good thing; he just made it. of japan. ♪ welcome to nhk world "newsline." as worries grow over unrest in the middle east, crude oil futures have hit again $100 a barrel in new york. buy orders increased on tuesday as market players became more concerned about future oil supplies on news that iran security forces clamped down on anti-government protesters. iran is the second largest oil producer among opec oil member countries.

this e benchmark wti crude futures topped $100 a barrel in after-hours trading for the first time since last wednesday. the index is now at that price. on the new york stock exchange, share prices plunged on tuesday amid growing worries that higher oil prices may slow down the world economic recovery. the dow jones industrial average closed at 12058, down 168 points from the previous day. u.s. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke has indicated america's economy is growing at a faster pace than last year but he cautions over soaring oil prices over continuing soaring prices in the arab world. >> sustained rises in the price 0 of oil and other commodities will be a threat to overall growth and price stability. >> reporter: bernanke submitted the policy report to congress on tuesday. he said commodity prices are high due to growing demand in

emerging economies. referring to the current economic situation in the u.s., bernanke said there is increased evidence that a self sustaining recovery in consumer and business spending may be taking hold. he added the risk of deflation has become negligent libl. he said it could be several years before the unemployment rate returns to a normal level. noting the housing sector remains exception ally weak. he stressed the deed to ease monetary measures. the european ministry has updated the forecast for the euro zone. they said the latest forecast of 1.6% growth this year is 0.1 percentage points higher than prediction made last autumn but it adds the economic recovery may be moderate for 2011 as the revised figure is lower than last year's rate of 1.7%. the german economy is likely to expand by 2.4% as well as 1.7%

for france and the netherlands. the growth forecast for spain is only 0.8% as the country faces a massive budget deficit. europe's commission for monetary affairs cited the unrest on the economy. >> the unrest on political changes is preferably democratic developments in the middle east and north africa also could have a significant impact on the economic outlook. >> britain's high-speed rail program is back on track. the government will scale down the project to cut costs and resume negotiations with japanese e maker. hitachi is the preferred bidder. the department for transport announced the decision on tuesday. it said it will replace 500 old rail cars for intercity trains or a third of the original plan.

the government of prime minister david cameron had shelved the program as part of its fiscal reform efforts but the transport department decided to proceed on reduced scale after he made a more cost effective proposal. hitachi welcomes the move saying a smaller project is better than none. they expect it to cost $7.3 billion, down from the original estimate. hitachi said it will set up a plan for building trains in britain that will hire 500 workers in the deal gets officially signed. tokyo stocks opened lower on wednesday following an overnight drop on wall street. the nikkei average finished at 10583, down 170 points or declining by 1.6%. sources say investors are placing sell orders on growing concerns that higher oil prices resulting from continued unrest in africa and the middle east could have a negative impact on the world economy.

looking at currencies, on the tokyo foreign exchange the dollar is losing ground against the yen. the green back is 81.86-90. investors are seeking the safety of the yen amid continuing unrest in the middle east along with anti-government demonstration unless iran. lower u.s. long-term interest rates are also adding to the yen buying against the dollar. international pressure continues to build on moammar gadhafi. the united nations on tuesday voted unanimously to suspend libya's membership in the u.n. human rights council. it accused him of systemic human rights violations in the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. a draft resolution was submitted earlier to the u.n. general assembly by japan and lebanon. libya was elected to the human rights council in may of 2010. u.n. secretary general voiced grave concern over the situation

in the north african country. >> i have called on the libyan leadership to hear and heed our strong collective call to end the violence and to respect human rights and the aspirations of the libyan people. >> the ambassador to the u.s. hailed the vote and urged moammar gadhafi to step down immediately. >> this unprecedented action sends another clear warning to mr. gadhafi and those who stand by him. they must stop the killing. he must go and he must go now. >> reporter: japan's ambassador to the u.n. said his country condemns libya's use of force against its own people and offered condolences for the victims. libya is the first nation to be suspended from the human rights council. meanwhile, the number of evacwees who have fled libya to

