glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's wednesday, june 26th. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. edward snowden is holed up in the moscow airport, and looking for a way out. u.s. authorities want the former intelligence contractor on espionage charges. they want russian officials to

extradite him. president vladimir putin is refusing to hand him over. >> translator: russia does not have an agreement with the u.s. to extradite criminals. snowden committed no crimes in russia. >> putin is on a state visit to finland. he confirmed snowden is in the transit area of the airport. he stressed his government was surprised by the arrival of the former national security agency contractor, and he said the sooner snowden chooses a final destination, the better it will be for him and for russia. snowden revealed earlier this month nsa agents collect private phone and internet data at home and abroad. he is seeking asylum in ecuador. he was expected to fly to cuba earlier this week but didn't board the plane. ricardo patino spoke in the malaysia capital. he confirmed snowden is in russia but refused to say how his country will deal with the

americans' request for asylum. u.s. state department representatives have repeated their request for snowden's extradition. >> we do believe there is a basis for law enforcement cooperation to expel mr. snowden based on the charges against him and the status of his travel documents. >> patrick van trel pointed out that u.s. authorities have given suspects to russia many times in similar cases. he stressed the obama administration will use law enforcement and diplomatic channels to persuade the russians to hand over snowden. the decision by turkish leaders to crack down on widespread civil unrest has triggered diplomatic fallout. european union foreign ministers have postponed a new round of membership talks with the country. the negotiations were supposed to start wednesday, but the ministers decided to put them off until at least october. envoys from germany and other countries have criticized the

turkish government for using excessive force to disburse protesters. the demonstrations began late last month over a plan to redevelop a park in istanbul. but they turned into a nationwide show of anger against prime minister air dough juan they had concerns over human rights. they were also worried a large number of immigrants would move to eu states once the country joined the block. turkish leaders warped they will have to reconsideration relations if the talks are put off. analysts say they are trying to acknowledge criticism of turkey by its members while at the same time prevent relations with the country from worsening. executives at japan's telecom operator softbank are breathing a sigh of relief. they outbid a rival to acquire sprint next tell. we are joined from the business desk with more on that. good morning. >> good morning, catherine. it was a quick voting process

for the guys over at sprint and the deal could become as -- could become official, that is, as early as next month. shareholders of u.s. mow bile carrier sprint next tell have a takeover of japan's soft bank. the morninger would make the japanese operator the world's third largest in terms of sales and that follows china mobile at the top and u.s. verizon wireless in second place. soft bank made a proposal to acquire 78% of shares in sprint, at $21.6 billion. the management of the u.s. mow bill carrier agreed to the terms. sprint was at its head office in kansas tuesday. the top executive explained the merger will improve sprint's financial position and will be beneficial for its shareholders. 80% of sprint's shareholders voted in favor of the merger. the meeting ended in just about

ten minutes with only 24 shareholders attending. most other shareholders had voted beforehand. >> immediate cash investment into the company to help with development of its product line. >> i don't know a lot about soft bank. i think it's probably a very good company. >> u.s. satellite tv firm dish network had been a rival to trying to take over sprint, but dish gave up its bid last week as sprint's executives supported soft bank. soft bank's buyout will be complete when the federal communications commission gives it approval. soft bank hopes to finish the procedures by early next month. soft bank aims to tap into the u.s. market where the population is double that of japan. executives at the firm say the japanese market may shrink in the future due to a falling birth rate. china's central bank officials say they have pumped money into the markets. they want to make sure financial

institutions can can secure necessary funds. officials from the people's bank of china posted the announcement on their website. the easing follows a recent plunge in a key stock index. the shanghai composite tuesday dipped to its lowest level since january 2009 on liquidity concerns. market players sold off bank shares. stock prices fell after chinese financial authorities tried to limit market liquidity. short-term interest rates jumped above 13% at one point last week from 2 to 4%. investors in china are concerned about u.s. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke's intention to curtail monetary easing by year-end. they say it could prompt overseas investors withdraw funds, leading to lower stock prices. but over in wall street, u.s. stock markets ended higher as economic data boosted sentiment. the dow jones ended at 14,760. that's up just about .7 of a

percent. to see how all that will affect stocks here, let's go to the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, some upbeat data released tuesday supported u.s. share prices and with a stronger dollar, should we be seeing gains here as well? >> very good morning. it certainly does look that way. i'll get to currencies in a second. why don't we go to the opening levels for the nikkei and topics for june 26th. indexes well into the positive for the nikkei, 14,183 and the topix at 1093. the focus not only on how u.s. markets performed but also as we have been covering, an eye on how china markets react to government measures, they're really to ease fears in the markets about the cash squeeze that has been going on. after all, we did see the major indexes there, the shanghai compa compass posit, the hang seng dipping, as you mentioned as

well. another focus is the telecom sector. we have been covering what's been going on with soft bank so we're definitely checking the shares -- share price action not only for soft bank, but also other telecom sector shares, as well, as it finalizes its bid for u.s. carrier, sprint next tele. and sticking with the mow bill phones, also a focus on sony, it's aggressively ramped up its smartphone business really to compete with apple's iphone and samsung electronics. sony has also unveiled its new line of smartphone in shanghai. so that's going to be a bit of a focus, as well. >> and actually, ramin, the data over in the u.s. yesterday seems to have supported the dollar and the fed's argument to begin to wind down its bond-buying program. >> definitely. there was a slew of data yesterday. and you touched on the housing. let's not forget, there was also durable goods orders, which the housing data, of course, topped expectations. but durable goods orders also showed gains. and consumer confidence also

rose to its highest level since 2008. the dollar yen right now, 98.09 to 12. and bottom of the screen, 128.28 to 33. so we're going to track how the dollar yen performs today, as well as telecom sector shares, as we touched on there. and, of course, with that gain in the dollar, major exporters will likely get a boost, as well. and that will be a focus, of course, when earnings start coming up, earningses season for a lot of japanese companies. and let's not forget this week there's a lot of shareholder meetings of japanese companies, as well. so we'll keep track of what comes of those or any developments out of those meetings as well. but for now, pretty positive start for june 26th here in tokyo. back to you. >> all right, ramin, thanks a lot for that update. ramin mill guard from the tokyo stock exchange. for now, back to catherine. >> thanks very much. north korean authorities have

given another sign they're open to dialogue with other asian countries. their foreign minister is expected to fly to bruna for the asean forum, one of few conferences north korean officials attend. >> translator: we heard the north korean foreign minister will aattend. >> he says the south korean for the minister has no plans to meet separately with his north korean counterpart. the first vice foreign minister met last week with his chinese counsel per part. kim said pyongyang is willing to talk to all sides. he said officials will attend any kind of meeting. this includes the six-party talks on the country's nuclear development. the talks broke down in 2008. analysts are waiting to hear what north korea's foreign minister will say at the asean forum and whether he will talk to other participants. japanese foreign minister kishita and u.s. secretary of state john kerry will also be there. chinese activist chen began

chen has criticized china's human rights record in an address to taiwan's parliament. he is the first chinese human rights activist to address the chinese legislature. chen is known for exposing abuses in china, including forced abortion. he escaped house arrest in shan done province in april last year. he made headlines worldwide when he flew to the united states after seeking refuge in the u.s. embassy in beijing. he has been visiting taiwan since sunday. chen took note of taiwan's successful transition to democracy and criticized china's one party rule. >> translator: the chinese communist party claims that democracy does not suit chinese society. but this is an excuse to it hold on to power. >> chen said corruption and per accuse are rampant under china's dictatorship. he called for a shift that attaches importance to human

rights. chen's scheduled meeting with the head of the legislature, wang schenn ping was cancelled. representatives and opposition forces are no closer to sitting down for peace negotiations. the u.n. and arab league envoy -- ending the countries civil war will happen any time soon. >> frankly, i now doubt whether the conference will take place in july. >> he met with officials from the u.s. state department and the russian foreign ministry. they failed to agree on the conference schedule, and other matters. u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, and russian foreign minister sergei lavrov will meet next week to try to make progress. diplomats from both nations have been trying to organize the conference. but president assad refuses to give up any of his power. and anti-government groups are at odds over who should represent them. the number of civilian

casualties in the war is increasing. that's the civil war. and the conflict is spreading to neighboring nations. raheemy says the syrian crisis is not only a national tragedy, but also a major threat to regional and international peace and stability. now troops loyal to president assad have been regaining ground with help from the lebanese militant group, hezbollah. but its involvement is bringing the war across the border. nhk world's sho beppu, shows us. >> reporter: hermel is a hezbollah stronghold. portraits of the militant group's leader, hasan asala, adorn the streets. in some areas, his image is side by side with that of syrian president bashar al assad. lesser-known people are also honored here.

