welcome to nhk world "newsline." investors and analysts watched the u.s. economy daily looking for signs it is on a path to recovery. sometimes they make predictions. but lately the world's largest economy hasn't been living up to expectations. the latest employment figures are no exception. the number of new jobs in may, less than half of what was forecast. the unemployment rate is up slightly. spokesperson say employers at nonfarm jobs last month, analysts had been expecting 150,000.

the dwroeth growth was the lowest since 2011. the construction sector lost 28,000 jobs, accounting and book keeping services lost 14,000 jobs. the u.s. labor department says the unemployment rate worsened by a tenth of a percent, now standing at 8.2%. it was first time in 11 months that the jobless rate rose. some u.s. analysts say it has slowed in recent months. the may job data may prompt them to take a more cautious view of the economic outlook. the latest numbers from europe paint a darker picture of the employment situation there where the debt crisis has the economy in a choke hold. the jobless rate in the 17-member eurozone state unchanged. at a record 11% in april. the highest level since the single currency was introduced in 1999. european union statistic agency eurostat said on friday the april jobless rate remained flat from the previous month. people in spain seemed to have it the hardest.

the jobless rate reached a record high of 24.3%. it is worse for younger people. 51.5% of those under 25 are out of work. unemployment rose in other countries too. the rate is 15.2% in portugal and more than 10% in italy. the number for greece is available only for february. it is 21.7% showing a worsening labor market. asia's two largest economies, japan and china started direct trading. this follows an agreement struck by the leaders of the two countries in december. the japanese and chinese currencies had only been exchanged through the u.s. dollar first. now direct trading allows banks to exchange the currencies without using the dollar as an intermediary. it will bring advantages, and reduce transaction fees and lower risks involved in settlements at financial institutions. the move will boost trade and financial ties between the two economies and also marks another

small step towards enhancing the yuan's global role. countries around the world are eager to invest in myanmar's economy as the formerly reclusive country opens up. in governments and businesses want to help the country build its infrastructure and financial sector. but the country's pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi is urging a different approach. cholaphansa narula joins us with the details from bangkok. as aung san suu kyi travels abroad, she is seeing people who are waiting to hear from her, sharing her own view on the direction myanmar and its economy should take in the future. nhk world's toshiyuki terazawa has more. >> reporter: aung san suu kyi speech will begin here and many audience from all over the world is gathering. after years spent under house arrest the pro-democracy leader

is now a member of myanmar's parliament. she spoke at the world economic forum on east asia in bangkok on friday. as myanmar's democratic icon, she's appearing for the creation of an economy that benefits ordinary people. >> we do not want investment to mean greater inequality. we do not want corruption to mean greater privileges for the already privileged. we want investment to mean quite simply jobs, as many jobs as possible. it's as simple as that. job creation is extremely important in burma. >> reporter: government offshore and business leaders from around the world were eager to catch a glimpse of aung san suu kyi and learn of the potential of myanmar. the future of myanmar's economy was a major theme of the forum.

aung san suu kyi also attended a panel discussion on women's roles in east asian countries on friday. she's set to visit a refugee camp near the border with myanmar, where many people have fled conflict and persecution in their homeland. toshiyuki terezawa, nhk world, bangkok. new footage of an attack on a prison in pakistan has emerged. pakistan's largest islamic militant group released a video of the attack that freed some 400 inmates in april and has vowed similar acts in the future. nhk world's hideki yui has more from islamabad. >> reporter: gunshots are rolling in the background. this video shows militants breaking into cells to free prisoners. the footage was sent to media outlets by the pakistani

taliban. >> reporter: of the 400 freed prisoners, 150 have been recaptured. 20 whom the pakistani government considers especially dangerous are still at large. some authorities have been forced to step down over the attack, which hurt the credibility of the government. the pakistani taliban has instilled fighters, including young boys, with anti-u.s. sentiment so they are willing to carry out terrorist attacks.