neighboring countries are increasing. the united nations says it will step up emergency relief measures. the u.n. high commissioner for refugees says 140,000 people have crossed the border to tunisia or egypt so far. about 20,000 people are crossing the boarder in to tunisia every day. nongovernment organizations in tunisia are providing help, but there are severe shortages of food and water. problems have occurred at makeshift supply stations and confusion is spreading tunisia's immigration check points closed their doors because they are unable to cope with the flood of refugees. thousands of people are waiting outside of the facilities and some are suffering from malnutrition and becoming ill. the executive director of the world food program josette sheeran observed the situation at the border. >> good to be here. yes. hello, frank, right?

>> look at a regional strategy to the movement of people and really the humanitarian pressures that are developing across the region in these recent weeks. >> reporter: sheeran said her organization plans to supply large amounts of food to libya as well as border areas in tunisia and egypt over the next three months. austria has decided to freeze the assets of gadhafi and his family members deposited in the european country. austria's central bank announced on tuesday that 1.2 billion euros or $1.7 billion worth of assets of gadhafi and his family members are deposited in financial institutions in the country. austria is the third european nation after switzerland and britain to freeze the leader's assets. this follows the european unions decision to take such measures. they have close relationships with libya. the first urine peen bank open -- european bank opened six

years ago. gadhafi's second son safe al islam studied at a university in vienna in the '90s and visited there several times since then. germany decided to freeze the assets of gadhafi's son, although it is the second largest buyer of libyan oil. they say the assets are worth 2 million euros or $2.7 million. yemen president has accused the united states and israel of instigating protests against his regime. he made the comments in an address to supporters on tuesday stressing the demonstrations are unjustifiable. the anti-government protests erupted in january with demonstrators calling for saleh's resignation. tens of thousands of people marched in the largest rallies

yet earlier this week, saleh called op the opposition parties to form a unity government. but the opposition camp is demanding the resignation ig of the president who's been in power more than 20 years. anti-government protesters held rallies and clashed with security forces in major cities in iran on tuesday. authorities reportedly arrested some of the demonstrators. according to reformist websites and witnesses, possibly thousands of protesters gathered in central teheran. they said security forces attacked the demonstrators while firing tear gas. at least 50 arrests were made. demonstrators demanded the arrest of two reformists that have been under house arrest in teheran since february 14th. the authorities say they led to

last month's anti-government rally. protesters say they will not stop demonstrations until the two are released. the government says it will crackdown on all anti-government rallies. the families of 28 japanese students missing after an earthquake in new zealand will be driving to an area near their language school on wednesday. local police have not allowed the relatives to visit the collapsed ctv building in christchurch citing the dangers of after shocks. the foreign ministry official said 40 people including japanese are believed to be under the rubble. emergency rescue teams from several countries including japan are at the site working. they say the number of dead and missing from the earthquake could raise to 240 with 159 people confirmed dead.

police have identified 16 of the bodies using dna samples. facebook and twitter serves a different purpose after the earthquake in new zealand last week. social networking services aided people in getting information they badly needed. websites were flooded with requests for information on the whereabouts of family members fraensds. many survivors posted messages letting others know they were safe. this message was written by a 38-year-old japanese student. he attended a different language school from the one that collaps collapsed. translator: i was at my school when the quake hit. desks, chairs and computers fell on me. all i could do is escape. >> they contacted each other thu the internet to say they were unharmed.

