welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >> egyptians fear they may see more bloodshed on their streets as supporters of the country's ousted isz lammist president call for nationwide protests after friday prayers. >> south korea proposes working

level talks to reunite families separated by the war. a sign that tensions are easing between the two countries. american film director oliver stone visited japan to offer his perspective on world war ii and the importance of history. egyptians are wrestling with range of emotions as they head into the weekend. some are angry two days after authorities came down hard on supporters of ousted president mohamed morsi leaving more than 600 dead. others are fearful because the same supporters are calling for more demonstrations across the country. new video gives another perspective on the security crackdown. it shows authorities moving in in one of two protest camps in cairo. sky news cameraman michael dean shot the video, he was later

killed that day. >> they started to shoot the people. people that are not even here in the square. >> medical teams struggle with the constant stream of injured people. more than 4,000 were hurt in the security operation. >> members of mohamed morsi's power base, the muslim brotherhood, remain defiant. they're calling for demonstrations across egypt after friday prayers. rallies are expected around various mosques in the capital. leaders with the interim government are maintaining a hardline stance against morsi's supporters. they say the population widely supports the preservation of public order. >> if this peaceful demonstration, the government can't accept that, you have to impose order on the ground. public order is very, very

important. >> officials have warned that security forces will use live ammunition to any group that opposes law and orter. the two koreas are moving closer to resuming talks about reuniting families separated by the korean war. officials have proposed working level negotiations. they have suggested a meeting. the r ne day after south korea's president called on the north to allow family reunions in mid-september. >> translator: i ask north korea to open its heart to allow a reunion of separated families around south korea's thanksgiving day in september. >> the two koreas suspended family reunion talks in september 2010 after ties became strained. last month north korean officials proposed an interkorean meeting on resuming the negotiations.

but the rendezvous did not take place. the two decided instead to focus on jointly reopening the kaesong industrial complex in the north. analysts say north korea will likely respond favorable to the south. the two sides agreed on wednesday to work together to reopen the industrial complex. the united nations secretary general says he's deeply concerned about israel's plan to build new settlements in the occupied territories. ban ki-moon says the settlements could prevent the eventual establishment of a palestinian state. ban arrived in the west bank one day after israeli and palestinian negotiators resumed full-fledged talks. they hadn't sat down together in three years. ban held a joint news conference with palestinian president mahmoud abbas. he said the settlement activity could make a two-state solution impossible. >> i remain deeply troubled.

settlement activity is deepening the palestinian people's mistrust and the seriousness of the israeli side towards achieving peace. >> the settlements are illegal under international law. still, the israeli government has approved the building of nearly 900 homes in occupied east jerusalem. that infuriated palestinian leaders just as they were getting ready for the peace talks to resume. a car bomb has exploded in a suburb of beirut. at least 14 people were killed. more than 200 others wounded. the bomb went off at a stronghold of the shia militant group hezbollah. flames engulfed nearby buildings and cars. a sunni islamic group claimed responsibility for the attack. hezbollah has joined the fight against opposition forces in syria. most opposition fighters are

members of the sunnis in lebanon have responded in clashes with hezbollah. iran's new president is moving forward with plans to patch up relations with the west. members of parliament have approved most of hasan rowhani's nominees for his cabinet. the legislators debated his nominees for four days but approved 18 choices. those who will sit on the cabinet are expected to work towards ending sanctions imposed by western nations over iran's nuclear program. legislators approved mohammad javad zarif as foreign minister. he served as ambassador to the u.n. lawmakers endorsed bijan namdar zanganeh as oil minister despite opposition from hardliners. conservatives dominate parliament and their approval of most of rowhani's choices was seen as the first test of his presidency.

