hello there. welcome to "newsline." it's friday, august 23rd. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. authorities in egypt have released former president hosni mubarak from prison, but he's not free. the authorities moved him to a military hospital and put him under house arrest. a helicopter believed to be carrying mubarak left the jail in cairo then flew to the hospital. he's 85 years old and has spent

the last two behind bars. but a court rule head could no longer legally be held. mubarak still faces charges of suppressing anti-government rallies and ordering the killing of demonstrators during the arab spring protests. those demonstrations led to his removal after 30 years in power. mubarak is also charged with receiving jewelry and other gifts from state-owned media. militants in lebanon have fired four rockets into israel. the attack set off air raid sirens and startled residents but no ones with hurt. two of the rockets struck communities in northern israel, damaging buildings and vehicles. an anti-missile defense system destroyed another rocket. the fourth fell outside israeli territory. there was no immediate claim of responsibility. israeli military officials said the attack was probably carried out by an islamist extremist group but not hezbollah. southern lebanon is a hezbollah

stronghold and there have been long been tensions along the border. earlier this month four israeli soldiers were wounded in an explosion in the area. a former star in the chinese communist party is fighting for his future. the trial of bo xilai is under way. the disgraced politician was once tipped for top leadership. now she's facing charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. day one of the trial unfolded thursday in jinan. access is limited but video was shown online something experts say is an unusual move. a court spokesperson read out the indictment to journalists. the spokesman said that bo took bribes from ult iple companies. he denies that. bo is also charged with using his power to obstruct investigations into a murder committed by his wife. last year a court found her

guilty of conspiring with an aid to poison a british businessman and sent her to jail. bo is one of china's so-called princelings or children of senior party officials mep was mayor and party secretary in the mega city of chongqing. party leaders expelled bo last september after the scandals involving him and his wife came to light. this trial is attracting attention in china and around the world, and it's not just because bo was once a rising star. nhk world is covering the case. >> reporter: bo xilai's trial is unusual for a number of reasons. foreign media are not allowed in the courtroom but chinese government officials are trying to keep them informed. they are posting updates on the social networking site and the court's media officer is giving briefings. >> translator: the court hearing was based on the principles of

judicial openness and everybody being treated equally before the law and strictly following legal procedures. >> reporter: chinese leaders are trying to make the proceedings seem more transparent because they want to dispel the notion that the trial is a sign of political conflict. bo xilai was popular among ordinary citizens before his fall from grace. and some people still support him. about 40 of his backers scuffled with police outside the court. i find it surprising that bo is still maintaining his innocence given how trials of this nature have gone in the past. and it's also surprising that the court is reporting his charges to the public in detail. chinese leaders are trying to win favor by being open and giving information on the case,

but the trial could end up boosting support for the defendant. this case may get more complicated as it goes on. reporting for nhk world, jinan, china. the operator of the fukushima daiichi power plant is struggling to stop radioactive water from leaking into the sea. tokyo electric power company has started pumping out highly contaminated water built up inside an underground tunnel. the tunnel is about 60 meters from the sea near a building housing the number two reactor turbine. tepco estimates the tunnel contains 210 tons of contaminated water. after the water's pumped out, it would be filtered to lower radiation levels. it will then be stored inside steel tanks. tepco has known about the tunnel water since immediately after the nuclear accident in march 2011. representatives say they only recently realized the water is leaking. tepco must also pump out an

estimated 15,000 tons of highly radioactive water from all underground tunnels, but the utility doesn't know when the working be completed. a court in thailand has convicted two iranian men in connection with a failed bomb plot in february of last year. officials from thailand and israel say the iranian men intended to attack israel diplomats, although iran has denied that. a thai court on thursday sentenced a 39-year-old man to life in prison. he was charged with attempting to murder a police officer and possessing explosives which damaged property and injured several civilians. the court sentenced a 43-year-old mohammed karzai to 15 years for possessing explosives. they were detained after a cache of home made explosives blew apart their villa. the men denied knowing there were explosives inside the house. one of the iranians lost his

legs from another blast that detonated in the street near police officers who were chasing him. the explosives were similar to sticky bombs used in failed attacks against israeli diplomats in india and georgia just one day earlier. thai security authorities have been investigating whether the incidents are connected. a u.n. envoy to myanmar says the government needs to do more to tackle sectarian violence. thomas kintana comment afford his car was attacked visiting a troubled area of the country. the human rights envoy spent ten days in myanmar. he told reporters the government must protect minorities. >> the police and army need to take charge of security, although there are concerns that the police and army are addressing, i must highlight the obligation of the government of

myanmar to act immediately to control violent mobs running wild in communities and protect all people regardless of the religion or ethnicity. >> quintana visited a refugee camp last week to investigate clashes between buddhists and muslims. the violence has killed at least 192 people and displaced 140,000, mostly muslims. quintana also visited a town that was the site of more violence in march. he says his car was surrounded by an angry mob of around 200 people banging and kicking the vehicle. he says security forces failed to step in, adding that the incident helped him understand the fear felt by victims of the violence. the government on thursday rejected the envoy's allegations saying he was well protected. emerging economic powers still struggling with poverty.

