caught in the crossfire. government and opposition forces in syria show little sign of letting up in the fighting with civilians trapped in between. welcome to nhk world "newsline." troops on both sides of the civil war in syria have shown little regard for united nations' cease-fire. government and opposition forces are now engaged in battles across the country. and the opposition may be taking the fight to the capital damascus. the heaviest fighting is taking place in an area that's seen a lot of it the past year, the central city of homs.

the opposition-free syrian army has reportedly fought off government forces and taken control of a main transportation route from the north. the rebels are said to be heading to damascus. government troops are carrying out air strikes using helicopter gun ships and planting land mines along roads leading to the capital to block the advance of opposition forces. human rights activists say at least 130 people have been killed over the past two days. european union officials have sent repeated warnings to president bashar al assad with little effect. so they've decided to impose additional export bans. the latest sanctions include cars, jewelry and other luxury items. they'll also prohibit the export of chemicals that could be used for producing weapons. eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton said the bans target those responsible for the crackdown. eu officials had already stopped all oil imports from syria.

they've imposed sanctions on assad and more than 170 persons and organizations. they've frozen financial assets and banned travel to europe. north korea's official newspaper is urging south koreans to replace their president. former leaders of the two countries signed a statement 12 years ago aimed at improving relations. the workers party newspaper published an editorial marking the anniversary. the editorial says the re-election of south korean president lee myung-bak in december would lead to the end of inter-korean ties and all-out war. officials in pyongyang would like to see a more conciliatory government. they want to revive food aid and economic cooperation. myanmar is trying to show the world it's taking steps to to bring violence under control. patchari raksawong is in bangkok

with more. >> the world has been closely watching myanmar since the transition began early last year. recent clashes present buddhists and muslims has clouded the path. thousands still need shelter and food and medicine. the violence killed 29 people as of thursday and displaced more than 30,000 according to reuters quoting a government official. many houses were burnt down leaving people with nowhere to live and needing vital supplies. >> translator: the main problems here are rice, drinking water and medicines. >> myanmar's government seems keen to show the world it's trying to stabilize the situation. state-run mrtv on thursday showed 29 men arrested in connection with rioting in rakhine.

the president thein sein declared a state of emergency in the province. during a visit to the philippines mian mar's foreign minister said on friday the provincial capital was calm. >> back to normal. we're taking care of everything. >> while officials sound positive, reuters reported a day earlier that many muslims were attempting to flee by boat to bangladesh, but they were refused permission to land. turning now to afghanistan, a conference to discuss reconstruction assistance to the war-torn country will take place in tokyo next month. it will be at least the second conference on support for afghan in less than one month. calls are growing for participating nations to hammer out details of their contributions ahead of the meeting. from kabul, nhk world's hideki yui reports.

>> reporter: foreign ministers and other representatives from 14 countries neighboring afghanistan met in kabul on thursday. they discussed ways to deepen cooperation and improve security in afghanistan. japan was present as observer. it will host an international conference on aid for afghanistan in tokyo in july. a japanese senior vice foreign minister asked participating nations to present specific terms of financial aid when they meet in tokyo. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon is also expected to attend. he will apparently ask party speaking nations to make concrete pledges of support to afghanistan. the afghan government says it needs $5 billion a year for development and reconstruction after 2015. but the international community has called for a close examination of that estimate.

>> translator: japan will consult with the international community to evaluate this estimate and come up with specific sums that would be agreeable to all parties. >> reporter: japan plans to seek help from the world bank to finalize the total contribution, but with many nations facing financial difficulties of their own, there's uncertainty over the size of the checks afghanistan can expect to receive. hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. >> that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. police have arrested the last fugitive wanted in connection with the gas attack on the tokyo subway. members of the aum shinrikyu cult killed 13 people in 1995 when they released nerve gas on several trains. police caught katsuya takahashi

and ended a manhunt that lasted 17 years. nhk world's daisuke azuma reports. >> reporter: this is where police finally caught up with katsuya takahashi. it's a comic book cafe in central tokyo. many have gathered around the entrance. passersby had also joined the crowd. everyone wants to see where takahashi's run as a fugitive came to an end. >> translator: i didn't expect takahashi to be arrested so close to where i live. >> translator: i feel like i've just witnessed a historic event. >> reporter: a cafe employee tipped off investigators. he called the police around 8:30 to tell them one of the customers looked like takahashi. police rushed to the cafe and stopped the man as he was about to leave. he told them his name was katsuya takahashi.

