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tv   Newsline  PBS  August 25, 2016 7:00pm-7:31pm PDT

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search and rescue operations after the predawn earthquake. the government has put the death toll at 250. more than 640 tremors have been detected in the region since the major quake including a temblor with a magnitude of over 5. emergency personnel are engaged in rescue efforts in the hard-hit town of amatrice. >> translator: the earthquakes have continued very frequently. it's a really dangerous situation. >> people have to seek safety every time an aftershock hits.
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the tremors have been further crumbling already collapsed buildings and houses. residents worry this many people remain trapped under rubble. the rescuers are using drones and other methods to assess the extent of the damage and find missing people, but experts believe it will take more time to get the full picture as they are discovering more damage in the most affected regions. authorities are extending areas off limits to locals and reporters to ensure their safety. police have had altercations with residents wanting to return to their homes and young people eager to support the rescue effort. an amatrice resident said the town has no future. the strong quake that rocked central myanmar on wednesday left at least three people dead. the magnitude 6.8 earthquake caused structures to collapse. among them are world renowned buddhist pagodas. nhk world reports.
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>> reporter: the earthquake caused severe damage to this pagoda. and myanmar soldiers are clearing the debris. the top of the tower is just fallen down here. the ancient city of bagan is about 30 kilometers away from the quake epicenter. it's home to some 3,000 buddhist pagodas and temples. it caused some to partially collapse. >> no, no, no! no! >> reporter: one temple, which was built in the 12th century and is known for its beautiful wall paintings, the quake knocked off the top part of the temple. it's now off limits due to the risk of further damage if aftershocks strike. >> it's very scary. yeah. we was drinking coffee, and we hid under the tables. >> the whole building started to shake. nobody, to start w knew what was happening.
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then suddenly all the staff came out and everybody got under tables. >> reporter: myanmar's government had been campaigning to have bagan added to the list of world heritage sites. concerns are now growing over how much it might dost repair the structure here, as the quake's impact on the local tourism industry. reporting for nhk world from bagan, myanmar. japanese prime minister shinzo abe has arrived in kenya to attend the tokyo international conference on african development or ticad. abe is scheduled to take part in a welcome reception before ticad opens on saturday. the prime minister plans to seek their cooperation about reform of the u.n. security council including japan's bid to become a permanent member of the council. during the ticad meeting, abe will pledge to expand infrastructure investment that
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utilizes japan's technology. he will offer cooperation to prevent terrorism by islamic extremists. this is the first time that the conference will be held in africa. the previous five meetings took place in japan. ahead of the event, the japanese aid official expressed the intent of geothermal powererati powereration. the official from jica pointed out that some areas in africa have geological formations thattic make it easy to acquire high temperature steam from under the ground. the official said japan has many volcanoes and can utilize its geothermal power generation technology developed over many years. meanwhile, japanese and u.s. government officials have exchanged a memorandum to jointly develop the alternative energy source in east africa. officials from japan and china have agreed to work toward holding a bilateral summit possibly next month.
