hello there. welcome to nhk "newsline." it is thursday, june 30th, 9:00 a.m. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. european union leaders say if britain wants access to its single market eu workers must be allowed to move freely. the leaders of 27 eu nations excludin excluding britain wrapped up two days of talks on the country's decision to leave the bloc on wednesday. the eu says in order to access its common market four freedoms must be maintained, the movement of capital, goods and services and the movement of workers. >> let us make it crystal clear today that access to a single

market requires acceptance of all four freedoms, including the freedom of movement. there will be no single market alacart. >> british prime minister david cameron was back in london wednesday addressing parliament. he acknowledged the issue will be a major sticking point in future negotiations. >> on this issue of immigration versus the single market, he's right. this is, frankly, the biggest and most difficult issue to deal with. >> cameron previously told eu leaders that the issue of unrestricted travel was the tipping point for britain's vote to leave. eu leaders say the uk's vote to part ways with the bloc has done nothing to dent their solidarity, but now they face an uphill battle to chart a new course without a key member. our brussels correspondence karina nago has this wrap-up. >> reporter: eu leaders gathered

in brussels on wednesday for the second day of their crisis meeting. british prime minister david cameron was notably absent. it was the first time eu leaders have met without a representative from the uk. they released a joint statement repeating their commitment to staying together. and they agreed to keep pressing britain to start negotiating on exit as soon as upon. >> leaders are absolutely determined to remain united and work closely together as 27. >> reporter: cameron attended the first day of the summit. he explained to his counterparts that brexit negotiations will have to take place under his successor. >> as i say, a positive, constructive, calm, purposeful meeting about how we should now take forward this agenda of write tain leaving the european union but wanting to have i think rightly the closest

possible relationship that we can in the future. >> reporter: the other leaders indicated they may be prepared to wait until britain chooses a new leader. but some are worried about drawn out talks might give impetus to anti-eu movements in their own countries. the leaders will meet again in september. they have no guarantee that the uk will file a formal brexit notification by then. they can't expect an easy resolution to this crisis any time soon. nhk world, brussels. we head to turkey now where the prime minister there says the deadly terrorist attack at istanbul's international airport on tuesday was carefully planned in advance. it's likely the islamic state militant group is responsible. >> translator: one blew himself up outside and the other two took advantage of the panic

created during the shoot-out and got inside and blew themselves up. >> the attack left at least 41 people dead and about 240 others wounded. local media quoted investigators as saying the three attackers appeared to be foreigners. security remains high at the airport, where repair work is already under way. shattered ceiling panels and glass are being replaced. scheduled flights are also returning to normal. so far, no group has claimed responsibility, but the islamic state group has called on people to wage attacks across the world during the muslim fasting month of ramadan, which does not end until july 5th. islamic state militants suffered heavy losses in the middle east, in some places they're fighting back hard with chemical weapons. nhk world's kenichi mori spoke with soldiers and civilians who are suffering the effects. >> reporter: this is an area about 80 kilometers south of

mosul. the front line base of iraqi troops. the iraqi forces have deployed a number of armed vehicles at the base. they are gearing up for a battle to recapture the strategic city. >> translator: we expect that we'd be able to completely recapture mosul sometime between late this year and the first few months of next year. >> reporter: the courageous soldiers fighting alongside the iraqi forces are that of domestic. one of the reason, they attack with chemical weapons. these attacks have increased since march. but there aren't enough masks to

protect the soldiers from the poisonous gas. >> translator: the coalition has just provided those gas masks to peshmerga. however it's only 15 sets for 1,000 soldiers. this hospital is located near the command headquarters. since march, soldiers complaining about symptoms of mustard gas have arrived at the hospital in growing numbers. after a mustard gas attack blisters develop on the skin. if the gas is inhaled it would result in trouble breathing and the lives of the victims could be in danger. >> translator: the more the islamic state militants are driven into a corner, the more likely they are to use chemical weapons, which have been banned by the international community.