officials informed him he was responsible for serious crimes. takahashi simply nodded, and then they take him away. daisuke azuma, nhk world, tokyo. >> investigators say takahashi told them he acted under orders from senior members of the cult. he said he was not fully aware of what he was participating in. takahashi belonged to a group of bodyguards. they protected au shinrikyo founder shoko asahara. asahara is facing a death sentence for his crimes. cult members released the nerve gas on several trains in march 1995. along with the 13 dead, 6,300 others became sick. investigators say takahashi respect helped by driving one of the perpetrators to and from a subway station. police also wanted him in connection with the crime the cult committed a month before the attack. members abducted and murdered a

chief clerk at a notary office. in addition, investigators suspect takahashi was involved in manufacturing the explosives used in a mail bomb addressed to the tokyo governor that same year. the explosion seriously wounded one employee. and police believe takahashi directed cult members in the killing of a man in osaka who had been critical of the cult. they used toxic vx gas. investigators say takahashi moved into an apartment near tokyo in 1996 with fellow cult member naoko kikuchi, but they moved apart. police arrested her earlier this month. they say the news prompted takahashi to flee the apartment he was renting in kawasaki city near tokyo. investigators released several recent photos of takahashi. one showed him withdrawing about $30,000 in cash the day after kikuchi's arrest. police across japan joined in the search. they released regular updates on his whereabouts hoping someone

might give them a tip. japanese author kenzaburo oe has criticized nuclear power in his writing and in speeches. the nobel prize-winning novelist is urging the government to abandon it altogether. oe and two academics submitted a petition to the cabinet. more than 6 million people across the country signed the document. oe said he opposes the plan to restart two reactors at the ohi nuclear plant in fukui prefecture. the plant would be the first to resume operations since the last commercial reactor still running was shut down last month. oe said the accident last year at fukushima daiichi has shown people and nuclear plants cannot co-exist. >> translator: i believe the only way to preserve human life is to completely turn away from nuclear power. >> oe and his fellow campaigners

plan to hold an anti-nuclear rally next month in tokyo. when last year's massive earthquake hit east japan, many houses suffered great damage due to liquefaction. the softening of soil was especially serious in residential areas built on landfill. the city is now encouraging construction companies to come up with new approaches to make sure the land they build their houses on will not liquefy. >> reporter: recently urayasu city set aside some land as a testing site for nine companies to come up with affordable ways to prevent liquefaction. one large construction company has developed a method using logs. the eight-meter logs of cedar or japanese cypress are embedded into the ground vertically. this is how they work. liquefaction generally occurs in sandy soil that's become waterlogged.

usually sand forms tight clumps, but when it's shaken, the grains separate. pounding the logs into the ground increases the pressure on the surrounding soil. embedding many logs into the ground makes that area firmer. tests indicate the logs make the soil hard enough to prevent liquefaction when shaken. even in waterlogged soil, the logs resist decay. the company says costs can be kept down by using tree thinnings from forests. >> translator: right now nowhere else in the world is using logs as a way to prevent liquefaction. we're continuing to look at ways to make this more affordable. >> another major company has a different approach to prevent the ground liquefying under the houses it builds. this method involves the use of steel plates.

the plates of solid steel are pounded into the ground on four sides of the house. when soil liquefaction occurs, mud oozes out causing the earth causing houses to tilt. the house surrounded by the steel plates does not tilt because the plates protect the soil. here models are being tested. the house at the front is the one with the steel plates. the house at the back tilts to one side. but the one in front with the extra reinforcement remains unaffected. this technique has already been used with success to protect commercial oil storage tanks. to reduce costs when building houses, the company plans to use plates that are thinner but reinforced. >> translator: this approach is being developed for customers buying new homes. but in the next year or two, we plan to introduce a method that can be used to prevent liquefaction affecting existing homes.

