hello and welcome back to "newsline." i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. a japanese government panel has approved a draft rules on a controversial law. it lists 25 categories of information which will qualify as special state secrets. israeli and hamas leaders have temporarily stopped fighting to let aid workers deliver supplies to gaza.

and bashar al assad's third term as syria's president began with a defining speech. he's promising to continue fighting anti-government forces. palestinians under siege in gaza should be getting some much needed supplies by now from food, water to medicine. israeli and hamas leaders temporarily suspended their attacks to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. now, this video shows scenes from gaza shortly after the five-hour truce window opened. both sides have been carrying out cross border attacks for more than a week. but israel's air raids have been the most punishing. israeli and hamas leaders agreed to the cease-fire in response to a request from the united nations. now the aid is coming just in time for some gazans who left their homes ahead of possible air strikes and have no homes to return to. more from nhk world's craig dale. >> reporter: these palestinians

are camping out here because they have nowhere else to go. they have fled to united nations run schools to escape israeli raids on the islamist group hamas. >> translator: we sleep on blankets on the floor and cover ourselves with our clothes. children are now suffering from diarrhea and are throwing up. >> reporter: aid workers are concerned about the state of hygiene at some facilities. along with the availability of clean drinking water and food. for the past ten days, israeli forces have been hitting what they call terror targets in gaza. the territory hamas controls. hamas fighters have fired hundreds of rockets at israel. israeli troops shoot down most of them with their so-called iron dome aerial defense system.

the conflict has left more than 210 palestinians and one israeli dead. hamas leaders and others have criticized israelis for killing civilians. and people have protested in different parts of the world, from paris to buenos aires, all of them calling for an end to the violence. but israeli leaders show no sign of backing down. they have turned to twitter to explain how the defense forces are trying to avoid civilian casualties while hamas, they say, does nothing. they say they distribute leaflets to warn residents of imminent attacks, along with making phone calls and sending text messages. still, the four palestinian boys who were playing on this beach either didn't get a warning or didn't hear one. an israeli gun ship fired on the shore, the boys who were in the same family died. israeli military commanders say

they were going after terrorist operatives. they're now investigating what happened. it's further proof, perhaps, these u.n. run schools are the safest places to be right now. israeli military commanders say once the five-hour humanitarian window closes, palestinians living in three northern towns should not return home for their own safety. craig dale, nhk world. defense officials in tokyo have laid out their concerns over recent moves by some of japan's closest neighbors. they call it china's declaration of an air defense identification zone over the east china sea dangerous and say it is raising tensions in the region. the assessment is included in an annual report issued by the defense ministry. the report says japan is deeply concerned over the chinese zone, which overlaps japan's.

it says china's move has unilaterally changed the status quo and could trigger an unexpected incident. chinese authorities announced the zone in november. it covers an area that includes the senkaku islands in the east china sea. japan controls the islands. china and taiwan claim them. the report also refers to china's increased maritime activities in the east and south china seas. it says that chinese are using military might to try to change the established order. it says the actions of china's leaders are inconsistent with international rules. japanese defense officials have also voiced concerns over north korea. the report says that north koreans are trying to develop ballistic missiles with an extended range as well as compound nuclear weapons and nuclear warheads. the report says north korea leaders may wrongly believe such moves will serve as a deterrent to the united nations. and it says there is a possibility the north koreans will escalate their provocations.

