals fiscal year the capital of tripoli. earlier yukc yukio fushima spoke about the human rights watch. >> your organization is one of the few sources of information on libya. can you tell us, first, how your group gathered information in that area? >> researchers have been on the ground in the middle east since the beginning of the battle to conduct interviews with victims and witnesses. including medical staffers at hospitals. >> and can you tell us the

latest from your colleagues? what they say? >> sure. on thursday evening, our researchers have arrived in the eastern city of benghazi after long delays at the egyptian libyan border. and then they were greeted with joy. everyone is excited and hopeful. however, we believe that we see the death toll will rise much higher unless gadhafi ends his attempts to suppress dissent. he should protect them from assault by pro-government armed groups. >> now, libya's deputy ambassador to the united nations called on the international criminal court to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for serious crimes in libya. what do you say to that? >> yeah, international criminal court is a court which can take up cases only when people who commit serious human rights crimes, such as crimes against humanity, e not held

accountable by national courts. so anyone, including gadhafi, ordering or carrying out atrocities should be held individually accountable by national courts for their actions. including unlawful killings of protesters. while libya is not a party to the icc, the court statute allows a known state party to declare at any time that it accepts the court's jurisdictions for such crimes within its borders. if that happens with the libyan government in the future, the icc will get jurisdiction. >> all right. now your group also monitors human rights situations in the asian region in 90 countries, do you think this uprising by the people in middle east and northeast africa -- northern africa spread to countries in asia? >> unfortunately, many of the asian governments suppress human

rights and fundamental freedoms. of its people. there's widespread grievances of people. so in china, even according to china's own security services, there are already tens of thousands of incidents of public unrest throughout the country each year. china is determined to suppress any peaceful gatherings and is illegally detaining prominent lawyers, activists, and even their family members, including the wife of detained nobel peace prize winner liuxiabo. beijing must know these protests are so numerous and widespread that it is only a matter of time before they begin feeding each other and sparking into a larger uprising. >> what do you think should be done to improve the situation in asia? >> there is only one solution to prevent such a scenario, which is reform. so this is a time for china and other asian governments to start reform by allowing independent,

judiciary, and free media. as a democracy in asia, japan needs to press the chinese and other asian governments to start reform, to expect -- i'm sorry to expand respect for human rights and freedoms. that's the only -- that's not only necessary for japan but benefit people and the government in china and elsewhere in asia. >> okay. time for reform. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> now that was the japan director of human rights watch. south korea's military is south korea's military is reportedly trying to let the people of north korea know about the uprisings in libya and egypt. one of the country's legislators says leaflets about unrest are being sent across the border. the legislaturor disclosed the operation on friday citing

defense ministry documents. she says starting this month, reports of the uprising in the middle east in north africa were added to large volumes of leaflets the south korean military is sending to the north with the use of balloons. news about unrest in arab countries is rarely reported in north korea. the leaflets compared ousted arab leaders to kim jong-il and his son kim jong-un. they warn hereditary rules and dictatorships don't last long. some defectors in south korea say protests recently occurred in some parts of north korea, mainly near the border with china. they say protesters demanded more food. a south korea expert says north korea's tight control of the internet and its people makes it very unlikely arab-style demonstrations will spread immediately. relations on the korean peninsula took a turn for the worse in 2010. north korea attacked south korea on at least one occasion. as south korean president lee

myung-bak started the fourth year of his five-year term today. improving relations is high on his to do list. but with the approval rating up, his top priority is keeping south korea's economy on track. president lee has placed top priority on economic growth. the country has bounced back faster than most from the global financial crisis. in december, the government estimated the economy grew 6.1% in 2010. the official figure will be released next month. at the g-20 economic summit in november in seoul, lee emphasized his management ability as a former business leader. his approval rating at the time stood at 51%. but it fell to 44% because of how he dealt with aggression from his neighbor. the shelling of that south korean island for one. but north korea was also accused of sinking a south korean warship last march. recently president lee's approval rating has bounced back to nearly 50%. that's higher than it was for his three predecessors at this

stage of their administrations. joining us now is hiroki who covers issues on the korean peninsula. how is he faring as he enters his fourth year in office? >> he's faring well, actually. at least 49.8% in january, which is double from when he finished his third year. his economic policies have helped drive south korea's high growth rate. he has capitalized on his previous career as a business leader and plays a key role in sending korean products overseas. >> will you give us an example of that? >> well, in 2009, a south korean consortium won a bid to build the first nuclear power plant in the united arab emirates. it was the first time a south korean consortium won this kind