>> the next step for the companies is to test their houses on a large vibration platform. they are hoping to start putting their methods into practice from next april. there are signs the economy is getting better but the bank of japan decided to play is safe. board members came out with their decision after meeting for two days. they voted unanimously to maintain their current policy. they said japan is showing clear signs of recovery. they say it's being helped along by demand to rebuild from the disaster last year. but they said they are worried about europe. they pointed to the latest threats and the debt crisis there. they are concerned about the bailout of spanish banks and

they fear greek voters will reject parties favoring austerity this weekend. governor shirakawa and his colleagues said they will do whatever they need to do to protect japanese banks. >> tralator: the bank of japan will maintain an appropriate monetary easing policy. we will keep an eye on the international capital market, and we'll take proper steps so our country's financial system will not be threatened. >> shirakawa said bankers remain in contact to ensure stability. for analysis on the bank of japan's policy decision, ron madison spoke with the economics professor and a former boj policy board member. >> some market players were probably expecting some kind of move by the boj, but that didn't happen today. were you surprised at all?

>> no surprise. i think it was widely expected. there was no market reaction. i think for two reasons. one is as you have just stated from the statement on monetary policy, the economic conditions in japan have been fairly firm. and i expect it to improve farther, although the speed of improvement may be slow. and also, people expect some kind of easing action in the next meeting in july because in july the bank of japan conducts an interim review of its economic outlook. and if there's forecast rate of change in the core cpi, and less than 1% goal, some kind of action is called for. in addition, this time, i think two new policy board members likely to participate in the

meeting from july, and their views on prices are very cautious compared to the current members of the board. i think the forecast rate of change i to be revised downwards. so even from this point of view, some kind of action is expected in the july meeting. >> okay. now, the bank did mention in its statement today that it is seeing some clear signs that the economy is picking up. but we really can't ignore the external risks, including what's going on in europe right now and as well as the weekend re-elections coming up in greece. what do you think of the outcome of the elections as well as what's going on in greece will impact boj policy? >> i don't know what is going to happen next week, but if the market becomes unstable, especially in the foreign exchange market, then the minister of finance may decide to intervene in the market. then the bank of japan won't have any other choice but to increase the amount of purchase of long-term government bonds in

the asset purchase program as a sign of cooperation with the minister of finance. i think this kind of coordinated action between the bank of japan and minister of finance is going to affect the foreign exchange market, i hope. >> and i know you have a very unique position having been a former boj board member. if you were on the board today, what would you be advising them to do? >> today? >> today. >> no action. >> no action. very good to get your insight on this. thanks for being with us. delegates from around the world are heading to brazil to talk about some challenges that affect everyone. the u.n.'s rio plus 20 conference on sustainable development starts next week in rio de janeiro. chinese delegates are among those trying to balance economic growth with environmental concerns. nhk world's susumu kojima takes us to a place where a tourism boom is threatening an important natural resource.

>> reporter: one of the most popular tourist destinations in china is lijiang in yunan province. this asian town dating back some 800 years is now a unesco world heritage site. another popular tourist site is a nature reserve about ten kilometers from lijiang. it's an important habitat with more than 70 species of birds. it is now listed under the convention for conserving wetlands. recently it's become popular with city people keen for a break from the pressures of life. >> translator: when i am here, i feel free from all the stress from my work and life. >> reporter: but there is growing concern about the rapid increase in the number of visitors.

chen set up an ngo nearly ten years ago to protect the environment around the site. chen is worried that the huge amount of garbage left by the tourists is affecting the lake's water quality. local restaurants are also dumping their garbage. plastic bottles, paper and leftover food are strewn all over the place. >> you see this glass? they also drink liquors. these things, this trash, they flow down to the lake and it's also done harm to the birds. >> reporter: garbage is not the only concern. horse riding has become very popular around the lake. the local people now have over 3,000 horses for the tourists.

ten years ago, there were none. the problem is the horse dung. >> this water used to be a drinking water resource of the whole town. and also for people here. they can also drink this water. but now it is degradaded. >> reporter: although tourism is the cause of the problem, it is an important source of income for the local people. mu started horse riding tours five years ago. as a farmer, he earned only about $300 a year. he now makes more than 20 times that much. thanks to his new wealth, he's building a new house. mu says he will never go back to farming. >> translator: now we have food and extra money. >> reporter: for the local

people, the priority is improving their living standard. they are not aware of the impact on the environment. so last october, chen began visiting local schools to teach the children and their parents what they can do to help. mu was there with his son. chen explains that some of the garbage can be recycled. he also tells them that horse manure is a useful resource. it can be fermented to produce bio gas which can be used as fuel. >> translator: i'm going to stop throwing out garbage. >> translator: i'm going to take better care of our environment. >> it takes time. we don't want to be in a hurry. so gradually, the host society, the change in a host society can happen.

>> reporter: chen realizes that education is the key. he can't stop people earning money from tourism. he just hopes he can slowly get the word out to protect the wetland. susumu kojima, nhk world, lijiang, china. for an update on the weather forecast, here's mai shoji. >> let me start off with something that is, as we speak, strengthening over here. this is south of guatemala. tropical storm carlotta. it's packing wind speed of 110 kilometers per hour. already hurricane warnings are posted here in eastern acapulco. east of acapulco, i should say. it is intensifying and looks like it's going to turn into a hurricane status. as a hurricane status maintaining its intensity, it looks like it will be grazing or making barely -- barely making

landfall here in the east of acapulco, southern coast of mexico. already some people in the vicinities are feeling this swelling of the ocean and rough sea conditions. some high waves as well. now this storm -- tropical cyclone is going to be making -- downgrading as it makes landfall. however, lingering here for a while longer. so the accumulation could be as much as 300 millimeters with rainfall. that's enough to create some potential flooding. so that's going to be at very high risk there. now let's move over to the asian continent. yes, we do have another tropical cyclone here over the water. this is intensifying as well. by saturday, perhaps morning local time east of the philippines, looks like this is going to be intensifying into a typhoon and then a very strong typhoon by monday over perhaps the okinawan islands of japan. this is going to be bringing

some torrential rainfall and wind gusts are reaching 162 kilometers per hour right now. this is severe tropical storm guchol. looks like it will be tracking this way f the next five days which is very bad news because we have a stationary front that is just lingering over the waters, stretching across southeastern china, taiwan. and then in towards japan. now already the system will be bringing torrential rainfall in the next 24 hours. especially in shikoku regions. the accumulations could be 300 millimeters in some areas. up to 180 millimeters in the southern kyushu region as well. now into saturday evening is this but during the weekend it will be moving towards eastern japan. some of these very heavy rainfall could be short time heavy rain. we are talking about 70 millimeters in just an hour

span. so do watch out for that. and thunderstorms could get severe. tornadic activities cannot be ruled out. taking a look at your temperatures. tokyo at 21 degrees on our saturday. dipping down from 25 we had today. but reaching up to 28 for your sunday. so do keep that in mind. heading over to the european continent, you can see that over the british isles, that's going to be bringing messy conditions. very windy and wet. accumulation could be 60 millimeters in the worst-hit areas. expected in ireland, england as well as wales. now across much of the -- elsewhere here in the european continent, looking very clear. vienna up to 30 degrees. that's really hot. and take a look at ankara, 33 degrees. well above average. here's your extended forecast.

we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo. on behalf of our news team here, thanks very much for joining us

on nhk world. have a great day wherever you are.