emboldened citizens still demanding democracy. the threat of violence, the push for peace, the shadow of conflict. get news and insight on south and southeast asia every weekday "live from bangkok" only on nhk "newsline." tokyo is hosting an international conference on intellectual and developmental disabilities. people with these conditions require various types of special support. the participants are discussing the challenges in providing such assistance. nhk world's midst uky nishikawa has this story. >> reporter: this boy was born with down syndrome. he opened the conference of the international association for the scientific study of intellectual and developmental disabilities. the meeting is held every four

years. 500 people from more than 30 countries and regions are attending the biggest conference so far. the president of the association is stressing the need to share information among researchers, scientists and caregivers. >> may we all, through our relationships and encounters at all levels be generous as we share our wisdom, skills and hope. let us continue to work together with wisdom and intelligence. let us continue to combat pain and all that prevents people from realizing their potential. >> reporter: economic levels as well as cultural and historical backgrounds often affect each country's support measures, but the participants are here to share their own experiences, to come up with diverse ways and ideas to solve problems to better assist individuals, their families and communities.

this professor from south korea says his country is promoting special primary education for children with intellectual disorders. they are encouraged to study in regular classes. he thinks this approach should be applied to higher levels of education as well. >> it should also be pointed out that the lack of opportunities for students with special needs result in a small percentage of students continuing their education past elementary school. >> reporter: education is not the only field to face challenges. high on the agenda is the need for new therapy for specific disorders like autism and down syndrome. people also need to think about how to structure a community that has suitable care and support systems. researchers also made

presentations using posters. they explained their various efforts to better deal with chronic disorders, to give effective education and training and to improve quality of life. >> autism spectrum disorder is a very important progressive disorder, and it has very significant influence to children. so if we could find it as early as possible, yeah, that will give better future to that children. >> reporter: an expert from croatia explained how people with autism can play a greater role in society. >> in my country, croatia, europe like in whole europe and i see here also is the process of institutionalization now. it means that we want people who spend whole life in institution integrate in the community.

>> reporter: the representatives agreed that the conference can help to change the status quo for the better. different nations adopt their own approaches for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. but no country has a sufficient support system. japan is no exception. for example, people in this country continue to hear reports of bullying or abuse of intellectually challenged children. it's the hope of organizers of these three-day discussions that all participants will take what they learn back home to protect lives and rights of people with mental disabilities. mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world, tokyo. japan's fisheries agency has proposed reducing catches of pacific bluefin tuna from 2015 to control tuna resources.

the agency presented the plan to about 350 fishermen from across japan. the agency's deputy director general masanori miyahara says the survey shows pacific bluefin catch fell to a record low in the 1980s. it rose dramatically in the mid 1990s but has since fallen again and is now close to the record low of 18,000 tons. miyahara warned the catch could decline further if fishing continues at the current rate. he says the agency will spend the year studying ways to reduce the catch before implementing the plan. >> translator: i'm very worried how it will affect our business. >> translator: i support the fisheries agency's plan to establish stricter control. >> the initiative comes amid growing international calls for stricter control of bluefin tuna resources. the agency will present its plan at an international conference next month. all trading was temporarily

halted on the nasdaq stock exchange due to technical glitches. the bors's operator nasdaq group announced that all traffic stopped shortly after midday on thursday. trading resumed three hours later. the operator blames the halt on problems with stock trading information. leading u.s. companies listed on the nasdaq include apple, ghoulle, facebook and other i.t. firms. the nasdaq also experienced a system problem in may last year when facebook was initially traded on the exchange. now let's take a look at the market figures.

ballet dancers push their bodies to the limit, twirling and leaping across the stage. the physical demands force most of them to retire in their 30s, but japanese ballerina yoko morishita is still at it at the age of 64. keiko kitagawa has her story. ♪

>> reporter: yoko morishita is the driving force of japanese ballet. more than three decades of becoming the first japanese to perform at the paris opera prima ballerina more than 30 as times a year. her entire life is centered on ballet and her daily five-hour class. when you're practicing, is there something you try to keep in mind, a motto, so to speak? >> translator: if there's something i'm not satisfied with, the next day i try to approach it differently. i take each day with a fresh start like a first grader at elementary school. >> reporter: morishita was born in hiroshima in 1948. she was a sickly child. her doctor recommended exercise at the age of 3, so she began

studying ballet. her decision to become a professional dancer came when she was 12. she moved to tokyo by herself and enrolled in a famous ballet school. day in and day out, she underwent rigorous training. the big turning point in her life came at the age of 25. morishita became the first japanese to win the top prize at the prestigious varna ballet competition in bulgaria. this marked the beginning of her international career. she shared the stage with some of the world's best known dancers including rudolph nureyev. a great part of the motivation came from her family's experience of the atomic bombing of hiroshima three years before she was born. her mother and grandmother were both exposed to radiation when the bomb was dropped over the city.

earlier this month, morishita participated in a symposium marking the 68th anniversary of the atomic bombing. she spoke about her grandmother's experience. >> translator: it was terrible. her face, her hand, everything was burnt by the explosion. her hand was stuck together like this, and she could only use her thumb, but she was able to could the washing, everything. she was a very bright and cheerful person, and we, her grandchildren, never heard her complain even once about what the bomb did to her body. >> reporter: she says her grandmother's positive attitude had a strong influence on her career. >> translator: i felt that i should continue dancing with a prayer for peace always in my heart. i learned this from my grandmother and my mother and the horror of the atomic bomb.