of deal overseas beating out the u.s. and japan. south korea is now the only nation that's made free trade agreements with all the world's major economic zones including the u.s., eu, and india. >> what about his foreign policy? how is he faring on the diplomatic front? >> well, the relations with the united states appears to be changing dramatically. bilateral ties with the obama administration are stronger than ever. when obama visited south korea to attend the g-20 summit last november, he described the relationship between the two countries as an unbreakable alliance. >> now comes north korea. what about the relationship with the north? i mean lee changes country's stance from conciliatory to hard line policy. how has that affected their relations? >> well, the relations are extremely tense following a series of provocations by the north. the sinking of our south korean warship in the yellow sea and

the attack on yeonpyeong island. south koreans. two civilians died after yeonpyeong was shelled. that hasn't happened since the korean war. lee initially faced criticism that his hard line policy had provoked the hostilities, but now public opinion is split between those who want dialogue with north korea and those who support a tough approach. >> right. with that background, do you -- how do you think he will deal with the north during his remaining two years in office? >> well, his task is to include relations and discourage any further provocations that north korea remains as unpredictable as ever. before last november's attack, reviewed its uranium enrichment program in defiance of denuclearization talks. and after it shelled yeonpyeong island, it went on to purport

dialogue with south korea likely in a bid to secure economic aid. so lee's main job is to try to figure out north korea's next move. >> try to figure out north korea's next move. that's really really hard when it comes to north korea. in that respect, where does south korea's relationship with the united states fit in? >> well, he says he's determined to stick to his hard-line policy in dealing with north korea. but it appears he's going to be -- rely on u.s. and italy to try to keep the pressure on his northern neighbor. the wartime command of the south korean forces was supposed to be transferred from the united states to south korea in 2012. that handover will be delayed for three years. >> all right. thanks so much for your coverage as always. thanks, appreciate it. the united nations is celebrating the launch of its new organization. it's called u.n. women.

the agencies first chief pledged to deal with violence and other issues facing women around the world. secretary-general ban ki-moon and representatives from member countries participated in the launch celebration at u.n. headquarters in new york. it combines four u.n. bodies for gender equality. it's known as united nations entity for gender equality and empowerment of women. >> it's a joy for me to establish the official launch. global concern with the slow pace of change. >> said u.n. women will focus on five areas. they include ending violence against women, improving women's health and working conditions and strengthening women's participation in conflict resolution and peace processes. the launches of u.n. women is expected to accelerate debate at the u.n. about women's rights. the security council has already

put violence in women in disputed areas on its agenda. russia announced plans to upgrade its armed forces. the country says it will spend about $650 billion over the next 10 years modernizing its navy, air force and army. russian prime minister disclosed the plan to russian news agency thursday. he said it's based on a decree signed by dem try medvedev in -- dem tmitri medvedev in december. russia will build 100 new warships including nuclear submarines fitted with the latest intercontinental ballistic missiles. it will also commission 600 new jets and more than 1,000 helicopters including gunships and transport craft. a series of air defense missiles including the s-500 system currently under development will be deployed across russia. the defense minister did not mention the military unit stationed off hokkaido, the

center of a territorial dispute with japan. but it is believed that priority will be given to reinforcing the unit. during a visit to the islands early this month, the russian defense minister says his country wants to modernize the military units and boost russia's control of the islands. meanwhile russia that -- has criticized the united states for supporting japan in this territorial dispute. however, russian foreign ministry spokesman said u.s. support for japan's claim to the islands is nothing new. russian foreign ministry spokesman made the comments to reporters on thursday. however he said that japan's handling of the dispute has

become more extreme and it's s significant that the united states has expressed its support at such a time. on monday the russian foreign minister summoned the u.s. ambassador to russia to discuss remarks made by officials backing japan's territorial claim. the ministry told the ambassador it is unacceptable to meddle in the issue. police in moscow detained five protesters on thursday who attempted to paint a word in russian on the sidewalk. in front of the u.s. embassy. the dispute has kept japan and russia from signing a peace treaty for more than 65 years after the war. now let's look at some of the news we've gathered from broadcasting stations across asia. we began with this item sent by irib iran. two iranian warships sailed through the suez canal in the mediterranean sea for the first time since 1979. egypt's interim government allowed the ships to transit the canal on tuesday. though 1,500 ton frigate and

another 33,000 ton supply vessel docked at syria's main port on thursday. iran's naval commander said the ships are not involved in any military activities. he also dismissed israeli claims the ship's presence in the region is a provocation. for the first time ever in china, a local government is holding a martial arts competition to select its antiterrorism police force. on friday the examinees in the southwest municipality of chongqing showed off boxes, combat, freestyle wrestling, judo and tae kwon do skills. the five-day test will determine who, among the 160 candidates, will be recruited for this elite squad. the municipality is known for its hard line policy on violent gangs. this tightrope walker looks dangerously close to a long

fall. but don't worry, he can throw caution to the wind. it's only the world's biggest 3d painting on display in chongqing. hi there. i'm miwa gardner. before we head to east asia, i want to talk about conditions right now in new zealand. the south island seeing a drier day as we head into saturday. our band of rain and cloud is starting to push on up into the north island. and that's great news for christchurch. although it is on the cool side. let me show you the figures over the next couple of days. we're seeing highs around 18 degrees on saturday. partly cloudy skies conditions. also staying dry for you on sunday. a little cooler than what we're used to seeing this time of year. but it will be drier for clean-up and recovery efforts. on to east asia. a lot to deal with across the east. we've got some systems moving out of japan, high pressure to push on in.

but those very warm weather conditions we had across the country, they will be gone unfortunately. across the rest of eastern china, a couple of areas to talk about here. in the north, we're looking at a good deal of snow. that's good news in areas like beijing where the drought conditions hopefully will be alleviated just a touch. in the south and southeastern areas of china, rain could be an issue. some of it is heavy at times. and watch what happens over the next 24 hours. that'll be pushing into the koreas. now southeast asia, fairly dry, off and on showers, some of them very heavy and intense across southeastern portions of the philippines. manila will stay fairly dry, 31 degrees for you, 21 in hong kong, as well as chongqing, 16 in shanghai, beijing, back down to single digits, just 2. 11 in seoul and 9 degrees in tokyo. huge difference from the 20 we had on friday. now, as we head into the weekend, i want to talk about tokyo marathon that's going to be taking place on sunday. highs of around 14 degrees here,

slight chance of showers. but it's warmer than usual, so that is certainly something you'd like to hear if you're going to be out running in that rain. across the united states and into eastern canada, lots of messy weather here. very potent winter storm bringing not only just rain but icy, windy conditions. it's moving quite quickly. we will see a clear picture behind it. but not before it dumps a lot of snow. i'll show second. in the northwest and really moving into the southwest, we have a lot of precipitation, as well. that'll be falling in the form of snow for many years. also, here's a snowfall forecast into friday night. see that heavy, heavy band from maine all the way down to iowa and illinois? incredibly heavy stuff, 15 centimeters in many places. but in new england we could see snowfall amounts up into the 40 or 40 more -- 40 plus centimeter mark. a lot to deal with there. it really could make travel quite slow. and let's talk about those temperatures across the northwest.

incredibly cold, minus 8 is your low in vancouver, minus 1 is your high. we're just going to be frigid, but nothing like we're seeing in winnipeg where minus 18 is the high and minus 29 the low. incredibly cold stuff. the rest of the u.s., canada, new mexico looks like this, 24 in miami, 26 in mexico city. having a quick look at europe today. incredibly wet system coming in across the british isles. windy also. that'll be turning into snowy -- perhaps blowing snow conditions across parts of norway into sweden. it does ignore portugal and spain for now and much of central and eastern europe staying sort of on the dry side. still very messy across the eastern mediterranean. storms with slow moving and windy system across greece into turkey. and then as we head to eastern europe, frigid weather. minus 6 in warsaw. hard freeze warnings abound. 3 degrees in berlin, as well as vienna, and over towards the

west, double digits, 12 in london and paris, and 20 degrees in lisbon. here's your extended forecast.

once again the top stories at this hour. international search and rescue operations are continuing in christchurch, new zealand, where 113 people have been confirmed dead after tuesday's earthquake. police say only six of the victims have been identified so far. they believe identified remains may include some of the roughly 200 people listed as missing. friday marked the passage of the critical 72 hour period since the earthquake, after which the chance of survival for anyone trapped in the rubble is said to fade rapidly. in central christchurch, japanese rescuers, australian troops and others are working around the clock to remove

debris from the collapsed canterbury tv building. it housed a language school attended by foreign students including japanese. many people are thought to remain buried under the wreckage. >> we have a large challenge ahead to get through all of those buildings and make sure that any possible life is still a priority as far as the crew's resourcing and tasking goes. the earthquake caused buildings to collapse across the city. many houses and roads have also been damaged by mud and water gushing from cracks in the ground in a phenomenon called liquefaction. about 400 people expected to take shelters at schools, stadiums and evacuation centers for another night. the restoration of power and other essential services is also taking considerable time. that wraps up for now on "newsline." we'll be back with more news in half an hour. i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye.

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