welcome to "newsline." it's august 19th. egypt's defense minister said the interim government will severely crack down on what it sees as any terrorist activities. more than 800 people have died in egypt since last wednesday. that's when troops forcibly removed pro-morsi protesters

from the encampments in two cairo squares. he addressed senior military and security officials. he indicated the government will specifically target the muslim brotherhood. he said the government cannot overlook the group's terrorist attacks on government buildings. the government said it has begun an investigation into 240 detained muslim brotherhood members on suspicion of terrorist activities and murder. the group is a support base of ousted president mohamed morsi. on sunday, muslim brotherhood members tried to hold demonstrations in the suburbs of cairo and elsewhere. the state news agency says the demonstrations they were dispersed to avoid clashing with security forces. ejigses living in japan have hold a protest in tokyo against their interim government's violent crackdown on morsi supporters.

about 200 egyptians took part in sunday's rally in front of their embassy in the jape they criticize the the coup that pushed morsi out of office and called for the protection of citizens' legal rights. >> first, first we want to stop killing. this is the first priority, now, to stop killing innocent people. >> i just want human rights to be for everyone. >> they also say the interim government's attacks on pro-morsi protesters are a rejection of the arab spring. japan and the united states are a step closer toward agreeing on a free trade pact. japan's industry minister and trade representatives have worked on concluding the transpacific partnership framework by the end of this year.

they met in tokyo on sunday, ahead of tpp ministerial talks scheduled to open in brunei early this week. they want to conclude the pact before the end of this year. >> translator: japan is making good progress in preparation for the tpp talks. we want to increase cooperation to promote free trade in this region. >> we look forward to working with you on a wide range of issues including the ones that you mentioned. >> japan was a late-comer to the negotiations joining in july as the 12th member. the ministers will meet in brunei on thursday to discuss tariffs and draft rules for copyrights and patents. the deputy foreign ministers of japan and russia are meeting in moscow on monday. they'll discuss ways to resolve the territorial dispute over fewer russian-held islands that are claimed by japan. sugiyama is leading japan's delegation, and morgulov is

representing russia. they want to speed up negotiations by holding a series of meetings in the coming months. japan's prime minister shinzo abe and russia's president vladimir putin agreed in april this year to restart negotiations to settle the dispute in a manner that's acceptable to both sides. at monday's meeting, they are expected to exchange views on how to conduct the upcoming talks. they're also likely to discuss energy cooperation, including oil and gas sectors, as well as economic cooperation for the development of russia's far east and east siberia. north korea says it will accept the south's proposal to allow a reunion next month of families separated since the korean war. the north liaison's office with the south said they will allow a

temporary union in north korea in mid-september. they made an appeal last thursday for the reunions. they suspended them in november 2010 due to strained ties. the north's liaison office also agreed to discuss the reunions at friday's working level talks between the red cross organizations of the two koreas. pyongyang also called on the south to hold working level talks on thursday to discuss the resumption of a suspended tourism project at mount gungi. they discussed procedures for reopening the kaesong joint industrial park. the north shut down the complex in april. china recently introduced tougher rules for renewing visas. japanese companies operating in china say the changes are inconvenient. the chinese government revised its immigration laws last month. officials wa to tackle the problems of illegal labor and people who overstay their visas.

renewal of residential visas will now take 15 business days instead of 5. foreigners must show their passports when they take flights, or stay at hotels in china. but they're not able to travel while their visa renewal applications are being processed as they have to submit their passports. many business people are concerned that they will not be able to travel for about three weeks. some japanese firms in beijing plan to ask the chinese authorities to speed up the renewal process. housing prices in china continue to rise, with prices of new homes increasing in nearly 90% of major cities in july. the national bureau of statistics on sunday released the results of a monthly home price survey. prices in july were higher than those of the previous month in 62 of 70 cities. home prices were up in shanghai by 1.9%. in beijing, by 1.6%. and in the southern city of