people across japan have spent much of the month reflecting on the past. this week they marked the 68th anniversary of their country's surrender in world war ii. last week they remembered the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki. a prominent american film director went to those cities for the first time to attend the memorials. oliver stone's movies include "platoon," "born on the 4th of july" and "jfk." his recent documentary series has earned him more acclaim. "the untold history of the united states" is a provocative account of american history over the 20th century. during his stay in japan, stone didn't shy away from promoting his views on the importance of memory and the need to look at the past with a critical eye.

nhk's yoichiro talaweih reports. >> reporter: oliver stone has spent a lot of time studying what happened in hiroshima on august 6th, 1945. so when he made his first visit to the city, he timed it to coincide with the annual commemoration of atomic bombing. tens of thousands of people were killed in an instant. 140,000 by the end of the year. [ bell tolling ] stone went to the atomic bomb dome, one of the only buildings left standing on that day. >> can you imagine that moment? how far above the dome did it drop? did it explode? >> reporter: stone built his career on making films that showed the horrors of war.

he's taken a deeper look at past events with his documentary series "the untold history of the united states." he questions a belief held by many americans that the atomic bombings were necessary to end the war. stone met with some bombing survivors to hear their stories. he says, we have much to learn from them. >> we must never forget the past because that is the link. the link to our civilization are our heart. that's why hiroshima is important to me and to the world. >> reporter: stone later went to nagasaki to attend a ceremony marking the bombing of that city. he also visited a museum. the facility focuses on the japanese military action in china and the korean peninsula during world war ii. the director shared impressions

of his trip at an event in tokyo. >> i went to the museum in nagasaki which i'm afraid is a private museum, very small. and it's not properly funded. but it really is a shame that you do not have a museum that is open about the japanese aggression. >> reporter: stone says he wonders why so little attention is paid to japan's actions during the war. compared with the impact of the atomic bombings. he says japanese should question their knowledge and understanding of the past, especially when it comes to world war ii. >> translator: i came to realize that i've been misinterpreting distorted facts as the truth. mr. stone's activities make me understand that i need to study more by myself. i feel this is just the beginning.

>> translator: relations between japan and the united states and other countries are based on history. so i believe it's extremely important for us to take a close look at it. >> without history we become beasts, animals, we have no conscience. history is the only way we have knowledge and we evolve. if we know history, we can evolve to another level of understanding. >> reporter: stone traveled to okinawa before returning to the u.s. the southern prefecture had the largest concentration of american military bases in japan. his quest to show the impact of history on the present continues. japan coast guard officials say chinese patrol ships have again slipped inside japanese territorial waters. they say it happened in the east china sea near the disputed

senkaku islands. territory japan controls but china and taiwan claim. the officials say four chinese coast guard vessels entered the waters friday morning and left after about a couple of hours. later in the day they say the ships were navigating in japan's contiguous zone. they're continuing to monitor the vessels. this is the 40th day this year chinese government ships have entered japanese waters. police in western japan are investigating a series of explosions that ripped through a fireworks festival. the blasts in the city of kyoto left dozens of people injured, some seriously. fire department officials say the explosions occurred shortly before the fireworks display began on thursday evening. tens of thousands of people had gathered along the banks of the yura river. firefighters say 60 people were hospitalized.

they included a 13-year-old boy who suffered serious burns and was unconscious. the explosion damaged several of the 350 stalls at the venue. a witness told investigators he saw fuel spewing out of the tank of a generator at one of the stalls. then he says it ignited and the stall went up in flames. a fire department official said the initial fire was likely caused by gasoline or other fuel. people across japan have been stepping outside this week only to run into a wall of heat. the hot spell has caused more consumers to stay inside and buy their groceries online. the people at one online supermarket say their sales since the beginning of august have almost doubled from the same period a year ago.

managers at summit net center say consumers are buying more drinking water and other beverages and more ice cream. they've had to hire new staff and they've increased the number of daily deliveries to handle the extra orders. the people at major supermarket chains have seen an uptick in their online sales, some by 50%. managers at those chains launched online stores about a decade ago. they targeted elderly customers and mothers with small children but they say the hot weather has prompted more and more people to take advantage of their services. the managers of a hot spot for teen fashion in downtown tokyo are thinking outside the box for a good cause. they're taking popular products from shibuya 109 to northeastern japan to cheer up people who lived through the 2011 disaster. staff opened a temporary store in the city of kamayaiishi. a junior high school girl had written a letter to the owner of

shibuya 109 to say she wanted to liven up her city. 13 shops are taking part in the three-day event. they are selling brands popular among young women. sales staff have come to help out. >> translator: i'm happy they've come all the way from tokyo. we don't often get a chance to shop at a store like this. >> translator: dresses and other items jointly produced by local junior high school students are among the goods being sold. 10% of sales will be donated to charity. officials of the northern japanese city of sapporo are trying to lure tourists from thailand using a unique idea. they have covered a train in the thai capital bangkok with the drawings of a computer-generated young japanese idol. the train painted with the multi-colored images of idol miku created in sapporo will run

for one month on the railway that links the international airport and bangkok. posters are put up in the train for advertising sapporo. the city mayor attended a ceremony held in bangkok on friday. >> translator: i hope miku will make people here want to visit sapporo. >> thai tourists are coming to japan in growing numbers partly due to the weaker yen. the number of those visitors to sapporo tripled in fiscal 2012 from the previous year to more than 27,000. >> translator: i feel like visiting hokkaido. the photos are beautiful. >> beginning last month, tourists from thailand are not required to obtain visas to visit japan. their number is expected to increase even more in the future.

this young teenager is playing a game of cup and ball. but don't be fooled, there's a lot more to this than meets the eye. for a start, the game kendama takes years to master. as for the teen, he's got determination you'll seldom see in a playground. >> reporter: kendama is a traditional japanese toy. but some people take it very seriously. one of them is this 14-year-old. his dynamic routine can be hard for the eye to follow. it seems simple enough. three cups on a spike, a ball, and a string. but the variety of tricks is endless. tensui's already had success on the international stage.

here he is in poland competing in the kendamu section of a juggling competition. tensui took first place in the speed trick category. >> translator: i live for kendama. it's part of my heart, my body and my life. >> his coach says he knew the boy had a special talent from the first time they met. he keeps his knees loose. this flexibility and movement is important to absorb the balls' energy. >> translator: he used his knees well, so i asked him to come to every class. he had potential. >> reporter: a natural talent developed with a lot of hard work. once he sets his mind to learning a trick, there's no stopping him. he'll even give up meals to keep practicing. he's devoted to kendama and there's a reason for that.

tensui was born with heart problems. doctors operated on him many times as a young boy. as a result he was never able to play contact sports. he learned about kendama at age 10. shy and withdrawn there was something about the ancient game that appealed to him immediately. >> translator: mastering many tricks makes me so happy. i feel like i've gained confidence. i feel more alive. >> reporter: today, that confidence drives tensui to compete. he's preparing for competition but he's still got to master some tricky techniques. this is one of them. backflip. stopping on the brim of the cup, the ball has to finish on the

spike. tensui is having trouble with his timing. >> translator: try to swing in a circle like this. >> reporter: he listens to his coach's advice and focuses on getting the kendama as high into the air as he can. the big day has arrived. the competitors must perform 20 tricks in a set order. they have four minutes to complete the routine. the challenge in backflip is trick number 12. sure enough, it is causing tensui trouble and he only has one minute left. on the 14th try he finally spikes it. it's the first time he's successfully performed this

trick in a competition. tensui finishes in ninth place. not as high as he hoped but he's overcome a big hurdle. >> translator: i'm really glad i did it. i was able to give it 100%. >> reporter: tensui is more motivated than ever. he says he'll keep giving 100% until he has spiked his ultimate goal, kendama master of japan. japanese children in tokyo spent part of their summer holiday getting to know dogs trained to help people. hearing dogs guide to those with hearing impairments used a gentle touch. this dog is telling its owner it's time to get up. and it won't take no for an answer. this boy is trying to

