welcome to nhk world "newsline." international pressure is mounting against libyan leader moammar gadhafi. u.s. president barack obama has called on gadhafi to step down, but he remains hesitant over creating a no-fly zone over the country. >> i want to make sure that those full range of options are available to me. the region will be watching carefully to make sure we're on

the right side of history. >> in a news conference on thursday, obama said gadhafi has lost legitimacy to lead and he must leave. he said his departure would be good for libya and the people and he said the u.s. has sent military aircraft to air lift egyptians who have fled from libya to neighboring tunisia. earlier in the week, the u.s. senate unanimously passed a resolution calling on the united nations to impose a no-fly zone. the secretary of defense robert gates said taking control of the skies or other direct military action would have 0 its con consequences for u.s. interests, not just in libya but throughout the middle east. meanwhile, france and britain say they will support the introduction of a no-fly zone. french foreign minister and william hague met in paris on wednesday to discuss the

situation in libya. france had been saying the establishment of a no-fly zone must first be endorsed by a u.n. security council resolution. however, they say that france will work together with britain toward that goal. the british foreign secretary suggested that it is necessary to gain the cooperation of western countries and regional governments. >> no-fly zone must be legal. it must be strongly supported internationally with the participation of many different countries. >> opposition forces in libya are also requests a no-fly zone. however, arab countries have rejected the idea of u.s. or european military intervention. u.s. defense secretary robert gates expressed reservations about the idea. he told a congressional hearing on wednesday that establishing a no-fly zone would involve

launching a military attack on destroy the country's air defenses. fighting in libya continues between pro and anti-government demonstrators. it is particularly intense in the northeast near oil facilities. on thursday, gadhafi security forces conducted aerial attacks on the oil port of brega. it is thought to have resulted in many casualties. they had briefly taken control of the city of brega on wednesday morning before rebel forces regained control after fierce fighting. gadhafi's military now controls a city 100 kilometers to the west of brega. it is home to libya's petro chemical and oil refining plants. a spokesman for rebel forces told nhk they will do everything possible to bring that luf under their control. heavy fighting is likely to occur in the area.

a spokesman for a venezuelan president hugo chavez said on thursday that gadhafi had accepted a proposal by chavez for international mediation to end the conflict. however, a spokesman for the rebels indicated they would reject the truce. he said negotiations would be impossible after so much blood has been shed and so many lives have been killed. in the northeastern part of the country, where anti-government forces have established a foothold, a radio station is calling on citizens to stand up against the dictatorial government. nhk world has more. >> reporter: a local radio station in libya, the voice of a free libya.

it used to be a state-run radio station that decide with anti-government forces beginning last night. the station director is ali ashu who is 56. previously he had not been allowed to broadcast anything other than praise for gadhafi, for which he felt ashamed. anti-government demonstrations took place in al-bayda last night and troops killed more than 60 civilians. at the time, many staff members gathered in his office. they all resolved to stop broadcasting government propaganda and support the demonstrators.

the early aspirations of freedom seeking young people support his belief. the second son of ashoud took part the demonstrations and suffered head and leg injuries after clashing with security forces. through broadcasting ashour is trying to help people against the gadhafi regime.

. >> reporter: citizens of libya have stood up in pursuit of freedom. they are being supported by a local station that has rebelled against a dictatorial government. nhk world. oil output from libya has plunged over 60% since the start of unrest in the country. in a report released on wednesday, the international energy agency estimates that between 850,000 to 1 million barrels are currently not being produced each day. that's out of 1.6 million barrels of potential daily output. the agency says the conflict between the government of

colonel gadhafi an anti-government forces has caused a slowdown overall as foreign oil firms suspend production and evacuate employees. the agency reports from some european refiners indicate that crude oil supplies are ample until at least the end of march. they are now scheduling for april. 85% of libya's oil is exported to european countries, such as italy, france and spain. the international criminal court has announced it's going to investigate possible crimes against humanity committed in the country. prosecutor lewis moreno compo made the announcement at the hague on thursday. >> we have mandated justice and we will do it. there will be no impunity in libya. moran know campo mentioned the names of people who have authorities over those who allegedly attacked peaceful

demonstrators in benghazi and other cities. he listed gadhafi, his inner circumstance and some of his sons. the investigation is expected to take months before any court request for warrants. egypts form transport minister has been named the prime minister of a caretaker cabinet until the election election. the supreme council announced on thursday that essam sharaf has quit. he is replaced by ahmed shafiq. essam sharaf supported the anti-government protests in cairo. the military council said has asked him to form a caretaker government. opposition forces responded to the appointment by cancelling demonstrations scheduled for friday. they were demanding the resignation of the entire cabinet. new zealand has officially ended its search for survivors. more than a week after the