guangzhou by 1.1%. the strength in taxation of real estate owners, as official fear discontent may worsen among people having difficulties in buying homes. but the july survey indicates the government's price control measures are not having the desired effect. people who live in many coastal cities have seen storms blow in, then wash away homes, buildings and infrastructure. researchers estimate coastal flooding could cost annual damage of $1 trillion by the year 2050. u.s. and british researchers released a report in the journal said global warming and other factors are leading to higher tides and more flooding. they warned those who live in large cities with expanding economies and growing populations. they said economic losses from water damage could increase from year to year. authorities in some cities have taken precautions, such as

reinforcing em bankments. the researchers said if such measures are not taken, annual damages around the world could reach $1 trillion by the year 2050. they said several cities are particularly vulnerable. annual flood costs in gaung schou china, could hit $13.2 billion. they said damages in mumbai, india, could reach $6.4 billion. residents of new york and other cities along the u.s. east coast were reminded of the dangers in october. hurricane sandy caused blackouts and damage over wide areas, and flooded new york's subway system. brown bears lumber through the wilds of japan. by nature, most shy away from people. but a growing number are now getting too close for comfort.

here is the story. >> reporter: on the peninsula, you have to be aware of the possibility of meeting bears. and they're often huge. this one isn't scared by firecrackers. these days, brown bears are losing their fear toward humans and entering residential areas. brown bears sometimes even break car windows. the local people are starting to be concerned. >> translator: it's scary. we don't allow our children to play outside. >> reporter: last year, the nature foundation had 2,000 reports of bear sightings on the peninsula. many people come to the area

around the lakes, including visitors from abroad. this mother and cub were spotted close to the side of the road. they showed no aversion to people. >> translator: don't get out. >> reporter: scouts from the foundation were encouraged not to approach the bears. eventually the bears retreat into the thick for esht. in the past, major campaigns were conducted each year in hokkaido. bears were hunted to deter them from attacking people. financial incentives were offered for killing bears. and the number of hunters gru. by the 1980s, there were concerns that the bears might be extinct. so the campaigns were ended. now, some 20 years later, there

is an entire generation of bears that have no memory of being hunted. they have lost their fear. at the same time, tourists are not aware of the risks. the people in this photo could easily have been attacked, if the mother of the cub had been nearby. >> translator: people are not aware of the danger. it's a major concern. >> reporter: a growing number of tourists are even feeding the bears. >> translator: don't give them food. >> reporter: if bears get used to human food, they may come looking for it where people are staying. for the same reason, food should not be left lying around. it needs to be disposed of properly. this town has launched a

campaign warning people not to feed the bears. a garbage disposal bin that bears can't get into has been evoked. the sides are covered with steel, 2.2 millimeters thick, and has handles that only humans can open. the legs are buried in thick concrete. a brown bear weighing over 200 kilograms was unable to get inside in a trial at a zoo. it coast tuuldn't turn it over . >> translator: we cannot change animals' behavior, so our humans have to change our own behavior and our systems. >> reporter: bears and humans, in hokkaido, people are now finding they will have to make some changes so they can co-exist. nhk world.

a volcano has erupted in southwestern japan. the smoke has reached a height of 5,000 meters. weather officials say the volcano erupted at 4:31 on sunday. large rocks spewed from its mouth. visibility in the city became poor before 5:00 p.m. due to falling ash. drivers had to turn on their headlights. officials are calling on farmers and public transport to prepare for more ash from the eruption. >> translator: my eyes are hurting. the sky became dark with volcanic ash. >> it's been active in recent years. the officials say there are no signs of major volcanic activity at present, but they're still urging caution. the government said institutions around the world

are lending a hand as myanmar moves toward democracy. people in japan are trying to help by exporting what they know about delivering the mail. the people at japan post pride themselves on being efficient. they use the latest sorting machines and seven-digit postal codes to deliver letters and parcells to where they're supposed to go. those in myanmar do so by hand. there are relatively few mailboxes and many complain the system is inefficient. so officials with japan's communications ministry and japan post are meeting with their counterparts at myanmar post and telecommunications. the japanese plan to send experts in hopes of improving the system there. they're hoping to provide similar support to the postal systems in vietnam, and sri lanka. they've made exporting a strategy for growth sgrmplgts a japanese computer security group

said about 4,100 websites at japanese government were hacked during the first seven months of this year. it's a record, and more than double the figure for 2012. the japan computer and emergency response team, or jp sert coordination center warns many of the computers accessing the sites were infected by malware. it steals passwords for net banking and net shopping. vulnerability increases when computer software is not updated. >> translator: i enter the command that they check their sites regularly for tampering. >> he also urges users to update their software. japanese people appear to be drinking more beer with higher price tags this summer. as the heat climbs, in hope for economic recovery grows, more people are buying imported beer, or microbrewery beer.

one santa maria market chain in tokyo said sales of mirk brews in july increased by 30% year on year. sales of other types of beer were relatively constant. >> translator: i used to buy cans of low malt beer, or cheap ones from the private breweries. recently i'm going for more expensive beers. >> a can of microbur ri beer costs between $3 and $4. more than double the price of regular beer. one department store reports growing sales of imported beers. these are two to three times more expensive than japanese brews. store officials say imported beer sales in july were up about 30% from a year earlier. many young people, young women around the world aspire to become top models. some in russia are seeing their

catwalk dreams turn into reality. the fashion industry there is growing. and doors are opening. nhk world reports from vad i vas tok. >> reporter: on the catwalk in russia. the first time vladivostok has an event of this kind. people gather to see the show. the idea is to give the region an image that is more fashionable, and appealing to young people. there are visitors from near and far. >> i'm very, very impressed, and amazing amount of fantastic models. >> reporter: more women are

becoming fashion conscious. and demand for models has soared. there are over 1,000 agencies in russia now, with more than 100,000 models on their books. she is an aspiring model. >> translator: my dream is to conquer the greatest cat walks around the world. i hope it comes through. >> reporter: she is now a student at the university in vladivostok. since signing up with a model agency, she has slowly been getting jobs. and was even featured on the cover of a local magazine. even away from home, living away from home isn't easy. she has a part-time job as a babysitter thee days a week.

she shares a small apartment with a friend. the rent is about $500 per month. as a model, she knows she has to watch what she eats, both for quality and quantity. she says the key thing is to live an orderly lifestyle. >> translator: first of all, you have to be very patient. it may look as though modeling is very easy. just striking poses. but it's not easy at all. >> reporter: she's training for an upcoming competition to give way to a modeling career. she has been billed as one of only 15 contestants from russia and three other countries. if she does well, this could open up opportunities abroad. she's taking classes to tone up her body. so that she can project a strong, healthy image onstage. the day of the competition

arrives. daria leaves the way down the catwalk. the contestants have to model in swimwear and other outfits. they are judged on appearance and posture and whether they have the aura of a model. the grand prix is announced. >> woo! >> reporter: darya has won the top prize. it's a scholarship to a top modeling school in new york, starting this fall. >> translator: i'm overwhelmed. it's wonderful and amazing. i am so happy. i hope that go to study in new york will lead to many opportunities to model, not just in russia, but in europe, and of course, in asia.

>> reporter: for darya, the door has opened to become a top model. the world will now be her catwalk. nhk world, vladivostok. a university robot contest was held on sunday in the central vietnamese city of danang. it is sponsored by the asia-pacific broadcasting union. 19 university teams from 18 countries and territories took part. they competed for technical knowledge and unique ideas, with their handmade robots. the theme for this year was a green planet. each team entered two robots. one is automated and the other is manually operated. the participants competed for speed in completing two actions. one was to accurately place a cylinder at a designated location, and another was to throw a model of a sapling into

the air and drop it on a 150-centimeter-high platform. the two finalists were japan and vietnam. amid loud cheers for both teams, the institute of technology from japan won the contest by speed. >> translator: i'm so excited to see so many great robots from asia. since i was in elementary school, my target was to reach the top. so i feel great now. >> it was the first time in eight years for a japanese team to win the contest. time now for a check on the weather with mai. good morning. it seems people in parts of northern japan are dealing with heavy rain and flooding. what's the latest there? >> hellothere, catherine. we're going to be seeing fine and clear, another hot day across much of western and central japan. but northern japan is a different story. an active frontal system created

rain in hokkaido. let me show you a picture coming up from there. this is from yesterday, hokkaido, about 110 millimeters of rain was reported in an hour. roads were inundated causing traffic disruptions. a train derailed due to land slides. floodwaters quickly swamped homes and dozens of residents were advised to evacuate. now, taking back to the satellite picture, the frontal system is actually descending down to the south. it is actually in fact switching all the way into the aleutian islands. it's a very long frontal system. now targeting the tohoku region with heavy rain, as well as thunderstorms to be widely spread across the area. we're not going to be ruling out the possibility that this ecould spawn some tornadic activity as well. now towards the south, we're monitoring a tropical storm. it's actually up here. it's making erratic moflt. it went all the way down to the south from the north.

now going to be moving into the taiwan, southern china region. as it does so, due to the sea surface temperature being quite warm, it's actually record high since 1985. and this is going to be feeding the system, exacerbating the situation between okinawa, taiwan and southern china in the next 72 hours. it's also enhancing the southwestern monsoonal flow. western luzon will be brought some torrential amounts of rain, about 200 millimeters on top of the very well saturated area. so flooding is going to be a huge concern. we're also looking at another tropical storm system, it's actually a depression as of now. but this is bringing heavy rain across the eastern china already. so this is another area we're looking at flooding, as well as this. this is a remnant low of utor, which was a tropical system before. it's lingering here. that will be creating the risk -- a high risk and potential for further flooding where the situation is not

alleviated yet. where we really want that precipitation, we're not going to get enough to ease that extreme drought condition. shanghai, 32. we're looking at kyoto at 37 degrees. western japan, southern korea as well as eastern china, we're seeing heat advisories and warnings posted for today as well. tokyo getting up to 34 degrees. now, to the americas. the focus of the heavy rain will be here in the southeastern corner of the united states. the ample moisture from the gulf of mexico supplying to this boundary, we'll look at thunderstorms here popping up as well. another chance of flash floods again in the monsoonal showers, which is very active across the four corners region. we really want that precipitation here in northern california, out into idaho, where that wildfire is still not contained yet. we currently have six wildfires in the interior northern california. that's not going to be easing any kind of situation into the near future with no

precipitation in the forecast. boston's reaching up to 30 degrees, with plenty of sunshine. that's well above the average. d.c. at 26 degrees. i'll leave you now with the extended forecast.

one more story we'd like to share with you before we go. a vintage train has traveled across guma prefecture north of tokyo to mark the 85th anniversary of the founding of the railway company. the electric car was produced in 1928. the vehicle was used at the company's main model until the early 1980s. many people, including train enthusiasts, came to the station where the special trip started on sunday. passengers on the train enjoyed the nostalgic feel of the interior, including wooden window frames and armrests. >> translator: i think it's good that this train was built using wood. >> translator: it's fun to ride this train. >> translator: i really like this retro inspired train.

>>. that is all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. 

- coming up, thinking rationally and behaving ethically. - i think of myself as like a social engineer. people have lots of interests. my interest is the things that we do wrong that we should fix. - duke professor dan ariely discusses behavioral economics, and what beer and vinegar have to do with the israeli-palestinian conflict. that's just ahead on "global ethics forum." - as one of the world's leading behavioral economists, dan ariely has taken direct aim at conventional economic theory. he argues not only that our decisions are often irrational, but that they are predictably irrational. dan ariely is the james b. duke professor of psychology and behavioral economy at duke university. he has not one but two ph.ds under his belt, and is the author of two "new york times" bestsellers,