translator:. it is convenient. you only nood to write you are alive and well and people read the messages. >> offers to help the victims have been posted on-line. this website got 1,000 messages in a few days. many survivors responded immediately. >> the only way i can help is by giving somebody who has been caught up in the earthquake somewhere to come and stay. you can definitely touch base with more people on the internet. russia says it will reinforce the military units on russian held islands claimed by japan. interfax news quotes an official as saying multiple mil-28 battle helicopters will be deployed to the island. according to the report, the official says there are military plans to deploy high performance mobile air defense missile system along with coastal defense missiles. in late february, russian defense minister anatoly said

the country will reinforce the islands with the latest communications and radar systems. the head of the russian general staff said an amphibious assault ship will be sent to defend the region. they are seen as an attempt to define the islands as russian territory. the u.n. climate chief says they should take a role in the cop 17 convention. chris figueres talked to nhk. >> i expect the japanese to continue the leadership role they have had since we were all here and adopted the kyoto

protocol. >> she referred to the lack of progress in negotiations due to the rift between developed and developing countries. she says she hopes japan will. >> a categorical no to the kyoto protocol doesn't let japan actually maximize the experience that it already has out in the kyoto protocol. health care for senior citizens is booming in japan. the world's fastest aging country but it is not only humans who are receiving elder care.

health care for senior citizens is booming in japan. the world's fastest-aging country. but it's not only humans who are receiving elder care. our reporter michelle yamamoto has the story. >> reporter: she was the country's oldest polar bear, aged 34, living 10 years longer than average for her species. she passed away last year. the cause of her death was liver disorder. while climate change is becoming a threat to the world, polar bears in zoos, liver disorders are the main factors of their death. gogu has reached the age of 6. that makes him an adolescent. the health care program for this young bear is already under way. for lunch, gogu gets live fish. going after the treats, his body gets an adequate workout. gogu receives another treat, cod liver oil. for supper he is fed with fish, meat and vegetables dressed with the oil. >> translator: the cod liver oil contains vitamin a, d and e. we're giving them supplements to prevent liver disease.

>> reporter: creating new pens exhibiting animals closer to their natural habitat has improved their mental health, thus leading to a longer life living in zoos. the kitchen of the zoo is becoming more like those of nursing homes or hospitals. >> sweet potatoes! >> reporter: the staff steam vegetables to make them off thor vegetables to make them shoft softer without losing their nutritional value. aged animals can chew these carrots and potatoes with ease. another staff member puts plum vinegar on apples. it contains citric acid to improve blood circulation. here, condensed vitamin e liquid is mixed with chopped grass. >> translator: for their health and anti-aging.

>> reporter: these highly nutritious balls are served to a giant. in human years, haruko is over 90 years old. half of her teeth are missing. but she still looks pretty for her age. an apple with plum vinegar goes to pompon, the lesser panda whose age is comparable to a 70-year-old human. this grandma has been suffering from hair loss. but -- >> translator: yes, the glow has returned to her fur. >> reporter: just like humans, old animals also suffer from arthritis. the treatment is similar. pills with a glucosamine supplement. the enriched meal is delivered to puko, the black bear. she is the equivalent age of an 80-year-old human. puko didn't come out this time. maybe she was shy.

here's what she looks like. her legs have become so weak that she only moves at meal time. but her appetite keeps her alive. >> translator: just like humans, aged animals suffer from weakened legs. and feel pain when they go up and down the stairs. >> translator: they are beloved. and we hope they live long. >> translator: just like us, when they age they cannot live without extra care. >> reporter: wild animals are internationally protected these days. that means zoos are acquiring fewer young animals. unfortunately, caged ones have less chance of meeting a mate and having offspring. michelle yamamoto, nhk world, osaka.

hi, welcome back to your world weather update. now for east asia, looking at some snowy pictures coming in from japan. really looking at another round of wintry weather that will impact the country today. mainly for those upper elevations we are expecting another round of heavy snowfall, up to 60 centimeters. mainly in parts of northern japan. so you want to watch out for that. it's going to be slippery for those of you here. the korean peninsula and towards china, much drier conditions again today. plenty of dry weather for you. high pressure in control. in the south of china there's going to be this little bit of rain that comes in from the inland portions. nothing too widespread, however. nor is it going to be very heavy. now the indochina peninsula will continue to see a couple of scattered showers and even thunderstorms are going to be possible here. and for the philippines too, pretty wet picture across the country today, towards the north too, continuing showers throughout the day. highs for wednesday, 11 in tokyo.