devastating earthquake. it is shifting in to recovery mode. the primary focus is getting rid of tons of mud that spewed out of the earth and now poses a health risk. the streets of christchurch have been covered in more than 200,000 tons of dirt and sand, a as a result of liquefaction. in some areas it is 300 meters thick. >> my car was half buried in mud and i was worried whether i could get it out. >> the mud is being take on the empty lots throughout the city. translator: look at this huge heap behind me. it's a pile of mud that came to the surface in the quake. >> the mud is expected to eventually amount to about 280,000 tons. municipal employees are working full out to clear the streets and homes, and huge piles of mud

can still be seen throughout christchurch. city officials say they are worried about possible health risks, as well as damage to farm produce. >> it is a flairy material and it blows in to dust and causes all sorts of issues so it is important to get rid of it off the street. >> it is believed it will take several months to remove the mud. after which the city will begin to rebuild itself. foreign minister has offered an apology to five australian prisoners of war for their suffering during world war ii. they met him at his office on thursday. the australiaens are visiting japan until wednesday on a trip sponsored by the japanese government. he said he felt deep remost and offered a heart felt apology for the tremendous suffering of so many people including australian

pows. richards called it a historic event saying they are significant to the p.o.w.s. and their families. also said the government will begin preparations to deliver similar copies to other former australian p.o.w.s. over the weekend they are scheduled to visit sites where they were held during the war. turning to our japan syndrome series, we look at the challenges created by this country's aging and declining population. some of those challenges are sparking business opportunities, nursing care for one is something many asian nations are focusing on. there's a reason behind this. the graph shows the percentage of people who are older than 65 in five asian countries them elderly population of thailand and china will reach 14% in 20

years. that means they will be considered so-called aged societies. at the same time, japan, singapore and south korea will be super aged societies, meaning more than 21% of their populations will be elderly. japan has spent a lot of time and money on elderly care services. now its neighbors are trying to learn from its experience. >> reporter: william zen is the chairman of a construction and real estate company in shanghai. he recently visited a luxury retirement home. zen is looking for ideas for his latest project. he's planning to build a similar facility to serve shanghai's rapidly-growing elderly population. zen was especially impressed by the high-tech sensors installed in all of the facility's bedrooms. it notified staff when no movement is detected in a room for more than 12 hours.

>> this is a wonderful home for the elderly. i want to build high-end facilities in china because there are very few of them for the wealthy. >> reporter: zen is considering paying the japanese retire home for consulting services. the contract would be worth several million dollars. >> asian countries are especially interested in japan's expertise in taking care of elderly patients that have dementia. the symptoms include language and memory impairment and can trigger violence and wandering. the japanese government estimates 2 million people suffer from dementia in this country. globally more than 35 million people struggle with the syndrome. that figure will increase to 65 million in 20 years. rapidly-aging populations in middle and lower-income properties such as india and china are behind the rise. caring for people with dementia

has long been a challenge. one of the most difficult things to deal with is wandering. japan developed a technique to deal with that symptom a decade ago and now it is attracting attention. >> reporter: in most countries, patients who wander just stopped. they listen to patients so the factors that cause them to wander can be eliminated. often nursing care providers don't listen to patients when they say, for example, they want to go home. sometimes the stories they hear sound absurd or inconsistent. instead of getting more details, they outright refuse a patient's request. that can make patients feel rejected, causing them to feel anxiety and distrust toward their caregivers. these feelings can make an elderly patient's condition worse. staff at this japanese nursing care facility are familiar with

the listening method. they are using it to help this 87-year-old patient. he's prone to wandering and used to get panicked when people tried to stop him, but his condition has improved after careful observation. staff took sketches of the patient's face in an effort effort to understand what his expressions mean. they also wrote down the words he said during an average day. they ended up focusing on a remark he kept making about how he needed to deal with a financial problem. that helped them to find out that the patient was getting the nursing facility mixed up with his old office. one day, he said he'd finished his work and was going home. translator: i have to go home now. >> reporter: a staff member followed him but didn't try to stop him. the man calmed down as he walked

away and eventually went back to the facility. translator: it's important to identify the reasons behind behaviors, such as wandering. it's possible to understand how patients feel by collecting information. >> reporter: this woman is trying to introduce the listening method to south korea. she went to a seminar in seoul that 40 people attended. translator: we remember what a patient says and relate the words to his or her emotions. >> reporter: strengthening and diverse fieing senior care is something the south korean government is keen to invest in. the country's elderly population is rapidly increasing. translator: south korea needs to nurture its nursing care services to help people who have dementia.