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the head of japan's national security secretariat shoate ary yachy met on thursday with china's state counselor yang jiechi in beijing. yang expressed his willingness to improve ties by working on matters that benefit both countries. he said he wants to solve various problems toward this end. japanese government sources say yachi and yang discussed issues related to the south china sea. he expressed hope for a chinese role in dealing with north korea. yachi expressed the importance of cooperation between japan and china on the matter. japanese government officials say they will try to pave the way for a meeting between prime minister shinzo abe and chinese president xi jinping on the sidelines of the g-20 summit. the summit will be held in early september in the eastern chinese city of hangzhou. kagoshima prefecture's new
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governor on friday will ask the operator of a nuclear power plant in the prefecture to suspend operation so safety can be re-evaluated. the two reactors in southwestern japan went online last year. the first under new regulations imposed by the government. satoshi mitazono took office next month. during the election he promised he would take the plant offline to check safety. residents have been uneasy since april when damaging earthquakes hit neighboring kumamato prefecture. he visited the sendai plant to study evacuations measures in the event of an emergency. mitazono will ask the utility to keep the public informed during an accident. kyushu electric power had already planned to take the reactors off line for regular inspections that start in fall and winter of this year. as governors have no legal authority to shut down reactors, observers are keen to see how
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the nuclear operator will react to mitazono's request. the operator of the crippled nuclear plant in fukushima wants to restart similar reactors in another part of japan. niigata prefecture. the company has apologized to the governor of the prefecture for concealing multiple meltdowns at the fukushima plant in 2011. takafumi anna ga wa met with niigata governor. >> translator: we apologize for failing to investigate enough to properly respond to your inquurys. >> nearly five years after the accident tepco executives admitted this february that if they had properly followed their own in-house manual, the meltdowns would have been announced much sooner. they also acknowledged that the company president at the time instructed spokespersons not to
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use the term "core meltdown." the revelation came after officials in niigata demanded tepco sman why they failed to announce the grave situation for two months. >> translator: i want a thorough investigation into what went wrong. and i want to know what measures the company has taken to prevent the same thing from happening again. >> governor izumida says a full investigation is needed before negotiations can proceed on whether to allow a nuclear plant to restart in his prefecture. japan's all nippon airways says it will cancel more than 300 domestic flights of its boeing 787 dreamliner fleet over the coming weeks. the carrier cites a problem with the plane's engine parts. it says turbine blades of the 787's engines manufactured by uk-based rolls royce could corrode and break after a certain number of hours of use.
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the airline says the problem occurred three times between february and august, each time forcing a shutdown of one of the model's two engines. the incidents have forced an emergency landing at a nearby airport. it grounded five flights on thursday, on friday it will cancel nine. the company plans to replace the turbine blades of all the dreamliner jets it owns. the procedure is likely to force cancellations of about ten flights every day through the end of next month or later. it says it will work to minimize the effect of the cancellations. japanese consumerers paid less for goods. officials at the internal affairs ministry says the cpi was 0.5% lower from the same month last year.
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it includes oil products but not fresh food. economists at the ministry say cheaper crude pushed down electricity and gasoline prices and was the main factor behind the decline. the reading was up 0.3% when all types of energy and food are excluded. japanese firms operating in china are dealing with rising labor costs. some are looking to other countries. japanese company representatives have been attending a seminar in southern china to learn about vietnam as an investment destination. about 60 officials were at the meeting held by the japan external trade association. it remains less than half of those in china. one man said exports from vietnam to the united states are expected to grow if the transpacific partnership trade agreement takes effect, but he
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also pointed at down sides in vietnam such as a lack of clarity in its legal system. the japanese art of bonsai aims to replicate a natural landscape in a pot. demand is shrinking in japan but growing overseas. producers are creating new types of bonsai for foreign enthusiasts. we have the story. >> reporter: this exhibit is called an air bonsai. the tree is levitated using magnets. the floating pots represent promise art. they want to convey the importance of ecology. this is a dry bonsai using a dead tree. that's a brand-new idea that relieves the owner of the need to water the plant. a japanese man demonstrates bonsai making in belgium. he represented his country at
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this event in january. he takes a pine tree with fully grown branches and at his hands, the tree drastically changes shape. he turns it into an artistic bonsai. >> beautiful. >> reporter: his creations have won him many fans abroad. he has received invitations to perform in france, germany, the u.s. and seven other countries. he was born into a family of bonsai growers. he started going abroad because he had so few opportunities to use his skill at home. the customers grow older.
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domestic sales have fallen from 30% from their peak. >> translator: many customers have passed away, and some are too old to continue. it's now a completely different world to what it was in the past. i think everybody in the industry has a sense of crisis so what should we do? the answer for most of my generation is overseas. we fear that we'll be finished if foreign demand collapses. >> reporter: he accepts foreign students. he wants to promote bonsai across the world and turn this traditional japanese practice into a global one. this man from spain came to japan four years ago because he admired his skills. >> translator: there's a thick branch here. you want to bend it, don't you? did you try to bring it here?