hoping for sunshine this afternoon. 2 in seoul. 6 degrees in beijing. then minus 10 up along the core. pretty frigid picture for you again. looking calmer and quieter out towards the east. we've got that long frontal boundary bringing that severe weather yesterday, that's headed out to sea. the tail end of it does linger over the florida peninsula but that should be pulling away as well. we have this low pressure area bringing snow to eastern canada. that will continue on its trek eastward, moving in towards quebec and toward the northern end of the new england states as well as canadian maritimes. out west, messy picture here. well-developed systems coming in off the pacific. already starting to impact the coastline, bringing in strong winds and plenty of moisture. it's looking quite wet along the coastline. then we're going to be talking about snow for inland areas. plenty more expected to spread through the intermountain west. western half of canada. highest amounts are going to be

15 centimeters or more by the end of wednesday night. sierras too looking at the threat of some heavy snow here. and then all along the coastline, especially towards british columbia and in washington state, strong gusts up and over 140 kilometers per hour are going to be possible. these are hurricane-force winds that we are talking about. so along the coastline, things are going to be looking quite rough. you do want to watch out if you are in the area. 8 is your high in seattle and vancouver too. a little bit warmer than yesterday. we're going to be seeing more rain with little chance of snow. meanwhile, minus 2 in chicago. then looking pretty cold in toronto again today. now for europe, a pretty well-developed system coming in over iceland. that's making winds pretty strong here. british isles, northern areas, scandinavian peninsula too will feel the effects of this system. snow will spread across norway today. otherwise a pretty calm and quiet picture for northern europe. in the south, though,

mediterranean still looking at showers. then we'll be talking about snow for the alpine region as well as the inland areas of the balkan peninsula. 12 is your high in rome today. 10 expected in athens. minus 3 in kiev. then 1 for warsaw. cold in moscow, minus 7 degrees. all right, that's a look at your weather for now. i will leave you with your three-day outlook.

taking a look at our lead stories. as worries grow over under rest in the middle east, crude oil

futures have hit $100 a barrel in new york. buy orders increased on tuesday as market players became more concerned about future oil supplies on news that iran security forces clamped down on anti-government protesters. iran is the second largest oil producer among opec member countries. the crude futures topped $100 a barrel in after hours trading for the first time since last wednesday. looking at the new york stock exchange, share prices plunged on tuesday amid growing worries that higher oil prices may slow down the world economic recovery. the dow jones industrial average average closed at 12058, down 168 points from the previous day. u.s. federal reserve chairman has indicated america's economy is growing at a faster pace than last year.

but he cautions over soaring oil prices amid continuing unrest in the arab world. >> sustained rises in the prices of oil or other commodities would represent a threat both to economic growth and to overall price stability. referring to the current economic situation in the u.s. bernanke said there's increased evidence a self-sustaining recovery in consumer and business spending may be taking hold. he added the risk of deflation has become negligible. the fed chairman also said it could be several years before the unemployment rate returns to a more normal level, noting the housing sector remains exceptionally weak. against this background bernanke stressed the need to continue with the existing monetary easing measures. the european commission has upgraded its forecast for economic growth in the 17-country euro zone. the commission said on tuesday that the latest forecast of 1.6% growth this year is 0.1 percentage points higher than

the prediction it made last autumn. it adds the economic recovery may be moderate for 2011, as the revised figure is lower than last year's rate of 1.7%. the german economy is likely so expand by 2.4%, as well as 1.7% for france and the netherlands. but the growth forecast for spain is only 0.8%, as the country faces a massive budget deficit. europe's commissioner for monetary affairs showed concern over the ongoing unrest in the middle east and north africa and its effect on the economy. >> the consequences of political change, preferably democratic developments, in the middle east and north africa, also could have a significant impact on the economic outlook. we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo . q