tv Newsline PBS March 16, 2012 7:00pm-7:30pm PDT
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state media in north korea unveils the controversial plan to mark the birth of the country's founder. north koreans are preparing to honor the man known as their eternal president and great leader. the 100th anniversary of kim ill song's birth is next month. the regime headed by his grandson says it will launch a satellite in celebration. but critics say it's actually testing a long range missile in violation of u.n. resolutions.
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>> to mark the sen tenry of the birth of kim ill song, our country will launching a working satellite made with our power and technology. the launch will inspire the country's citizens and troops who are striving to create a strong and prosperous nation. >> state run media in north korea quoted an announcement by the korean committee for space technology. the statement says, the satellite will lift off from a site between april 12th and 16th. it says a safe trajectory has been set to prevent rocket debris from affecting neighboring nations. the united states has described the proposed satellite launching as highly provocative. a statement on friday said that such a plan would pose a threat to regional security. she said a missile launch would be a direct violation of the bilateral agreement reached during last month's talks in beijing.
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the agreement includes a moratorium on all test launch long range ballistic missiles for the north. the u.s. government says it is analyzing why north korea has made such a provocative announcement at this stage it will consult its partners on how best to proceed. north korea satellite plan means governments that monitor the reclusive nation will be paying more closer attentions. japan's defense minister says his country is on high alert. >> translator: we'll take all possible measures for intelligence gathering and monitoring north korea in cooperation with the united states and with other countries. >> he added he will do what he can to ensure peace and security for japan.
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>>eporter: some say the north announcement is meant to demonstrate the power of its new leader kim jong u nurks. others say the reclusive regime is trying to test u.s. patience. behind the north intention is the judgment that the u.s. will not immediately scrap the bilateral agreement because of the launch. north korea promised to suspend all uranium enrichment activities and missile launches in order to receive foodid from the u.s. therefore, launching any iend of rocket may draw a harsh temporary backlash, but not cancellation of the bilateral dialogue. north korea wants to keep the
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u.s. at the negotiation table by showing a willingness to suspend its uranium enrichment program and accepting iaea inspections. at the same time it also seeks to divide the u.s., japan and south korea. that how korea is laying the ground work for launching what it is calling a satellite. >> more than 100 delegates came to gather in a hard hit town in the tsunami. they attended is seminar on friday. it was organized by japan's internal affairs and communications ministry and the international telecommunications union. first, the participants offered
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silent prayers for the tens of thousands of people who lost their lives in the controversy. i.t.u. telecommunication development bureau director pointed out that information sharing is crucial for reducing disaster risks. a private group note that had the telecommunication system failed to transmit necessary information to and from the disaster area. he said nhk is doing an overall review of its public reevacuation broadcast system. delegates from asia and african countries also stressed the
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importance of swift communication. >> i think what has been impressed so much is actually the way that the japanese people are organized in terms of disaster management. they've got the technology that enables them to solve much of the problem. >> two japanese auto makers have started production of a sports car they have joint lir developed. the presidents of the two companies attended a ceremony marking the start of production at fuji heavy assembly plant. the sports car is the first vehicle developed by the two firms. it will be sold under each
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company's brand name. troim i'm really happy to see the success of the partnership we have formed to produce better cars. it's important for us to continue to develop cars that people in the market find attractive while always maintaining the quality of our products. >> toyota and fuji heavy are putting their technologies together to boost the fuel efficiency and engine capacity of the new model. they plan to produce 100,000 units a year. the companies say they are already receiving many orders though the car won't hit the domestic market until this fall. with their sports car, the auto makers are hoping to put an end to the recent slide in domestic car sales. apple has launched a new version of its ipad tablet computer. it's going on to store shelves across the world. about 450 people waited for an apple store to open in downtown
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tokyo. it's the first ipad launched by the u.s. computer maker since its cob founder passed away last october. the design and size are unchanged. but the new model features an upgraded screen with higher resolution images. it has a higher resolution camera as well and its processor allows faster handling of video and other data. >> translator: it's worthwhile just to wait in line. >> translator: it's got better features. i'm thinking about how i'll use this. >> competition many the tablet market continues to heat up. apple's rivals including sony and samsung electronics are also launching new models. meanwhile in hong kong hundreds of people lined up at the apple store to buy the new ipad ahead
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of its release in mainland china. some hard core apple fans traveled all the way from beijing. >> translator: it is unclear when the ipad will be available on the mainland because the lawsuits. >> last month proview technology filed a claim against apple as the original owner of the ipad trademark. proview filed nn injunction to block all sales of the ipad and asked retailers across the country to cooperate. however, hong kong has a different judicial system. japan's job market for new university graduates has improved slightly over last year, but remains tight. the labor and education ministry said an estimated 85.5 -- up about three% age point prs last year's record low.
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the figure is still the third lowst since data was first compiled in 1999. the ministries calculated that 79,000 final year students due to graduate this month are still on the hunt for jobs. the labor ministry says economic uncertainty is making firms cautious about taking on new graduates. the march 11th disaster killed nearly 16,000 people and has left more than 3,000 others unaccounted for. we bring you a report about a girl and her grandmother helping each other heal their pain. >> reporter: this girl is a second grader at elementary school. she lives with her grandparents.
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a year ago her father was ungulfed in the tsunami while work. her mother and elder sister were swept away while fleeing by car. she is the only member of her immediate family who survived. this is a picture she drew last september. she depicted a family of three enjoying looking at the moon together. and a tearful girl on the other side of the wall. >> translator: i'm the only one that got away alive. i feel guilty and keep blaming myself. >> reporter: her grandmother was also overwhelmed with sorrow and even thought about committing
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suicide so she could follow her son. but she didn't because kanon was always with her. >> translator: i cried and cried every day. it was kanon who handed me the tissues. >> reporter: six months after the disaster, she noticed that a smile had returned to her face. >> translator: kanon rubs my legs asking if i'm okay. that makes me happier than anything else. >> reporter: before long, she was telling kanon that leaving her behind alive was the best present her son had ever given
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her. last november at her school, she suddenly began writing something on the board in pink chalk. the words seem to come naturally to her because she could tell that her grandmother needed her. one year since the march 11th disaster, kanon is preoccupied with something. she's practicing a song her mother loved very much.
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>> translator: now i think i must live 15 more years. i'll have to stay alive until i'm 90. until kano gets married and has a child. >> translator: i want to be a kind person when i grow up. i'll scold my children when they misbehave, but i won't forget to admire them too a little. maybe a little won't be enough. >> reporter: one year on since the disaster, kanon and her grandmother have begun taking a stride forward. >> next we go to bangkok to find
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out what's going on in the region. >> we begin with a story from afghanistan. a helicopter of the international coalition forces has crashed outside the capital kabul. at least 14 people have died. the international security assistance force says the turkish military aircraft crashed into a building on friday morning. afghan police say the helicopter crashed into a civilian house. they say at least 12 helicopter crew members and two civilians were killed. they are investigating the cause of the crash and says it has no information that the helicopter was attacked. the crash could intensify public anger towards the coalition forces that has been sparked by the recent incidents involving u.s. troops. more afghans are demanding an early withdrawal of u.s. military from their country after a series of scandals and
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violent incidents. the u.s. is seeking an honorable retreat by the prospect of achieving one is becoming increasingly dim. >> reporter: u.s. defense secretary met afghan president in kabul on thursday. they discussed the shooting spree by a u.s. soldier who murdered 16 afghans mostly women and children. the afghan presidential office said karzai called on nato led international forces to hand over the authority for security to domestic forces by 2013 instead of 2014. the office also quoted panetta saying the u.s. wanted the transfer process to be completed immediately and accordingly. the dialogue that the u.s. administration has been secretly pursuing with the taliban is not
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going well. in a statement issued on thursday, the taliban announced the suspension of the dialogue saying the u.s. has a shaky erratic and vague standpoint. the militia group has pledged to retaliate against u.s. troops for sunday's shooting rampage. if there is a further deterioration in security, the u.s. will be forced to change its withdrawal plan. the reputation of the u.s. military in afghanistan has been damaged by a series of scandals including the burning of copies of the koran at the u.s. base last month. >> there's no question we're going to be tested. we will be continue to be tested in months ahead. this is a war. we'll continue to i'm sure s incidents of violence of one
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kind or another. but the key is how we respond. >> panetta has spent much of his afghan visit trying to ease the rising anti-u.s. sentiment caused by his own troops. the u.s. exit strategy appears to have hit a solid wall of -- >> next, one of the world's newest countries east timor will hold a presidential election on sunday. 11 candidate are running against the incumbent president. >> reporter: heated campaigning began in east timor for its second presidential election.
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the incumbent president is seeking a second term. he was elected east timor's second president five years ago. taking advantage of his name recognition as a nobel laureate. his pledge from that campaign was maintaining peace and stability. his new slogan for this election is fighting poverty. >> translator: our country has serious problems of malnutrition and a lack of education and these are becoming more serious. >> reporter: east timor became independent from indonesia ten years ago. the current administration has focused on public projects using the profits from the country's abundant oil fields. this is helping east timor to maintain a high growth rate of 6% to 12% every year.
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but only a limited number of people are benefitting from this economic growth. east timor has an unemployment rate of 40%. inflation is another problem as the country is heavily reliant on imported foods and goods. last year the inflation rate reached 13% making the people's lives more difficult. >> translator: everything is so exnsive. it has a big impact on my life and family. >> translator: i can't afford to buy anything. the government should do something about it. >> reporter: another candidate is gaining support from people who are dissatisfied with the current situation. he was commander after the rebels who fought against indonesia to achieve independence. the campaign pledge of this national hero also focuses on
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anti-poverty measures. >> translator: we achieved independence so we can achieve development as well. >> reporter: this man is 35 years old. in the previous presidential election he voted for ram mos. this time it's supporting the other candidate. >> translator: ramos has kept his promises. many of us are disappointed. so we support the other candidate. >> reporter: madera gets his income from working at construction sites. however, he says the chance of actually getting a job is very low. on this day, he works for the first time in two months. he only earned enough money to give each member of his family just one sardine.
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he's surviving with the support of his parents and friends. >> translator: life is very tough. >> translator: that's the reality. >> translator: many are living in poverty and are being left behind economically. there are not many differences in the candidates' campaign pledges, but the popularity of the hero of the independence movement is a sign of severe economic situation. >> the result of the election will be known in several days. and that wraps up our bulletin. >> let's get a check of the weather from mai.
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>> thank you very much. let's check out what's happening here in australia first. this is a severe tropical cyclone that is moving closer to the coastal areas of western australia. it is a category three. looks like it will be maintaining its intensity and making landfall here around port headland around saturday afternoon hours local time. this is already bringing gusts up to about 195 kilometres per hour. high waves, rough sea conditions and people many the vicinities are already feeling very strong winds in and around the area. and also as you can see this very bright pink passing through western australia inland it will be dumping heavy amounts of rainfall accumulation could be staggering amounts about 200 millimeters or even more in the next couple of days. this is enough amounts to trigger some flood, landslides and mudslides. we'll keep you updated with this. heading over to the bigger picture in eastern continental asia. in japan we have a system affecting south korea and western japan. this system will be just dumping weather towards eastern japan as well. much of the country will be looking ahead for a wet weekend.
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another system here will be ushering lots of very cold air in and around the region by sunday the precipitations will be turning white. lingering showers in central china that's going to be tapering off much lighter conditions, but widely spread. and here seasonal showers as well as seasonal thunderstorms will be skirtd across the area. in the southeastern manila the system will be approaching closer over the weekend. temperaturewise 32 degrees. we're talking about seoul 16 degrees. so that's going to be nice weather out there as well as beijing at 14. tokyo at 12 on saturday, high much better. and it will be on the rise on sunday. heading over to the americas. still a series one after another the storm systems battering the pacific in fact and the b.c. area. this is another unstable system and more stronger from compared to the other system.
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gusts are going to be reaching as much as 90 kilometres per hour and dumping some he have rain in the sierra nevada areas. wet snow piling up as much as 25 centimeters and that will be descending all the way down towards the four corners over the weekend. the heavy rain plus ongoing snow melt could be causing some flooding and landslides, mudslides, rock slides these are all at high risk. very small winds will be skirting across the four corners desert area. blowing dust could be dangerous for your driving conditions. in arizona and new mexico critical fire weather is posted, too. towards the east, mid-atlantic showers and chances of thunderstorms. but some thunderstorms could be strong and producing some hails and damaging winds. but for the friday forecast highs still very warm in washington, d.c. 24 degrees and winnipeg 22 above
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