this man's relative was a hezbollah militant who died fighting in syria. >> translator: i am proud of my cousin. he died as a martyr. >> reporter: this narrow waterway and the outskirts of hermel divides lebanon and syria. armed, hezbollah fighters cross the border freely. many went to the syrian town of qusair in may and june to support assad's troops. they helped them push out anti-government forces. by aiding assad, hezbollah is trying to ensure its own survival.

for years, its shiite allies in iran sent money and military support through syria. hezbollah supporters favor intervention in the conflict. but some have paid a heavy price. this man says his 20-year-old daughter died after the anti-government forces shelled the town. >> translator: only a parent knows what it's like to lose a child. it's heartbreaking. >> reporter: and many in lebanon support the syrian rebels. most of them are sunnis, the same as the rebels.

they held an anti hezbollah rally earlier this month in beirut. the protesters clashed with supporters of the militant group. some people were injured. 28-year-old hashan sellman died. >> translator: hezbollah killed my brother. they call themselves the party of god, but their deeds are evil. >> reporter: the syrian conflict started as a protest against the assad regime. but it is turning into a sectarian war between shiites and sunnis, furthering tensions. its repercussions are especially dangerous for lebanon, where religious divisions from the civil war remain close to the surface. sho beppu, nhk world, hermel, lebanon.

european and asian countries are racing to develop a new frontier. they're keen to explore the arctic circle's trove of natural resources. a senior official from greenland is encouraging japan to invest in development. greenland is located within the arctic circle. it's the world's largest island with a population of around 50,000. it's an autonomous region of denmark, but seeking independence. last month, japan became an observer of the arctic council. the international forum oversees resource exploitation and conservation in the region. greenland's future foreign minuister is visiting. the deputy minister is visiting japan to strengthen ties. japan appointed an ambassador in charge of arctic affairs in march. >> we are ready to explore the new opportunities. and japan has been very important. japan is a very important act in greenland in the oil industry today already.

and we would like to see japan also as an important actor in the other sectors of the raw materials boom that we are experiencing these years. >> andersen indicated the island wants to step up its development of natural resources. companies and governments from asia, europe, and the united states are expressing interest. >> for all these projects, and there are many, you need to build your own fort and you need to build your own airport. you need to build your own power station. it's frontier investment. and some of these, the chinese are very good for. each investor has things they are good at. and we have to be realistic about there are some things the chinese can do that nobody else can do. >> andersen said chinese involvement is essential. he said greenland wants to deepen ties with china, while paying attention to environmental protection.

more and more people in industrialized nations are develop food allergies. and there's been a corresponding increase in the number of deaths. the risks have prompted school administrators in the u.s. to take extra precautions to protect their students. nhk world john ellis gordola has the story. >> reporter: last month, children with food allergies and their parents gathered to publicize the dangers of their condition. >> to help people understand more about what it, like -- to help prevent people dying from peanut allergies. >> reporter: a 7-year-old girl in the state of virginia died last year after eating a peanut, a food she was allergic to. since then, parents, schools and legislators in the u.s. have taken steps to avert accidents

like that. they are trying a variety of methods to prevent students from accidentally eating allergic foods. at this nebraska elementary school, students' fingers are scanned to identify children who have food allergies. first grader, coleman savage, is allergic to peanuts. whenever he is scanned, the computer flashes a warning. >> this comes in very handy when -- especially at the beginning of the school year when we have new kids coming and i don't really know the kids that well. >> reporter: children with peanut allergies sit at a designated table, where they eat nonal generalic food. with this arrangement, it's not as likely the children will come into contact with food that contains peanuts. but if a child should eat a dangerous food and find breathing difficult or lose consciousness, the staff are