japanese leaders are putting the pieces in place as they prepare to implement a state secrecy law. it gives the government the authority to designate certain information as special secrets. they passed the law in december and now members of a government panel have drafted a set of rules for classifying information. nhk world has more. >> reporter: the draft released by members of the panel lists 55 types of information that qualify as state secrets. they include classified information provided by foreign governments and information going through the self-defense forces information gathering and surveillance activities. data on the capabilities of submarines and aircraft and how they are used would also be secret. and so would certain information gathered using radio waves and

satellites. >> translator: the draft contains an approach insisting for the laws of appropriate application and i believe it will allow administrative offices to deal with secrets subjectively and transparently. >> reporter: and it says government officials who respect the importance of the freedom of the press. it says only the heads of 90 administrative agencies will have the power to classify information of the they include the foreign and defense ministers. the draft says officials must first gain security clearance. that process will include an examination of their criminal and financial records. but it said the government will respect their privacy and will not scrutinize their beliefs, political activities, or

involvement with labor unions. the authors of the draft are also planning for a system of checks and balances. they're calling for the creation of two bodies within the cabinet office to determine whether information has been classified appropriately. the people in charge of those bodies would be authorized to demand documentation on secret information from the heads of ministries and agencies. and they will be able to declassify any information if they think it does not merit protection. experts are divided on the draft's contents. >> translator: there was no active discussion about the issue of secrets for a long time. so there weren't any firm rules or systems for dealing with them. but we have held many discussions on the issue, and gradually developed a set of

rules, and i think they meet global standards. >> translator: this is the first time for japan to have this type of law. once it goes into effect, some parts may be deleted and others may be added. my concern is that the legal framework for the law is quite vague. >> reporter: people outside japan have also voiced concern. members of the u.n. human rights committee say japanese leaders must make sure the law does not infringe on people's right to know. protesters rallied in front of the cabinet office as panel members met. they were demanding more transparency. >> translator: even today's meeting was not open to the public. and i think openness is a

fundamental issue. >> reporter: the law is set to take effect before the end of the year. but japanese liters have yet to convince some members of the public that it is needed. tomoko kamata, nhk world. syrian president bashar al assad has been sworn in for a third term. he kept his grip on power for 14 years and through civil war and he says he'll continue fighting anti-government forces. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the inaugural speech at the presidential palace in damascus. >> translator: we will not stop fighting terrorism and striking it wherever it is until we restore security to every spot of syria. >> reporter: assad assumed his

presidency in 2000, at age of 34, following the death of his father, former president hafez al assad. in 2011, the arab spring movement reached syria. an all-out civil war erupted with assad's security force and police on one side, and army sergeant on the other. in august last year, the u.s. -- military action against assad regime, accusing him of using a chemical weapon. washington withdrew the threat after russia promised emaking remove the weapons. a first round of peace talks from january to february between the syrian government and opposition failed to bridge any gaps.

then came three-party talks. however, the u.s., which backed some of the insurgents, and russia and the u.n. serving as a mediator couldn't find common ground. >> i apologize to the syrian people that their hopes which were very, very high that something will happen here, i think that, you know, the little that has been achieved. >> reporter: assad's security forces are prevailing after recapturing the third largest city homs in may. in june, the president extended his term for another seven years, when he won a presidential election. >> translator: many people in the arab world and west will understand late that the battle in which the syrian people are fighting to defend their country is a battle to defend many other people who will be facing the

same terrorism sooner or later. >> reporter: more than 170,000 people have died in the battles and terrorist attacks so far over the three past years of the civil war. 9,000 have been children. the conflict continues with no end in sight. nhk world. to the latest in business now. nissan motor is pressing ahead to develop cars with automated driving systems. ceo carlos ghosn says the company hopes to introduce them in about two years. ghosn announced plans to sell vehicles with a so-called traffic jam pilot by the end of 2016. this technology allows cars to drive automatically on congested highways. >> what we want is to be between the pioneers because you know that's always a premium for

those who come first. >> ghosn says nissan will also make fully automated parking systems available across a wide range of vehicles. he added engineers are working on technology that would let cars automatically change lanes and negotiate city intersections. those systems would be introduced by the year 2020. analysts say ghosn's announcement of a specific time frame could prompt other automakers to accelerate their own efforts. let's got a check of the markets now. investors in asia took profits as many major indexes reached high levels recently. many benchmarks across the region faced downward pressure. shanghai composite was down for a second straight day after hitting a one-month high earlier in the week. in fact, it slid nearly .6%, finished at 2,055. investors adjust their stock holdings as they were setting money aside for upcoming initial public offerings. taiwan's taiex seeing declines, down .8%, finished at 9408 and