>> reporter: but it's not only the soldiers who are a target of such attacks. this woman, 29, lives in the village near the warfront. in march a rocket carrying a chemical weapon landed right in front of her house. her 2-year-old daughter, fatima, who was praying outside the house, suffered burns all over her body. she had trouble breathing. >> translator: my daughter's face and body were rapidly turning to black. >> reporter: for a while she was totally blind. >> translator: i thought my daughter and i were going to die in a couple of days. >> reporter: zainab received

medical treatment at the hospital in neighboring turkey. her condition gradually improved. before she went back to iraq, she bought some clothes for her daughters. but right after that, she was told that her daughter had died. >> translator: i bought this for my daughter. i have been forcing myself to live on in this house, but i am afraid to go even to the front porch. this whole thing is still painful to me. >> reporter: about 7,000 people in the area complained about the effects of chemical weapons. small children have less resistance, and they are more likely to die. concern has been growing that islamic state militants with their backs against the wall would use chemical weapons

without regard for what other people think. kenichi mori, nhk world, mahmoud, iraq. russian president vladimir putin and turkish president recep tayyipered began talked over the phone aiming to mend faces, their first conversation since military jets shot down a russian warplane in november near the border with syria. the russian presidential office says putin expressed his condolences for the terror attack at the main airport that killed 41 people. the two agreed on the need to deepen international cooperation in the global fight against terrorism. putin called erdogan he'll lift the suspension of chat chartered flights to turkey and agreed to hold direct talks shortly. the agreement comes after erdogan on monday expressed

regret for the downing of the plane to putin. an international court will soon rule on a case filed by the philippines disputing china's claims to the south china sea. the permanent court of arbitration said the ruling will come on july 12th. the philippines maintains that china's claims to the sea as its historic right are groundless under international law. the country also believes artificial islands built by china cannot grant the country maritime rights, including an exclusive economic zpoone. chinese officials repeatedly stated that the country will not accept any decision by the court. china says the dispute should be resolved through dialogue between the concerned parties. meanwhile, the philippines is inaugurating new president rodrigo duterte on thursday. duterte said he may shelf the dispute with china if beijing offers financial aid for

infrastructure development. indonesia's president and his cabinets have discussed a strategic plan to develop islands in the disputed south china sea. joko widodo is standing firm and asserting his country's sovereignty. joko ordered an expansion of offshore oil exploitation and commercial fishing in waters near the natuna islands, one of the country's northernmost island groups. it follows a series of confrontations between indonesian naval ships and chinese fishing boats in the rich fishing grounds there. there have already been three reported skirmishes this year in the area. last week, joko boarded a warship to visit the islands. he was accompanied by a high level delegation including his foreign minister and chief of the armed forces. china has set it does not dispute indonesia's sovereignty over the islands, but its claim of jurisdiction overall most of the entire south china sea

includes nearby waters. the east natuna field is believed to have hold one of the world's largest untapped gas reserves. north korean leader kim jong-un assumed yet another title at a parliamentary session that opened wednesday. just last month he was named chairman of the korean workers party. the state-run korean central television broadcast footage from the annual supreme people's assembly. it showed kim seated at the podium for the first time in two years, and an announcement he has become chairman of the newly created commission on state affairs. it was formed by reorganizing the national defense commission which oversaw state functions. observers say kim has effectively scrapped the national defense commission in an effort to tighten his grip on the government. the commission strengthened its power during the leadership of his father, kim jong-il, who placed priority on the military over the party. it's time for the latest in

business news. britain's decision to leave the european union has corporate executives concerned. those in the auto industry are no exception. ai uchida joins us now from our business desk. what exactly are these auto companies worried about? >> a lot of it has to do with their factories and their operations, catherine. foreign automakers including car companies from japan and the united states, they have factories in britain which serve as bases for exporting their vehicles to other european countries while the auto executives have expressed their concerns at a meeting in london, held by britain's auto industry association. about 300 people showed up. political and economic experts pointed to possible fallout from a brexit. they said if tariff free trade is not maintained between britain and the eu, it would have a major impact on the auto industry. many said they're worried about the fate of their operations.

>> really disappointed. i can't believe we've done this. it's going to make working across europe so difficult. >> others said they're worried because their sales mainly come from exports. japan's foreign minister has asked his british counterpart to keep japanese companies in britain in mind, so their businesses can remain stable. fumio kishida and uk foreign secretary philip ham moond spoke during a teleconference. japan will work to extend bilateral ties. hammond responded that the uk government will listen to the business community including japanese companies. he said british, he said britain aims to forge ties with the eu in a way that keeps its economy strong. kishida spoke with eu foreign policy chief fed rika mogherini about the possible responses of european countries. now let's get a check on

markets. investor concerns about brexit seem to have eased, major european indices gained for a second day in a row on wednesday, over in london we saw a gain of more than 3.5%, and in paris, we saw a gain of 2.6%. now on wall street, the dow jones industrial average marked a two-day winning streak, and the gains erased more than half the losses suffered since friday. but here in tokyo just before the markets opened, a key data did come in, industrial output in may fell 2.3% from the previous month, that was actually much weaker than analysts had expected, so let's see what's happening on the markets here in tokyo. we go to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. good morning, tell us what you're seeing so far. >> good morning to you, ai. definitely volatility has receded somewhat but traders and analysts still urging a little bit of caution ahead of possible central bank action and still they point to the disjointed

political landscape in britain as some headwinds there. let's have a look at how the nikkei and topix are kicking off thursday june 30th and we're continuing that upward momentum or a rebound, the nikkei up 1.15%, broader topix higher as well. the nikkei managed to close higher in the last three trading days, in fact, banking in export related shares which had been battered, have in fact seen most of the buying, we'll see if that continues today. analysts still suggest a stronger yen and other factors may severely dent japan's economy. we just saw some data that you just mentioned regarding the industrial production output levels, tomorrow's quarterly business sentiment survey, the tankan survey, will be widely watched for any further cues or signals as to japan's economy, and investor sentiment towards japan's economy. the move higher in crude oil

prices may also support market sentiment. the brent futures gained over 4%, settled above $50 a barrel. the u.s. benchmark wti also touched $50 overnight, $50 a barrel, rising more than 4%, the higher price is partly due to an oil workers' strike in norway and a crisis in venezuela. larger than expected u.s. oil stockpiles also helped push up basic material prices on wednesday as well. we'll watch all of those sectors as well. ai? >> ramin, tell us about currencies. things over there look a bit stable now, too. >> exactly. we've come off a little bit from the volatility that we saw definitely from last friday after the brexit vote. dollar/yen 102.72-75 up against the yen. the u.s. currency briefly touched above 103 for the first time since friday. euro is back up to 114 yen levels compared to 10 yen levels after the brexit vote.

analysts say the broader risk on mood is driving investors out of safe haven assets such as the yen. the british pound gained more than 1% against the dollar from yesterday and sterling also rose by over 2% against the yen. let's have a quick look at asian markets as well which are open right now, and kospi, seoul's kospi and sydney index trading in the positive. china markets open in an hour and a half. more then. back to you. >> sounds good, ramin. researchers inpan are exploring an alternative to regular sugar that they say could help people stay healthy without giving up things they love. it's called rare sugar and some businesses are hoping it will become an important weapon in the global war on diabetes, and obesity. >> reporter: a lot of people love to eat sweets but they don't love what it can do to their bodies. this bakery makes confections for people who want to have their cake and be healthy, too.

one of the ingredients is rare sugar. it's showing up in mass market products including pudding and jelly. >> translator: i'm wondering if it's healthier than regular sugar. >> translator: kagawa university in western japan is a leading researcher into the health effects of rare sugar, investigating a type of rare sugar called de-alyolose found in a variety of materials such as plants and microbes. the researchers discovered it helps control blood glucose and body fat. these two rats received the same amount of food. one drank ordinary water and the other water containing rare sugar. the researchers then measured what happened. and over time, it accumulated

30% less visceral fat. professor koichi murao determined that rare sugar has the same effect on humans. glucose molecules pass into the blood stream through so-called gates in the lining of the small intestine. rare sugar molecules with their slightly different shape can get in the way. as a result, they can limit the amount of glucose that's absorbed. >> rare sugar changes the way sugar flows through the body and it can help patients with diabetes and other metabolic disorders return to normal. >> reporter: one company is developing technologies to mass produce rare sugar. this starch processor in hyogo prefecture. the company extracts liquid sugar from starch and heats it. the original process was expensive and time consuming, so production was limited.

then researchers developed a new system using a chemical reaction that can produce a large quantity of rare sugar quicker and cheaper. three years ago, the firm pioneered the development of rare sugar syrup, and now lots of food producers are using it. >> translator: it might sound arrogant, but we believe the spread of rare sugar could help make people healthier. >> reporter: rare sugar is also finding fans in nursing homes. people often give up sweets as they age due to health concerns. staff at the facility decided to use rare sugar to reacquaint residents with the joy of eating. >> translator: i may be old, but i have plenty of years left. tropical storm oh, it tastes

good. >> reporter: lifestyle related illnesses and obesity are growing problems for many countries around the world. with rare sugar, japanese ventures aim to satisfy people's sweet tooth and stay healthy, too. >> all right that's the latest in business for this hour. asian markets so far starting up, i'll leave with you a check on the numbers. it's time for a check of the

weather. people in the southwestern region of kyushu are dealing with heavy rain, an area where residents have been trying to recover from landslides and flooding. robert speta joins us with the latest. >> yes, let's talk about this, because every day this week we have been seeing heavier rainfall out here across parts of kyushu, extended toward shikoku somewhat but really it's just been absolutely devastating, and actually since earlier this week, back on monday, some areas in kagoshima 453 millimeters of rainfall has been reported. we've seen rainfall reports about 70 to 80 millimeters and just an hour's span and the result of that has been flooding. also there still is the landslide threat there into parts of kumamoto and also toward kagoshima in the morning hours we've been seeing showers here on thursday. i want to show you video from here on thursday morning. look at that. things are just calming down and this has been causing the plemd as already mentioned.

we've seen the reports well over 50 millimeters already in just an hour span. the water is pooling up on the roadways there. the big thing is that the ground's already saturated so you're getting more rain like this. and we have more in the forecast. there's that threat of the ground just giving way and you have that chance of landslides and even some of the areas the expected through the rest of thursday. some areas as much as 150 millimeters is possible out there. even heading in friday morning. the good news, high pressure starts to settle in by the time friday afternoon into saturday rolls around and back here toward the north including into the tokyo area is going to be clearing up and it is going to be hot and muggy. kumamoto showers, cloudy conditions by saturday, a high of 31. if you look back toward the west, though, shanghai thunderstorms in the forecast. rain yea season front still lingering toward the west and continuing to bring showers out there across central and eastern china. take a look down toward the

south, we have the southwest monsoon dominating out here, especially across parts of the philippines and also over here toward thailand, you're going to be seeing some thunderstorms for those of you in the bangkok, a high of 33 there for you. hong kong 3. still some passing rainfall and toward manila as well. let's change gears and talk about wintertime weather out here across southern australia. one thing you take away from the satellite picture is of course you can see our low pushing through here, but behind it you kind of have that popcorn popping up here on the state li satellite picture, cold weather cumulus, indicating cooler temperatures rolling in from the antarctic out there and temperatures reflected actually this past weekend in parts of new south wales and victoria in high elevations ski resorts opened up. the three-day forecast, snowfall there at mt. buller. in kanberra highs into the single digits. and sydney single digits

overnight lows but at least it warms up into the teens there by saturday and into sunday. back toward the north, don't have to worry about staying warm at all. temperatures soaring across much of the deep south, that is influencing some thunderstorms out there, even over back toward the west we have a low developing. that's going to eventually pull across the plains into the mid-atlantic states by the end of the week and could impactivi there. i know it's independence day weekend here in the u.s. so something to watch out for if you do have plans. all right, here is the ex-tended outlook.

and that wraps up this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for staying with us.

♪ >> you're watching "in good shape." coming up, the potential of plasma pens, fighting mental illness with boxing, and what you need to know about joint replacement. here's your host, dr. carsten lekutat. dr. lekutat: hello and welcome to "in good shape." we germans have two knees, like everybody else in the world, but we have them replaced more often than any other nation. joint replacement will be the topic of today's show, and i am going to talk to thilo john from the drk-clinic here in berlin, westend.