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so think about what you're doing. do you need this if you make this a main one? >> translator: yes, i want to improve my skills. >> reporter: he returned home in june after four years of training. he will open a bonsai farm in madr madrid. >> translator: i hope for his success in spain, europe and beyond. i also hope recognition of bonsai will increase overseas and that will help us rediscover its appeal in japan some day. >> reporter: bonsai artistry is crossing borders to find new places to grow. the new plants planted by artists like this man and now attracting new fans across the
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world. reporting for nhk world from shizuoka. taiwan's president tsai ing-wen has viewed a massive live fire military exercise by her armed forces. it was her first inspection of the kind since she took office in may. taiwan's faerarmy, navy and air force began drills on monday at several locations around the island. on thursday, tsai watched at a military site in a southern county about 1300 military personnel took part. fighter jets and helicopters mounted air strikes on simulated units. the war games simulated an attack by mainland china. ground forces launched missile attacks. tsai addressed senior military
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officers. >> translator: every soldier has the responsibility to protect our nation and the people. we shall put all our efforts into fulfilling this task together. >> beijing regards tsai as leaning towards taiwanese independence. it has suspended cross-strait dialogue since she became president. indonesia's fight against poverty is one of its major social challenges. a nonprofit organization is trying to help homeless children or those living in poor conditions to find a way to a better life using an unlikely resource. nhk world has the details. >> reporter: thanks to the economic growth, you can see a lot of cars in jakarta. but on the other hand you can still see a lot of street children. about 34,000 children are said to be on the street in indonesia.
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these young people were once among them, but now they've seized on an opportunity for a better future from trash. the nonprofit organization helps them make new products from the things people throw away. the ngo set up a workshop in a shelter four years ago. interested children can receive an 18-month training course on how to transform goods from glass bottles and other material. they open the training will provide them with the skills to stand on their own. their products are on display at the hotel lobby and other places. these are egg holders made from wine bottles.
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the neck of the bottles have been turned into wine glasses. this vase was made from a fish ing lamp. >> i think it's good that we do recycling because of the global problems. it's particularly nice that children are doing it. >> reporter: there are such things the children make have more than tripled over the past two years. they pay each child between 12 and $24 per month. >> translator: it's the happiest thing that many people buy our products. i'll try to improve my skills and make even better things. >> reporter: he joined the workshop in may. he likes to draw and says workshop activities are good for
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writing design. he's thinking about becoming a photographer. >> translator: i want to save enough money to buy a camera. i'll keep learning and trying to realize my dreams. >> translator: they have great potential. i want them to learn at this workshop and change their lives. >> reporter: this luxurious jakarta hotel uses the workshop's products. the management appreciates the skills of the workshop members and hires them. >> translator: making bread is similar to what we do at the workshop. the experience of making products from glass and plastic is now helping me in my job. >> reporter: the learning of skills gives street children a
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different future. the products they are making will help them realize their hope hs and dreams. yusuke ota, nhk world, jakarta. . yusuke ota, nhk world, jakarta. . yusuke ota, nhk world, jakarta. . yusuke ota, nhk world, jakarta. in the global night against hiv/aids, perhaps the most high profile epidemic is in south africa. there are millions of people living with hiv and a jen aratiar -- generation of children who lost their parents to the squee s ts. nhk world has more. >> reporter: a sporting event with a difference. at the go go olympics, all the
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participants are mothers. the name comes from the word for grandma in the local language. this is what they call the grannies olympics have been held. 600 of them are participating. the grandmothers are divided into teams that compete against each other in various events. but with all the singing and dancing, it actually feels more like a party. >> i'm happy with the others, be happy. let's play like children. we're very happy, very excited. >> reporter: the event is organized by a local ngo that supports grandmothers who are bringing up their grandchildren. this is not unusual in south africa where many of the women have lost sons or daughters to
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aids. >> most households are headed up by grannies, as you see here. so young people, it's also an effort to celebrate their grandmothers. >> reporter: this 68-year-old is one of the participants. her five children all died of aids, leaving their young children behind. now, she has 15 grandchildren and great-grandchildren living with her. there are now about 2.5 million aids orphans in south africa, but public support is limited. and grandmothers like this one often find it hard to make ends meet. >> translator: i work all day long. when i go to bed, my body is hurting, and i'm exhausted. >> reporter: at the olympics, she can take her mind off the hardship of her life.
