hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline". i'm ross mihara in tokyo. the organization for security and cooperation in europe says the ukrainian government and pro-russian separatists have signed a cease-fire deal. >> based on this agreement, on this protocol, i give an order to the chief of my military to declare a cease-fire in a half an hour time at 6:00 ukrainian time. >> ukrainian president petro

poroshenko says he agreed to the cease-fire because russian president vladimir putin had called on the separatists to stop fighting. poroshenko says it's vital to ensure the cease-fire continues for a long time and to keep up political dialogue. he says that's the way to bring peace and stability to eastern ukraine. the two sides are still talking. how long their truce will last and how they'll produce a peace plan are not clear. leaders of nato countries have been meeting to discuss how to deal with the threat of aggression from russia. they've announced they'll create a rapid response force. the leaders met in wales for two days of summit talks. british prime minister david cameron opened the second day by expressing his distrust of moscow. >> russia is ripping up the rule book with its annexation of crimea and its troops on sovereign soil in ukraine. >> nato secretary-general anders fogh rasmussen said the leaders approved plans to dispatch several thousand personnel to eastern europe. he said the new force can quickly mobilize if an alliance

country in the region comes under attack. >> today we agreed to create what i would call a spearhead within our response force, a very high force able to deploy at very short notice. >> rasmussen said nato leaders will meet again in poland two years from now. he said holding a summit in the city where the warsaw pact was signed will clearly demonstrate nato's presence in eastern europe. the leaders are also discussing whether or not member states should increase their defense spending. u.s. defense officials say they believe as many as a dozen american citizens are fighting with the islamic state extremist group in syria. they are part of a larger group of americans that's believed to have joined various rebel groups in the country. pentagon spokesperson colonel steve warren says an estimated 100 american passport holders are expected to be in syria. analysts say more than 10,000

fighters from western nations have joined militants in syria and iraq. they come from britain, france and other european countries as well as the u.s. british prime minister david cameron has said about 500 britons have traveled to the two nations to take part in attacks. people across india are looking forward to getting a new source of energy. their prime minister signed a deal to get uranium from nuclear plants in australia. australia had ruled out supplying uranium to india, but they changed that policy three years ago and began negotiating. prime minister tony abbott closed the deal. >> india has scrupulously dotted every "i" and crossed every "t" when it comes to international law. that's why we're happy to trust india with our uranium. >> translator: this is a sign of

our trust in each other. we have begun a new era of cooperation. >> australia has the world's biggest uranium reserves. leaders hope to create jobs by boosting production for india. they also want to strengthen economic and security ties. indian leaders are trying to tackle a shortage of electricity. they plan to double the number of nuclear reactors in their country to around 40 by 2020. they hope their uranium deal with australia will also help them reach a nuclear cooperation agreement with japan. employers in the united states have been creating fewer jobs. the number of new openings last month was far smaller than analysts had expected. the department of labor says employers added 142,000 non-farm jobs. analysts had been expecting 220,000. the number fell below 200,000 for the first time since january.

industries showing significant job growth include health care and food service. sectors with job losses include retail and auto manufacturing. the unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a point to 6.1%. the number of people working part-time because they couldn't find full-time positions was also down. economists are trying to figure out when the federal reserve will raise interest rates and how the jobs data will affect that timing. here's one view from douglas handler at ihs global insight. >> well, the 142,000 jobs this month was a bit of a disappointment. but if we go into the detail, we can identify a couple of special factors that really did drive the number down. if we correct for the special factors, this month's report really is very consistent with what we've seen over the past six months. the fed is going to need some sort of clear sign that

inflation and probably wage based inflation is becoming a threat to the economy here. we don't see it in this report, but the one thing that we are looking at is the decline in the unemployment rate. as unemployment gets lower and lower and tends towards full employment, the potential for wage increases and the labor shortage really becomes very prominent here. the one thing that's a little worrisome in the report is that the labor force itself did not grow at all here. and a pre-condition really for its continued strong employment growth without inflation is getting that labor force expanded here. one thing that we do have to be careful of, though, is also the productivity statistics. not only do we want to keep hiring employees, but we also want to ensure that those new employees are productive on the job.