>> reporter: this same spirit led her to perform again after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011. she invited victims of the disaster to attend her performances. she hoped to encourage them and to contribute to the recovery effort. >> translator: don't you think we should all join hands together and move toward rebuilding the region? the important thing is that we work together, not separately. i believe it's important for all of us to share the same goal and move forward together. >> reporter: she says she hopes to continue dancing and bringing joy into people's lives. keiko kitagawa, nhk world,

tokyo. scientists at an international observatory in chile spend their days peering into space and probing its mysteries. now they've taken a step towards solving one of the biggest mysteries of all -- how stars are born. the researchers used an array of radio telescopes to capture images of a baby star spewing gases 1400 light-years from earth. the equipment can detect faint radio waves emitted by celestial bodies. it allows scientists to see into parts of the cosmos where light is obscured. they hbt previously seen the green gases from a baby star because a dark nep u la obscured them. the large milliliter array is a joint project between japan, the united states and europe. it stands in chile's desert, one of the driest places on earth. researchers are hoping to get even clearer pictures when all

66 radio telescopes come online in october. time now for a check on the weather with mai shoji. good morning. it seems people in southern spain are dealing with severe heat. what can you tell us? >> extreme heat still continues across much of the iberian peninsula due to the high pressure system sitting over northern africa and pumping all the hot air. let me show you a picture coming from there from yesterday. residents and tourists in spain are warned to take care in the intense heat. hot air continues to flow in the iberian peninsula. authorities have issued heat alerts for 19 provinces in central and southern spain this week. temperatures soared over 40 degrees in some places on thursday. people are making good news of water fountains and using fans to cool themselves off. the hot weather was to peak today. however, it looks like this

condition will be prevailing. this is from thursday. this is madrid at 36 degrees, but you can see how the humidity level is very low. for example, in morocco, 40 degrees but the humidity level below 10% t. this is a great recipe for wildfires. there are numerous wildfires raging in parts of the iberian peninsula. it won't be helping. the heat is not going anywhere. madrid soaring on saturday but sunday dropping down to the high 20s, which is good news. lisbon will look at 32 degrees again on sunday. that's the three-day forecast. the heat will be moving towards france and then into the british isles into the weekend. but generally speaking across this continent, we'll be looking at dry and pleasant conditions, temperatures in the seasonal point in most of the areas but wet weather in an atlantic system moving into the british isles. ireland will start to see the

heavy rain on saturday. but for now you're looking at 27 degrees with nice sunny spells in london on your friday. moving over to eastern continental asia we have a new frontal system that has formed stretching from eastern china over the korean peninsula and into eastern japan. now, this system is surging copious amounts of moisture from the western ridge of the high pressure system. and what it's doing is that it's bringing very heavy downpours. for example, 40 millimeters of rainfall fell in fukuoka prefecture in japan. lots of these sudden bursts of showers, thunderstorms will be continuing for the rest of the day today across the region. talking about the tropical depression, which used to be a severe tropical storm status has made landfall. it is still bringing lots of moisture across the area and enhancing the southwestern monsoonal flow. for example, in taiwan we have

an observation of more than 700 millimeters that fell over the course of a few days. on top of that, we're likely to see about 250 to 300 millimeters in localized areas which is certainly enough to trigger further flooding. good news is this is actually surging water and bringing the moisture as well as heavy downpours to the area where it's much needed in extreme drought conditions. chongqing still at 37 degrees. heating here. beijing at 33. looking at kyoto soaring to 35. but we're looking at nice precipitation in some of these areas. tokyo at 33. i'll leave with you -- you with the extended forecast.

sun bathers got a surprise when a huge hovercraft made an unexpected landing on a crowded beach in russia. amateur footage shows the 60-meter-long russian vessel sliding on to the beach facing the baltic sea. reports say no one was injured. a spokesperson for the russian defense ministry told local media the hovercraft was on a tactical mission in an area owned by the military. ministry officials said they did not know why people were there. some local media have suggested the naval officers got the wrong

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

♪ >> the wilson forum is the living memorial to our first internationalist president. chartered by congress in neck and 68, the u.s. key, nonpartisan non-policy form -- 1968, the u.s. key, non-partisan policy forum. our goal is to create the next generation of leaders for the po c