the groups told us they will continue present attacks to counter the pakistani government, which is stepping up military force against militant groups. the pakistani taliban likely intends to resist the government by taking advantage of growing anti-u.s. sentiment in the country following the casualties in u.s. drone attacks on militants in the country. hideki yui, nhk world, islamabad. the demand for electricity in vietnam is soaring, as the country's economy booms. although the accident at japan's fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is still a recent memory, japan is fostering nuclear power expertise in vietnam. major electronics manufacturer hitachi and the tokyo institute of technology organized an eight-day seminar which ended thursday. six vietnamese graduate students

took part at the hanoi university of science and technology. >> translator: the japanese lecturers are highly experienced in this field and well versed in reactors. they could answer every question i had, so the seminar was worth it. >> japanese companies have won contracts to build two nuclear plants at this site in southern vietnam. the contracts follow an agreement signed by both nations. the key challenge for vietnam is to secure enough power sources to drive economic growth, even the fukushima nuclear accident has not dampened vietnamese government enthusiasm to build nuclear power plants. however the vietnamese public had worries over nuclear our in the days after the fukushima accident, which made headlines in vietnam. >> translator: we need to thoroughly learn from the lessons of the nuclear accident and share what we've gained. that's the very important mission we have. >> by nurturing the next generation of specialists in vietnam, japan is showing its readiness to help ensure safety

and the latest technologies for nuclear power in the country. and that's it for our bulletin today. i'm cholaphansa narula here in bangkok. for years, many women in pakistan who defied men paid a horrible price, acid attacks are common there and largely overlooked. the assailants, usually men, have gotten away with the attacks, but slowly things are beginning to change. nhk world's syed muddabir rizbi reports. >> reporter: when naila farhat was just 13 years old, two men attacked her with acid. one was her school teacher, the other was his friend, who had been demanding that she marry him. >> translator: my parents told him i was too young to get married. but they came back. when i resisted them again, they

threw acid on me. i lost the sight of both eyes before i was taken to the hospital. yet miraculously, two years latlat later, i regained vision in one eye. >> reporter: this facility is run by acid survivors foundation, a local ngo set up five years ago. it provides a haven to women scarred by acid attacks. 850 acid victims have visited this ngo, and it says every year the number is growing. the group arranges plastic surgery for the victims, a procedure that most could never afford. the supporters also help victims emotionally. many of the women feel so desperate. they want to kill themselves. at the shelter, psychiatrists

encourage the women to get back on their feet. >> translator: feeling better today? >> translator: much better. when i came here, i kept thinking, i don't want to live anymore. i want to die. but now, after getting help here, i'm encouraged to live. >> they have no interest in life, no interest in any activity, and mostly they are suicidal, so my job over here is to bring them back to this world, and empower them. >> reporter: in pakistan's male-dominated society, some people don't see any problem with men punishing women who disgrace them. in fact, very few of the attackers have been prosecuted.

but last december, the national assembly of pakistan passed a law to make acid attacks a crime. if convicted, the attacker will spend from 14 years to life in prison. while many see the harsh penalties, they say more needs to be done. for example, the call for tougher measures to stop the attacks from happening in the first place. nhk world, islamabad. >> valerie kahn is a chairperson of acid survivors foundation pakistan in islamabad. valerie, you have been helping hundreds of victims of acid violence. who usually attacks them, and why? >> most often the victims were attacked by close members of their family, husbands, cousins, or sometimes community members

who want to take revenge or punish them for something specific. >> are we talking about domestic fights? what's the reason behind such a vicious crime? >> right. 60% of the attacks do occur because of domestic violence and another high percentage of attacks does occur because of refusal of marriage or sexual advance and another reason for this is business disputes or enmities of any sort. >> what do you think would be the root cause of this issue? do you think people think they can get away with doing something like this? >> well, there was definitely a problem related to impunity. the conviction rate in general in pakistan is up 10%. as far as acid violence is concerned, the conviction rate today is close to 6%, so that's the notion of impunity is definitely there, but in a

wider, i would say at a wider level there is also a gender issue here, a patriarchal mind-set, easy accessibility to acid as a product and regulation of sales and distribution and definitely the fact that attacking a woman is not punishable enough. >> with the new law, acid attacks are now punishable as a crime. what needs to be done to stop such crimes all together, do you think? >> well, basically the new rule is only an amendment in the pakistani court which specifically criminalizes acid throwing, which makes it a noncompoundable offense, you cannot have a settlement in court and also when you are accused you cannot be bailed out, so you cannot escape the prosecution. however, this does not address the challenges that victims or witnesses face in the time of investigation, they need protection. they need support. the investigation officer also

needs to be accountable. it does not address the challenges of proof during trial, and it does not address the monitoring effect of the rule. >> what about public awareness? >> that's definitely part of it. we already are working, acid survivors from pakistan is working a lot on this along with pakistani civil society, along with government institutions, along with hospitals, but much more work is definitely needed. i mean, this is a very old phenomenon, and it's not going to be solved in two or three years unfortunately. let's see what happens in the next five years. for us this is a crucial time. >> valerie khan, chairperson of acid survivors foundation pakistan, thank you. staff at japan's environment ministry showed up to work on friday dressed more casually than usual. they're marking the start of the second annual super cool biz campaign. workers are encouraged to ditch

suits and dress shoes in favor of t-shirts and sandals. that allows offices to save on air conditioning and reduce the strain on the country's energy supply. super cool biz is an enhanced version of the annual cool biz campaign, which started may 1st. for the past month, the government has encouraged office workers to shed their neckties. now it is asking them to take off even more. environment ministry personnel went to work friday in aloha shirts, jeans and sneakers. japan's cabinet ministers also took part in an effort to encourage the public. public. they attended a meeting wearing traditional shirts from okinawa. >> translator: we want people to wear cool clothing as much as possible. both at work and play. we ask that everyone do their part. >> the super cool biz campaign will run through the end of september. the cool biz initiative started in 2005 for environmental

reasons. super cool biz began last year following the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. this time a lack of energy drove the decision. and with electricity demand expected to skyrocket this summer, japanese are being asked to do their part and dress down. nhk world reports. >> reporter: people here in tokyo's largest business district are dressing a lot more casual these days than compared to ten years ago. that's because of the campaign spearheaded by the government. workers are shedding their jackets and ties, trying to stay comfortable so their offices can save on air conditioning. >> translator: i've seen people in southeast asia are working with no ties and no jackets. japanese have been too conservative until now. >> reporter: but now japan needs to conserve energy. its nuclear network is off line. engineers shut down the last of

the country's 50 reactors at the beginning of may for inspection. government leaders ask the nation's seven utility companies to set summer power reduction targets between 5% and 15%. they are also urging businesses and homeowners to cut down on their electricity use. the super cool biz programs are a smart part of the nation's energy saving strategy. but changing japan's conservative office culture is a work in progress. >> translator: since i work in the financial industry, i wear ties because i meet customers. >> reporter: that's one reason japanese officials aren't sure conservation will be enough. energy demand is expected to outpace supply during the summer. so officials are collaborating with executives at four utility

companies to talk about electricity rationing and one of the options on the table, rolling blackouts in parts of the country. nhk world, tokyo. the world health organization says the number of chinese who smoke is more than 300 million. that's more than any country in asia. just one day before the may 31st world no tobacco day, the chinese government broke its silence on the matter. for the first time it officially acknowledged that smoking causes serious illnesses, like lung cancer and strokes. it says by the year 2015, smoking could kill more than 3 million chinese a year. nhk world susumo tajima reports from beijing. >> reporter: these patients are receiving acupuncture to quit smoking. it collects the body's environments. patients come once or twice a

week for 30 minute session. china's government funds research for this treatment. >> translator: we treat patients according to their situation so that we can ease side effects from quitting smoking. >> translator: my mind is refreshed after the treatment. >> reporter: this 40-year-old has been smoking for nearly 20 years. >> translator: i completely quit smoking. >> reporter: some teachers at a junior high school, he used to smoke one and a half packs a day. but last december, he developed lung problems. if they got worse, he might die. song started the treatment a month ago. whenever he has an urge to

smoke, he follows his doctor's orders. and that's this. >> translator: this will get rid of my craving. >> reporter: tchinese governmen is also promoting anti-smoking campaigns. high school students here make an appeal not to smoke in public places. they ask people to support the message. >> translator: i'm going to tell my friends they must stop, no matter how hard it is for them. >> reporter: but for smokers like song, they are still a minority in china. most people ignore no smoking signs. you often come across scenes likehis in beijing. >> translator: have you ever thought about quitting smoking? >> translator: never.

>> translator: it's impolite to refuse when friends offer a cigarette. so i just can't quit. >> reporter: smoking is engrained in chinese social life. people even give cigarettes as gifts. there are a lot of luxury brands, but cigarettes are usually cheap. this is one of the most popular cigarette brands in china. you can buy it for about 80 cents. according to the literature, 50% of chinese smokers spend a dollar or less per pack, which is less than one tenth of what new yorkers have to pay. there is warnings on chinese packs are smaller than in other countries. an expert says most chinese now smoking is. >> less than a quarter of the

people were able to accurately identify that smoking was responsible for heart disease, stroke and lung cancer all combined. so there is a lot of work to be done in the field of knowledge. >> reporter: to vast numbers of chinese, lighting up is part of daily life. if the government wants people to quit, it will have to take a more aggressive approach. susumu kojima, nhk world, beijing. some showers in the afternoon in too, but this is not what we're focusing on in weather today. robert speta has the latest on a tropical storm nearing the philippines. robert? >> the tropical storm marwa is what we're watching here in the philippines sea now, moving off towards the north and already flooding and landslide warnings have been issued here across the eastern portions of luzon, extending down toward versailles and some of the steeper elevations. this is where you're highest at risk for mud slides and

landslides and the outer rain bands come on shore. as of now it looks like the forecast track is keeping this storm just off shore before it starts to move off towards the northeast. staying away from the southern japanese islands, but still okinawa is within the cone of air and if you do miss the center of circulation, a lot of the outer rain bands could be affecting, bringing that thunderstorm activity, the high winds, and also heavy surf accompanied by rip currents even off towards the east coast of mainland japan, going into next week. so definitely will continue to watch this. what is causing this churning of the storm off towards the northeast is this area right in here. it is a low pressure area, starting to develop up and already brought heavy rainfall to 99 millimeters in the past 24 hours here in northern amani prefecture and now to the next 24 hours it does look like this whole area will continue to push off towards the northeast, bringing wet weather towards tokyo on your saturday, going into sunday. as that whole area pushes by. and even some high waves along the east coast of the kanto

area, about 3 to 4 meters could be seen before the next system. that's a tropical area, starts to push off towards the northeast, bringing more high waves. looking at temperatures, though, beijing with a high of 28. hong kong, 29. bangkok at 34. let's look farther towards the west, near india, you have been under this extreme heat wave here, it sounds like a broken record. already nearly 100 deaths across this entire area due to the exceptional heat, but good news, in about a week, finally some relief could be on the way. out of the bay of bengal, the southwest monsoon will begin to develop and push off towards northwest, bringing rain showers with it. and hopefully cooling down the atmosphere here. over towards the americas, the big topic has been this low pressure area, already bringing plenty of damaging winds and hail out here. actually in the tail end of this cold front in louisiana, yesterday there was a tree that fell on a house here injuring one person. just goes to show how damaging some of this energy could be. while now going into saturday, the whole front will continue to

push off toward the eastern seaboard, bringing all of the rainfall and severe weather with it. even in southern florida, you are under flood watches down here. tropical moisture gets pulled out of the caribbean and today is the first of june that is the first official day of hurricane season out here in the atlantic. so just goes to show how much the sea surface temperatures are warm here and how much energy will be coming out of the caribbean. looking at temperatures, though, phoenix, high of 44, exceptional heat there. on the other side of the spectrum with winnipeg, only a high of 19, expecting to see some freeze watches going into your overnight hours here. over towards europe, here in eastern europe, a frontal area is continuing to bring widespread rain showers and severe weather into the balkans, while off towards the west, low pressure area is moving on towards the british isles, bringing rain showers, but also a cooldown in the temperatures. london with a high of 19 on your saturday. even madrid, high of 32. but that will be cooling down to at least the 20s with a high of

27 going into your sunday. here's a look at your extended outlook. we'll be back with more news in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us on nhk world. have a great day wherever you are.