> eaea exexctctioio. mitt r rnene f fhts off his ririlsls in thee race too facac barackckbaba. u. n ns s outletet areepepting thth mitt t mnmn is leading t t rereblblan presidentiaia pririr in newewhahashshe. the moderate candidate already won last week's caucuses in iowa. now he's poised to win another contest in the process to pick the republican nominee. u.s. media say romney is the front-runner as votes are being couldn counted. new hampshire is virtually his

base. it's state sits next to massachusetts where he was governor. the results of the primary will likely become clear within a few hours. >> the president of syria has lashed out at the arab league in his first public address in months. bashar al assad blamed his neighbors for isolating his country. assad defended the crackdown on antigovernment protestors. the president refused to respond to calls for his resignation. he says priority is on regaining security by hitting the terrorists with an iron hand. human rights groups said the speech was aimed at ordering troops to kill more citizens. the groups say government forces continue to fire on demonstrators across seyria killing about 30 people. several sent to assess the peace planned were also injured in attacks. the syrian administration has not offered any support to the

monitors it has allowed into the country. >> opposition forces say the arab league is not doing anything to halt the crackdown. the un security council is to reopen talks on syria. some members want u.n. to put more pressure on the assad government. >> length pascal reported to the council on tuesday and said 400 people have been reported killed since arab league observers arrived in the country. council members decided to resume talks on adopting a resolution on syria. russia presented a draft resolution last month. it urges all forces in the country to immediately halt the violence. but the united states and european nations want the draft motion to include punitive measures. u.s.s and to the u.n. susan rice says she expects russia to propose a new proposal soon.

some want the arab league to approve the document before syr. >> this just in, mitt romney is looking more and more like a candidate for president. abc news is reporting he will win the presidential primary in new hampshire. he already won last week's iowa caucuses. >> abctv says romney is expected to win this important contest in the process to pick the republican nominee. new hampshire is virtually his base. the state sits next to massachusetts where he served as governor. he is a moderate. he won the support of many local politicians. then he rode in on the strength of his organization. the result of the primary will likely become clear within the next few hours. and we'll follow that story for you right here on "newsline." >> you could call it the price of power in japan. this country has had six prime ministers in five years.

perhaps it's no surprise the latest leader is trouble. the approval rating for his cabinet has been cut in half and he might be forced to call a general election. a survey suggests 30% of respond ents support noda's cabinet, a drop of 7 points from a month ago and half the approval rating the cabinet had when he took office last september. >> the disapproval rating rose by 7 points to 49%. looking at the people who disapprove of noda's cabinet, 45% said they have no confidence in its policies. another 27% said the cabinet lacks the ability to implement those policies. part of the poll was noda's plan to raise the consumption tax. 38% said they disapprove. 26% approve. survey asked respondents if they want political change. 51% said yes, while 42% said no.

our political commentator gave us some perspective on the poll and the tough political choices facing prime minister noda. >> more voters are criticizing noda's party for not keeping its campaign pledges it made when it took power in 2009. the prime minister was to double japan's sales tax by 2015 to 10% from current 5. it said before it wouldn't do that. the public understands that social security costs are rising and reforms must be made but taxpayers don't want to shoulder the full burden. they want noda administration to cut back on government costs. but the biggest supporters, the labor unions, are basically against that idea. while noda's government cannot pass bills without help from the

population because japan's die yad is still divided. the ruling parties control the law house and it has a lock on the upper house. noda's problem is getting approval for legislation to enact the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins april 1s. he also has to win support for the consumption tax hike. ao'posing parties are determined not to cooperate with the prime minister. if those bills are rejected, he will most certainly call a general election, he could call a general election between march and june but with his low approval rating, it will probably lose its majority in the lower house and it's unlike live any party will be able to form a majority. so you know, we'll have another coalition in this country. and the party with the most seats will most likely take the prime minister's job.

>> next we go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >> pakistan has been hit by the deadliest bomb attack the country has seen in several months. a local government official told nhk at least 35 people have been killed. most of them civilians. about 70 were injured in tuesday's explosion. the tribal area serves as the main supply route for nato forces in afghanistan. an official says the bomb was probably detonated by remote control. most of the victims were passengers on a nearby bus. >> translator: i helped 15 people, many were dead or wounded, even cut in half. >> militants have carried out hundreds of bombings in pakistan since 2007, killing soldiers, policemen, government officials and also civilians.

>> the acquittal of mill asian leader gives supporters a morale boost. the vote will take place as malaysia tries to tackle a series of new challenges, including the growing regional presence of both the united states. nhk world reports. >> anwar was dismissed after a falling out over an economic policy and he became leader of the opposite.

since then anwar has faced charges. the first time he was found guilty and went to jail for six years. most recent verdict handed down on monday was not guilty. the court said evidence admitted by prosecutors was unreliable. after the ruling, anwar addressed thousands of supporters outside a courthouse and demonstrated his resort to make a political comeback. >> translator: the decision that i make prime minister is not the decision of the judge or judiciary. it is a decision of the people. >> malaysia has been governed by a coalition led by the ruling nogs organization since

independence from britain in 1967. but the coalition suffered a major setback in the general election four years ago. the result reflected growing frustration among the public, especially ethnic chinese, about policies that favor ethnic malaysia. malaysia is on a difficult situation on a diplomatic front. its largest trading partner, the united states, has shifted its folk to us asia. china's interest in the region is also growing. decisions have to be made on how malaysia should deal with territorial disputes in the south cna sea and trade laborization. anwar is popular among the urban middle class. he's said to be an advocate of a western style free economy. now his trial is over, attention will turn to the policies he

chooses to differentiate his party from the ruling coalition as the country moves towards a crucial election. now to india. heavy snow in india takens to wreak havoc in the country's northern states. parts of kashmir are completely cut off from the rest of the country. authorities are working around the clock to clear the national highway. >> it's the worst snowfall in 25 years. so it's taking us longer to reopen the highway. >> hundreds of people remain stranded along the highway, which serves as a lifeline for villages in kashmir. many travelers were forced to

take shelters at bus stops because they could not afford owe tells. sections of the 300 kilometer highway have been reopened and authorities hope to resume normal operations as the weather clears. several other states in northernndia have seen severe disruption to transport and communications. a local newspaper reported the authorities have promised to help transport nearly 2,000 stranded passengers once the highway reopens. that's it for our bulletin today here in bangkok. this just coming in from the united states, mitt romney is looking more and more like a candidate for u.s. president. abc news is reporting he will win the republican presidential -- or rather residential primary in new hampshire. the former governor of massachusetts already won last week's iowa caucuses. abc-tv says romney is expected to win this important contest in the process to pick the republican nominee. new hampshire is virtually his

base. the state sits next to massachusetts where he served as governor. he's a moderate. he wouldn't store of many local politicians, then he rode in on the strength of his organization. the results of the primary will likely become clear within the next few hours. >> the detroit motor show is gearing up to open its doors to the public this weekend. nhk got a sneak peek at the press preview. >> among the models unveiled was toyota modeor's hybrid car. it boosts the use of solar power. this comes ass firm anticipates a further rise in the popularity of eco-friendly vehicles. the concept model made its debut at the detroit motor show on tuesday. the car is based on a plug-in hybrid that can be reloaded at home and comes loaded with other features. solar panels on the roof power

the air conditioner. a radar system keeps an eye on surroundings and prevents collisions. toyota aims to mass produce the car in three years. the firm also plans to increase its lineup of hybrid vehicles including plug-in hybrids in the united states and elsewhere. >> share prices are near live unchanged in tokyo on wednesday morning as concerns over the european debt crisis remain strong. the nikkei average is up. sources say there are speculations fitch ratings may down grade italian government bonds. now to currencies. on the tokyo foreign exchange,

the dollar made little movement again the yen on wednesday morning. the dollar is at 76.92 to 94 yen while the euro is at 97.98-01 yen. many are waiting to see the outcome of a summit between german and italian leaders later today expected to talk about how to contain the credit crisis. the yield on the ten-year japanese government bond is down half a basis points. >> a growing number of japanese firms are setting up plants. this chief minister conveyed a quest by japanese companies doing business. she said she's aware of the need for better infrastructure and

will promptly take up the issue. >> the state government and a japanese consortium agreed on tuesday to build an industrial park for small and medium-sized japanese businesses. india has huge economic potential and even small businesses will find it an attractive market if there is good infrastructure. that's the latest in business. back to catherine. >> thanks very much. >> countless numbers of children in northeastern japan are still struggling with the aftermath of the march 11th earthquake and tsunami. the disas it ter ripped apart communities and families and left many children with unimaginable memories. the japan national cooperation agency sent 22 teachers to the town that felt the full force of the tsunami. there the teachers saw how a group of dedicated people are providing support to traumatized children and in doing so are helping bring back smiles to their faces.

. >> the 22 teachers went to see the catastrophic damage after the tsunami. they met with local residents to find out how they cope while the water had receded. this man is one of the teachers who took a part in the tour. >> look at this. this is my town. what do you think about it? >> translator: everything was submerged. nothing was left. >> reporter: this is the high school. large parts of the city were washed away by raging waters. >> translator: the tsunami was higher than the roof. the children were so petrified

they couldn't cry. they could only remain silent. >> reporter: fortunately, all of these students survived the tragedy but 80% of them lost their homes. despite the passage -- many children are worried about their future and not smart as they used to. >> translator: there is is a vague sense of anxiety. i want to find something that will help the kids feel safer and give them hope for the future. >> reporter: his colleagues asked teachers about how they dealt with the children after the tsunami.

>> transtor: how did you deal with children who were traumatized by the tsunami? >> translator: i never forced them to study. >> i asked the children to read poems, to play games or to dance. after that i saw an immediate change in their spirits. >> reporter: the teachers went to the facility for children who were all found by tsunami or who are living away from their parents for economic reasons. japanese teachers spoke about how they overcame the emotional trauma. about 40 children live at the facility. this 17-year-old have lived here since 2007. he lost two younger brothers in the tsunami. he was sent here because his

parents were never found out of the disaster. >> translator: i feel lonely because i am away from my parents. i only meet them five times a year. >> reporter: this man is in charge of the facility. he's been doing his best to help. he has arranged activities such as events, traditional dance lessons and field trips to help the children to relax and recover their emotional trauma. but he never forces the children if they don't want to. he says he didn't have any friends and spend much time alone. but jamaal says that counsel, he

eventually -- >> translator: i used to think about the tsunami but not anymore. i want to be a gym teacher. >> translator: building bonds with the children will improve their self-confidence and help them overcome the trauma. i think they can change. >> reporter: he was encouraged seeing the smiles of the children. >> translator: the children were lively at all the schools we visited. i was impressed seeing their smiles because i've been seeing students who smile very little despite their seemingly calm attitude. i want our kids to become like these. >> reporter: he says he was around a lot with the children,

and the people who survive the tsunami. he says it's not a special message but about the teacher always being there for the children, in other words, doing what the teachers are supposed to do. it's been unusually dry here in tokyo. we haven't had any rain for a while. let's go to the weather picture for here and elsewhere. > welcome back to your weather update. let's first take a look at australia. we have distinctive clouds here. this is tropical system heidi packing wend gusts of 120 kilometers per hour. it's moving in a southerly direction at the speed of 20 kilometers per hour. it's expected to maintain

intensity until it reaches the coast early thursday morning. after it makes landfall, it will rapidly weaken to a low pressure system and move towards the southwest. the northern coast including port headland is already feeling the impact of the storm with heavy rain and strong winds. here's a look at the precipitation over the next 24 hours. it looks like the areas of heavy rain will move southwest ward over the cost. if you are near the coast do stay on a watch out for coastal flooding and of course winds are going to be picking up as the storm approaches. that could create rough seas as well as high waves here. moving on to east asia, a high pressure system that is containing very frigid and dry air is blanketing most of china and the korean peninsula. although the inland and southern areas of china are still seeing showers but that's not on the

pacific side. across japan, most of the pacific side is enjoying dry weather but the western side has heavy snow again. they'll see up to 70 centimeters in the next 24 hours. the rest of the areas may see 40 to 50 centimeters of snof aw an that could result in high waves and create blowing snow conditions. it looks like snow will continue here into the weekend. temperaturewise we expected a minus 3 degrees in seoul and tokyo will be coming in at 10 degrees today but temperatures will drop to 6 degrees on thursday but as we look towards the south, 31 degrees in manila and the same goes for bangkok. heading over to the americas, across the deep south, this is where we are seeing lots of active weather. we are talking about severe thunderstorms, large hail, damages winds and even tornadoes here. and the system has been moving very, very slowly so the

rainfall total could be significant. in fact, flash flood warnings is in place across mississippi. now, the system will move -- is moving in the northly direction so rain will spread to the mid atlantic region on wednesday. up towards the north, a couple of storm creating snow showers, including windy conditions that will reach the great lakes and central rockies in the next couple of hours. those systems are ushering in very cold air from the north. we're going to see a significant drop of temperatures on wednesday. we're expecting minus 14 in winnipeg and minus 4 in denver, about 15 degrees lower than what we saw on tuesday buts rest of areas will stay on the warmer side getting up to 7 degrees in new york and 9 degrees in washington, d.c. all right, i will leave you now with your extended forecast.

our lead story this hour, mitt romney is looking more and more like a candidate for u.s. president. abc news is reporting he will win the republican presidential primary in new hampshire. the former governor of massachusetts already won last week's iowa caucuses. abc-tv says romney is expected to win this important contest in the process to pick the republican nominee. new hampshire is virtually his base. the state sits next to massachusetts, where he served as governor. he's a moderate. he won the support of many local politicians. then he rode in on the strength of his organization. the results of the primary will likely become clear within the next few hours. and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in ohka. i'll be back with more of your updates at the top of the next hour.