prepared. they can administer an epipen. in 1998, nebraska was the first state to adopt a rule requiring schools to have an epipen on hand. if a student goes into severe shock, it's the teacher's responsibility to administer the device. faculty members who give injections are not held responsible if something goes wrong. but teachers must receive regular training on how to use the epipen. >> where's the only place we can give? the outer thigh, okay? so we'll go to that area. and how long do we hold it? >> ten seconds. >> ten seconds. you let that medication get in. >> andrea hoka runs a group that spreads information about food allergies. her group has even investigated accidents at schools and held study sessions so a more

rigorous protocol could be implemented. >> this is, you know, a life-threatening asthma attack or a life-threatening severe allergy. you have to act so quickly. due to those tragic deaths at school, the school community reached out to medical professionals, they came together, and they came up with a protocol. >> reporter: the counter measures have had good results. for example, high school freshman le andrea martinez went into sudden shock after eating a sunflower seed at school. a teacher injected an epipen, and the girl recovered. >> it really does. it's easy to do. we train every year at it as first responder, i look at it as my duty to make sure every student i treat as my own, make sure they get the best care i give at the time. >> if they didn't have it, i could have died. you never know. so -- that scares me. i feel great. i feel happy and i'm thankful

for my teachers that were there to help me. >> reporter: 15 million people in the united states are said to be allergic to some kind of food. while nearly half of the u.s.'s 50 states have laws requiring schools to stock epipens, other states have still debating legislation to save children. john ellis-guardiolaia, nhk world. people in western and central areas of japan are getting incredible amounts of rain. we get an update in weather. >> good morning, catherine, you're right. significant amounts of rainfall has already been observed in much of western and central japan. this is due to the two water masses colliding -- excuse me, bringing and supplying moisture to this area and energizing the seasonal band lingering over japan, including where we have a record of 400 millimeters already in the prefecture which

has already received 200 millimeters in the past 24 hours. the line is very well soaked, very prone to flooding. so any amounts of additional rainfall could cause further flooding, as well as landslides. i'm afraid landslides have already occurred in hiroshimaa. let me show you the video coming out from hiroshima prefecture. days of torrential downpours have caused landslides hiroshima prefecture. one person was found buried and dead after several hours. one was 50 meters high and 50 meters wide. the city has 75 millimeters of rain in a span of three days. and rain is likely to continue into this afternoon. so unfortunate news is that this rain will be continuing across the area. you see very bright pink of water moving over here owe sheem where that very came out from.

so additional amounts of 100 millimeters is likely into the next 24 hours. really unwelcomed. you see it will be moving over to central japan, including the metropolitan region, as well. in addition to that, upper cold air disturbance will be clashing. so after the daytime heating, we're looking into some thunder showers, which will be very random in the afternoon, again. some more rain of about 200 millimeters in kushu and about 180 millimeters of additional rainfall, certainly enough to trigger flooding and mudslides. also the seasonal band is moving all the way into the river valley. it's very active. additional amounts of 120 millimeters is likely across this area. also southwestern monsoonal flow is active here in the indochina peninsula, bringing rain and scattered showers. chances of thunderstorms lie in bangkok at 33 degrees. heating up to 29 degrees in beijing and northeastern china will likely to see threats of large hail, as well.

tokyo at 23 degrees. now over to north america. still the system is going to be affecting the great lakes region in -- yesterday we already have a report of two tornado touchdowns in north dakota. so the same system is affecting a similar area, that includes the very well-populated cities, bismarck, minneapolis, and also chicago, especially with chicago flash flooding is going to be the main threat. and that's going to be continuing into your tuesday overnight hours. but to the southwest, this is where we really want that precipitation and we're not going to get any. you see the temperatures reflected here with that heat, phoenix, 43 degrees. quite breezy here. so there is a lot of recipes for critical fire weather. in fact, excessive heat warnings are still posted across southern california and into arizona. and still very summer-like across much of the eastern sea bounds. i'll leave you now for the extended forecast.

that is all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do join us again.

captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: the supreme court today struck down a key provision of the voting rights act, arguing there was no longer justification for subjecting mostly southern states and counties to federal oversight. good evening. i'm jeffrey brown. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, marcia coyle breaks down the major rulings, and we debate the court's 5-4 decision on voting rights, as well as the likely fallout. >> brown: then, president obama unveils a sweeping plan to combat climate change without congressional approval. we get two takes on his proposals.