and if, in fact, they're not, that also could contribute to inflation. that will be something the fed is keeping an eye on as well. i don't think this report adds any evidence that the rate hike could be earlier than we anticipate, and that right now is summer of 2015. as i said, wage growth is really not very strong here. the unemployment rate, while declining, is still fairly high. there is slack in the labor department, and there are at least several months here where the economy can grow in a non-inflationary way. we thought before the report that mid-2015 would be the time the fed will act, and, after the report, our minds have not been changed at all. >> take a look at the latest market figures.

heavy flooding is affecting northern parts of india and pakistan. patchari raksawong in bangkok is following the story. >> dozens of deaths have already been reported following heavy monsoon ra authorities are warning of more flash floods over the weekend. reuters cites officials who said 65 people have died in indian controlled kashmir after the worst floods in 20 years. local residents say villages were inundated, leaving people marooned without government help. >> translator: the situation here is very bad right now. the river is running dangerously high, and merchandise will be ruined.

>> in pakistan, at least 73 people have died across the country. six civilians and three soldiers were killed by landslides on thursday in pakistani controlled kashmir. another 13 people were crushed by collapsing roofs in the eastern city of lahore. more rain is forecast for the coming days. monsoon season can be deadly in pakistan. massive floods in 2010 killed more than 1,700 people. anti-government protests that began mid-august are continuing in pakistan. so far, three people have died and more than 700 have been wounded. but any political achievements remain far off. nhk world's masaki suda reports. >> reporter: late in the night of august 19th, demonstrators in islamabad removed transport containers barricading roads. they entered the so-called red zone of government buildings.

their sitting protest against the government has gained momentum. >> translator: we will not go anywhere until nawaz sharif resigns. >> reporter: events turned bloody last saturday as thousands attempt to storm the prime minister's offshore residence. intense clashes erupted between the protesters and security forces. on monday, protesters broke into the headquarters of state-owned television and took some broadcasts off air for about 40 minutes. the protests are organized by two camps. one is led by the opposition politician and former cricket star imran khan. the other by tahir-ul-qadri, a

firebrand cleric. both men are demanding that prime minister sharif resign. imran khan accuses him of rigging last year's parliamentary elections. that view has not been shared by international election monitors, but the rallies have gained traction, reflecting deep disappointment in sharif. many pakistanis say his government has failed to deliver on campaign promises. fuel remains in short supply. inflation is rampant. the military has called on both sides to end the stand-off through talks. pakistanis have experienced repeated coup and military rulers ever since the country was founded. some wonder if history may repeat itself again. others are more optimistic. protest and government representatives continued to negotiate on friday. the number of protesters is getting smaller. there is little prospect that

sharif will step down nor will the demonstrators drop their goal of getting rid of him. it remains unclear what three weeks of chaos in the capital has achieved except to further destabilize this fragile democracy. masaki suda, nhk world, islamabad. and that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. when hong kong was handed over to china 17 years ago, leaders in beijing allowed a degree of autonomy. but they didn't want to lose their grip. now chinese lawmakers have placed restrictions on how voters in hong kong choose their leader, and that's deepened the divide between those who support china's influence and those who want to be free of it. nhk world's shun ishibe reports.