we should introduce japan's advanced methods. >> reporter: governments and businesses that want to access japanese nursing care services sometimes turn to this man. he's the director of a nonprofit organization that provides a link to japan's nursing-related companies. translator: it's important to offer ideas to shape the next generation of nursing care, not only techniques but the way of thinking and values as well. we're standing at the starting point. it's crucial that we seize this opportunity. >> our japan syndrome series will continue later this month. if you have any comments on what you have seen so far, please get in touch with us at our website shown below at

www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/. the portable game market is heating up. nintendo and sony are adding to their lineups this year with new cob sols. now they are finding themselves up against new competition in the industry. emily wang reports. >> reporter: it's been more than six years since nintendo's release of its portable game device and fans have been waiting since the early-morning hours to get their hands on this new game. as the name suggests, the latest edition is a device equiped with 3-d screens. translator: it feels like there's a different world right here. translator: i think it is going to bring a new way of playing games. >> reporter: sony is also set to

release a new portable game device later this year. the console will have access to 3-g cell phone networks, a first for these devices. but as the head of sony computer entertainment acknowledges, the industry is changing fast. translator: we're at a point in time today where technological innovation has made it possible to play games on multipurpose mobile devices, such as mobile phones, smart phones or tablet pcs. >> three major social network companies that host mobile game site shows the number of people signing up has more than doubled in the last three years. >> reporter: playing games on cell phones has become one of the top past times for people on the go. translator: i always carry my phone with me. so it's easy for me to play

games anytime. translator: portable game consoles are expensive so i just play on my phone. >> reporter: games are becoming a key feature in attracting cell phone users. one major mobile released 3-d smart phones ahead of nintendo's launch. to attract buyers, the company currently offers famous game titles in 3-d exclusively for its hand sets. translator: the pre-installed contents were chosen to showcase the new 3-d functions, but as the trend moves on, we may move toward a marketplace style method so people can start to buy content. >> reporter: another cell phone carrier is also ramping up its game offerings for its smart phones. the company on thursday announced it will launch a new version of a popular social game site for its smart phones next week. the latest update includes a short cut to launch the game

from the main screen and functions that make it easy to invite friends from your own phone list. translator: there are millions of social game users now. as a cell phone company, we need to incorporate social games in to our services quickly. by doing so, raise our competitive edge over other companies. >> reporter: recognizing the industry changes taking place, sony is moving beyond its play station consoles. for the first time the company says it will distribute its games directly to smart phones and other portable devices that run on google's android system. so where is the portable market head something one expert says the industry is starting to converge.

translator: as portable game devices edge closer to smart phones, smart phones are becoming more like game devices. i think the world of games will be borderless over the next few years. >> reporter: as the line tweeb portable games and cell phones starts to blur, focus is on which of these consumers will say offers the bigger bang for the buck. emily wang, nhk world. >> all right. here's the latest market figures.

hi, welcome to your world of weather. in east yaz ya we are seeing settled skies. for china and the korean peninsula as well we have a high pressure area in place. however, along the edges of it, showers are look to develop later on today an also looking like scattered showers will show up across the indochina peninsula and the philippines as well. for japan, we have been talking about a lot of snowy weather for the western flank of the country. that's set to continue again today. more snow for those of you here. we are talking about a month of up to 20 to 50 centimeters, especially in upper elevations at high risk for additional snow. so you want to watch out if you are going to be in the area. highs today will come up to 8 degrees in tokyo , 6 for seoul. in the teens for beijing and only 9 in shanghai. on the cool side. taipei is up to 18 degrees. for north america, seeing a lot

of snow coming in from the west. really starting to spread across the rockies and in to inland parts of the united states. and then over to the midwest, eastern half of the united states, area of ice and snow will develop across eastern canada and the northern end of the great lakes area while rain, a lot of moisture will be coming up along the mississippi valley from the gulf of mexico, really looking wet for the lower interest midwest and the deep south and this could include severe weather on friday. as for highs on friday, minus 12 in winnipeg. we've got 7 in vancouver and 8 for seattle. on the other hand, getting a little bit warmer in new york. 5 is your high. and even 11 degrees in d.c. now, for europe, largely calm and unsettled for the most part. the exception is up to the north. winds will be strong from norway all the way in to western russia and along with those winds we

will be seeing snow that there trek across norway and affecting parts of finland and the baltic states, too. they are looking on the snow wayside. for the mediterranean, the south here has been really unsettled the past few days with italy getting the brunt of all of that stormy weather. we have been talking about snow and there's been a lot of rain as well and those rains are said to trigger a lot of flooding. there's been a lot of problems here. let's look at some of the scenes coming out of the country. heavy flooding, very high water levels here due to all of the rain. cars and homes are under muddy waters. the adriatic coastline has been particularly hard hit with all the rain. there's been mudslides and landslides as well and conditions are turning deadly and dangerous and we are looking at the chance of more rain today. thundershowers are possible in the south of italy and then toward north it will be turning in to snow.

and in to inland areas of spain and the balkan peninsula, too, looking at further flurries to fly again today. really starting to pile up in some of these areas. as for highs 3 in stoke hole, 7 in berlin and vienna and 13 degrees and rome and 9 in madrid. that's a look at your weather for now and here's your three-day outlook.

we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo . çç