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singing and dancing with new friends. >> translator: i'm very happy to be here. i want to come back next year definitely. >> reporter: despite a festive atmosphere, the go go olympics plays another more serious role to raise the issue of aids orphans and its impact in south africa. reporting for nhk world from durban. a typhoon continues to linger off okinawa. robert speta has that and more in the weather outlook. >> yes, this storm system, we have been tracking this for over a week now. it started towards the southeast of tokyo, then it moved towards the southwest and really now it is just lingering here hopefully at its southern-most point before it starts to turn back to the northeast. that's what we'll likely be seeing next week. but right now this is just to the south of the island.
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not very large the circumference of this storm system. it will stay east of the populated islands out here including okinawa and naha is located out there. the big thing for you is the waves will be kicking up about three to four meters high. if we take a look at the forecast, this is expected to take a track to the northeast and continue to intensify. right now a very strong typhoon expected to get up to that violent intensity, the max intensity from the japan meteorological industry. winds expected to move over towards the islands. but this is the key thing. at some point this coming week and heading into monday, this is expected to make a left-hand turn heading straight over towards the kanto area. that's the greater tokyo metropolitan location. we could see it by monday night, tuesday. still long range. we want to see how this reacts with the passing front.
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this is what will cause it to make that easterly track. but this is running into rough weather. you've been seeing some gusty rains and wind over the past 24 hours. winds up to 70 kilometers an hour have been reported. we could see an additional 150 millimeters from this front. also bringing some showers across parts of the korean peninsula and eastern china you've been seeing heavy rainfall come from that as well. look at shanghai showers for you, seoul some rainfall. by the way that front is bringing in some much cooler air with it. one reason why it's so potent, seoul, this is the first time your high for the entire month of august has been below the 30 degree threshold. just 29 there on your friday. all right, let's take a look over here towards the americas. we actually are looking at some strong thunderstorms flaring up out there towards the northeast
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now. this cold front which has been diving through, bringing some foul weather. i'll show you video out of iowa and indiana. significant flooding that has been taking place. look at this. these rvs just floating away and these raging rivers. one person was killed after their car was caught up in some of these rushing waters. also in indiana, several tornadoes broke out. one swept through the city of kokomo, about 45,000 people live there. that restaurant just completely leveled by that tornado. definitely very dangerous. that leaves a thunderstorm threat still lingering out here across parts of western new york down through the mississippi river heading through your thursday evening and to friday morning. heavy rain coming in from the south. that will bring a flood threat for the gulf state. i know you're still draining out from last week's flooding. more rain definitely not welcome a all.
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that's all this hour on nhk "newsline." thank you for watching. and have a good day.
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>> on this edition of "native report," we attend a summer language camp in northern minnesota to learn ojibwe. we go gardening with maxine thomas from the oneida nation of wisconsin. >> when people ask me, you know, "did you always want to be chief?" and i went-- >> and we interview principal chief michel hicks, from the eastern band of cherokee in north carolina. we also learn something new about indian country and hear from our elders on this "native report." >> production of "native report" is made possible by grants from the shakopee mdewakanton sioux community and the blandin foundation. [flute and guitar playing]

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