>> reporter: a high-ranking member of china's national people's congress arrives in hong kong. lefa is here to tell hong kong residents how they are to conduct elections. more than 300 pro-democracy activists protest against beijing's decision. they had wanted to hear there would be free elections. right now hong kong's citizens cannot directly pick their top administrative official. the only people allowed to vote for the chief executive are the 1,200 members of hong kong's election committee. but last month beijing announced that beginning in 2017 universal suffrage could be introduced. however, beijing attaches conditions. one, that candidates must be approved by 50% of the nominating panel.

the pro-democracy people say this body will be stacked with sympathizers of the mainland government. the activists claim this would prevent pro-democracy candidates from being nominated. 17-year-old agnes chow is a key member of the student group taking part in the protests. >> translator: what we want is an opportunity to directly choose our chief executive through a democratic election. the chinese authorities don't want people in hong kong to get a truly democratic system. they just want to tighten their grip on power. >> reporter: many young people in hong kong are worried that china is clamping down on hong kong's autonomy.

>> reporter: they are planning a campaign dubbed "occupy central." 10,000 people were set to stage a sit-in in the area, one of asia's key financial centers. they hope this will draw international attention to their cause. when students conducted an overnight sit-in in july in central hong kong, more than 500 were arrested. if the occupation is large, the economic loss could be as high as several million dollars. >> translator: our situation keeps getting worse. unless we citizens fight to protect ourselves, things will continue to deteriorate. >> reporter: but not everyone supports the pro-democracy activists. derek lam is a manager at the real asset firm. he fears the protests in the financial center will cost his

firm as much as 10% of its revenue. he also fears the stock market will suffer a big drop. >> translator: i'm not saying i support china's communist party. i just cannot afford to give up a stable living for the sake of something that's so vague. >> reporter: many hong kong residents are trapped in a difficult situation. supporting democratic elections could result in civil and economic turmoil. but failure to support the activists supports beijing's desire to curtail freedom. shun ishibe, nhk world, hong kong. prime minister shinzo abe is not wasting any time. he has told officials to start drawing up policies on regional revitalization. that's one of the key goals of his administration. abe and the new minister in charge of regional revitalization shigeru ishiba

attended a ceremony to mark the launch of a task force. it's been charged with addressing population decline and other regional issues. the prime minister later spoke to members of the group. >> translator: unfortunately, the situation in rural communities is bleak. if we do not take measures, some communities will disappear. i want you to put your heads together under the new minister ishiba and bring about a bright future for japan. >> abe urged the officials to travel around the country and see what is happening firsthand. he said that will help them come up with ideas. the appearance of dengue fever in central tokyo has many people concerned. it's the first outbreak in more than 60 years. its epicenter is also in the middle of one of the japanese capital's most popular getaways for both residents and visitors. nhk world's takafumi terui reports.

>> reporter: health officials from the tokyo metropolitan government are taking no chances. they've sent staff wearing hazmat suits and with pesticide into the heart of the problem in tokyo's yoyogi park. they've already found a number of mosquitos carrying the virus. >> translator: we'll first assess how effective the measures are that we took today. >> reporter: yoyogi park is located near the shopping districts of shibuya and haradaku. it's an oasis for urban residents. around 70 people have so far been diagnosed with the virus, and they are turning up around the country. the common denominator is that most of them have visited yoyogi park or nearby areas in the past month. the dengue virus is not transmitted from human to human.

a mosquito gets it when it bites an infected person. only then can it transmit the virus on to another person. experts suspect that someone infected with the virus overseas brought it to japan. yoyogi park is adjacent to one of tokyo's most popular tourist destinations, meiji shrine. it lies in the center of a thick forest and attracts many tourists from japan and abroad every day. tourists seem a little confused because they aren't being properly warned. >> no, we had no idea. i don't think i've got any mosquito bites on me. >> really? that's why they give us some spray for the mosquitos. that's why. >> reporter: there is still no cure for the disease. the best way to avoid being

infected is to not be bitten by mosquitos. so far, experts have identified yoyogi and another nearby park as places where people have been infected. officials have declared parts of the two parks and the shrine off-limits. a doctor of infectious diseases says it's not surprising to see an outbreak in japan, considering the growth in international travel. >> translator: this outbreak is not unique to japan. similar epidemics can occur in areas where the mosquitos that carry the virus live. if a patient is properly treated, they can be cured without any after-effects so i'd say we don't need to worry too much. but i think it's important that we remember that mosquitos can transmit various diseases.

>> reporter: officials are going to extend their search for infected mosquitos to other major parks around tokyo. the national government is also warning people around the country to take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitos. takafumi terui, nhk world, tokyo. executives at japanese power companies are wondering whether to decommission their old nuclear reactors. the government wants to cut the country's dependence on nuclear power, and officials say they're looking for ways to make it easier for the energy chiefs to pull the plug. nuclear regulators last year introduced tougher safety guidelines for power plants. the executives have to be prepared for more serious accidents, stronger earthquakes, and bigger tsunami. and the regulators limited the life span of nuclear reactors to 40 years.

they can grant extensions of up to 20 years under certain conditions. nuclear plant operators would have to check the reactors to see how much they've deteriorated, and regulators will conduct their own inspections. seven reactors at five power plants have reached or will soon reach the 40-year mark. the government has given the operators until next july to decide whether to apply for an extension or take the expensive step of scrapping them. industry ministry officials say they will consider measures to ease the financial impact and encourage the companies to decommission their old reactors. >> translator: the government will help utilities to restart reactors that have been found to be safe. at the same time, we will help them decommission their reactors if they choose. >> japan's 48 commercial reactors are all offline. nuclear regulators are studying safety measures at several plants to determine whether they can be restarted.

every summer devout christians in poland make a pilgrimage to the country's most sacred shrine. it's the same path the faithful have been taking since the middle ages. ju junkonura reports. >> reporter: every year, hup hundreds of thousands of people travel on foot. they walk hundreds of kilometers to reach the monastery founded in the late 14th century. the shrine holds the most important icon of the virgin mary in this part of europe. known as the black madonna, the one meter high painting is credited for many miracles, one of which was defending the monastery against the swedish invasion in the 17th century.

the faithful travel in a few hundred groups. they cover an average distance of 350 kilometers, and many walk for more than ten days. this group is from the capital warsaw. along the way, they have been sleeping in tents or houses offered up by the owners. karolina is taking a break from her job with the european union to make the journey. this is her eighth pilgrimage. >> reporter: people a-- >> translator: people are fantastic. fathers are great. there are many young people. it's really fun. ♪ >> reporter: after supper, karolina and her fellow travelers get together to sing religious songs just like a

summer camp. today is the last day of their ten-day pilgrimage. their holy destination is just over there. when karolina and her group made it to the monastery, they went straight to see the revered icon. >> translator: i am happy to get here. i felt tears in my eyes. we managed to make the long journey of 300 kilometers, which seems very short now. >> reporter: the black madonna continues to be a symbol of national resistance and offers spiritual strength to those who make the journey. junko noda, nhk world, poland. here is the weekend weather

forecast.

scientists have described what they believe was one of the biggest dinosaurs that ever walked the earth. they dug up the animal in what's now argentina and say it weighed nearly 60 tons. the researchers announced their find in the british magazine "scientific reports." they say fossilized bones suggest the animal was 26 meters long. they believe it was a vegetarian and a member of a group called titanosaurs. the scientists dug up the remains over several years in the pat goenian region of argentina. they were able to calculate how big the creature was because they found 70% of its bones. they believe the dinosaur lived 77 million years ago. and because it was so huge, they gave it the name dreadnoughtus, meaning "fears nothing." that's all we have this hour on "newsline." thanks for watching, and have a good day.

this week on moyers & company, "facing evil" with maya angelou. >> they laugh to shield their crying. they shuffled through their dreams. they stepped 'n fetched a country and wrote the blues in screams. i understand their meaning, it could and did derive from living on the ledge of death. they kept my race alive. by wearing the mask! >> announcer: funding is provided by -- anne gumowitz, encouraging the renewal of democracy. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.org. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change