communicate with his k-9 companion. the dog is using his paw to let him know there is someone at the door. >> translator: hearing dogs are amazing because they help people. >> there are only 52 such dogs in japan compared to 1,000 trained to help those with visual disabilities. officials at an organization promoting hearing dogs say they want to make more people aware of these animals and connect them with those who need them. there's a storm hovering over the western pacific. meteorologist robert speta has been on that story. robert. >> out here today we have several areas we're continuing to watch. the tropics are very active. it's the middle of august, you typically see that this time of year. a little farther to the east of taiwan another area of cloud cover. this is a separate tropical depression. and the remnants of utor still

dropping heavy rainfall. some rainfall dropping over 200 millimeters of accumulation. the next rainfall in guangdong province, you could see that same amount. over to the north we have this high pressure dominating, unfortunately that's been creating drought conditions. but it looks like this is not going to be providing too much in the form of relief. if anything it will be causing more harm than good. you're talking about flash flooding due to these short-time heavy rains in these very dry and parched areas here just brought in by utor. that's going to continue to weaken out. we see an area of low pressure on the map. also into the forecast here by saturday morning this is no longer a tropical depression, it's a tropical storm likely going to be called trume out here as it continues to develop up. these two areas really look like they're going to start to emerge. you can see them encome paz e passed in this one isobar here. those are going to come together and you're going to have one large area bringing some heavy rainfall all the way from the northwestern portions of the philippines, into taiwan, even

across the southern japanese islands. also kicking up high waves about three to five meters high. don't be surprised to see gale force winds in the next week. really an all around very messy scenario down here towards the south. also messy weather towards the north. talk about northeastern china, southeastern russia and ho chi do, generally 150 millimeters. cause severe weather in china, but also isolated areas with much more rainfall than that. so a risk of flooding there. smack in the middle though high pressure is dominating. take a look at these temperatures. 37 in chongqing, shang high at 34. tokyo getting up into the mid-30s as well. ulaanbaatar, you're one of the coolest spots on the map today, 19 only for the high on saturday. move over towards the americas, really the topic here is this frontal area stretching across the southeast. we also have a disturbance pushing through the plains. that's been bringing rough weather as well. that's going to fizzle out. we have high pressure dominating much in the north today. this front though, that is bringing showers in itself. but we have this low down here towards the south. remember, i said it's the middle of august, tropics really start

to heat up. same case out here in the atlantic. we even have a tropical storm farther off there towards the east off the screen. this one though possibility of that becoming a named tropical system. if it does or if it doesn't though the main threat out of it is going to be heavy rainfall along the gulf coast, northern carolinas into the start of an ex week. look at atlanta with a high of 24, washington, d.c. up into the 20s. really mid to high 20s across the board in much of the great lakes towards the northeast. by next week it's going to look more like denver. we have high pressure working its way in from the west bringing warmer air with it. here in europe the main topic here is the high pressure. that is dominating much of central and eastern europe. some pop-up storms down towards south. a few could provide gusty winds, up to about 65 kilometers per hour. but the other threat is the train of storms off to the north. one low pressure area after another. we have this one here moving over the scandinavian peninsula going to bring showers with it. even this cold front dipping down towards the south. another system's going to come in from the west off the

atlantic, impact the british isles on saturday going into sunday. but really what these are also going to be doing, they're going to usher in cold air. right now, london, you have relatively cooler temperatures, 21 for your high. but in paris and berlin, those temperatures are going to start to work their way east. that's the world weather. here's your extended forecast.

back here in japan, people are doing all they can to keep cool during the sweltering summer days. the operators of a dam in one part of the country are offering some relief. the karobe dam is located high in the als. when the two gates are opened, 15 tons of water gushes out every second. temperatures near the dam are around 25 degrees celsius, relatively cool compared to what people are experiencing elsewhere these days. that's "newsline" for this

hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.

♪ in late may, a mass demoat