pulled back from this year's high that it marked on tuesday. shares of taiwan semiconductor manufacturing took a hit on speculation that the company may lose orders from major clients such as u.s. firm qualcomm. and trading in tokyo, pretty lackluster with weaker asian equities dampening sentiment. nikkei down to 15,370, loss of just under a .6%. they turned their focus on upcoming corporate earnings. japanese's sony plans to develop a new telecom system compatible with overseas standards. this is aimed at spreading its technology known as felica which is used for emoney settlements. they plan to market worldwide the technology. it features an ic chip that enables transactions by using a compatible reader. felica was commercialized in japan 17 years ago. it is widely used in mobile phones with wallet functions,

and in ic cards for transportation. but in other countries, felica is facing competition with similar telecom technologies. sony executives hope to see the use of the technology spread in the u.s. and europe. the company plans to start production of ic chips for the new technology jointly with japan's toshiba and south korea's samsung electronics. the people at the u.s. central bank like what they're seeing with the economy. federal reserve officials say in recent weeks the economy continued to expand. fed officials divide the country into 12 districts, interview people in each of those areas to compile what is known as the beige book. the report says overall consumer spending rose in every region. americans spent more on tourism as well as on cars and trucks. autoworker were pretty busy as were metal workers. they helped to drive an expansion in manufacturing. this report shows conditions in the labor market improved as well. with slight to moderate growth in employment. the report does provide a mixed

picture, though, of real estate. people in many districts have seen more buyers for the houses on the market, but respondents in other areas saw less demand. oyster farmers in northeastern japan are hopeful that better times are ahead. many of them saw their boats get swept away in the tsunami three years ago. now they're working to rebuild what they had and they're getting a little help from some modern technology. nhk world explains. >> reporter: for generations, fishermen inmade their living farming oysters, but many saw it get washed away. the tsunami rolled into the village and swept away the boats and the oyster farms were destroyed. the disaster left layers of rubble and sand where farmers cultivated their oysters. about a third of the fishermen gave up their jobs.

some marine biologists formed a group that are working together to help revitalize the fishing industry through their research data. this man leads the group. he knows oysters only grow under certain conditions. so last october, he installed a sensor to monitor what was happening underwater. the device takes readings at 1 and 7 meters below the surface. to track temperature, salt, and oxygen. >> translator: fishermen here have a lot of experience farming oysters. but our data can speed up the oysters' growth. >> reporter: the sensor takes readings every 30 minutes, and then sends the data to a computer.

and the scientists don't keep information to themselves. this man lost two boats three yore years ago and his entire oyster farm but he's back in business and now he checks his cell phone all the time to see if everything is all right. he used to grow his oysters near the surface. like others, he didn't understand why many of them would die. he learned many could not survive temperatures of more than 28 degrees celsius. so he moved his oysters to deeper water, where the temperature is about ten degrees cooler. >> translator: i think the data will be a great source to boost productivity. we need to fish oysters more efficiently. >> reporter: the scientists believe many oysters could still

die if conditions get worse. so hara is researching other species too. hara has taken samples of creatures that live on the bottom of the ocean. he wants to know if they can serve as a food source for other marine life. he sees potential in clams too. he says clams and oysters eat different things, so they can live side by side. >> translator: the fishermen's income slumps when the oysters grow slower or die. by farming other products, the fishermen can receive steady earnings. >> reporter: hara is planning to share what he finds with marine biologists overseas. he says his research could serve as a model for other fishermen

trying to recover from disaster. akiko okamoto, nhk world. okay. that is going to do it for business hour. let's check in on the markets.

we're seeing the devastating impact of that typhoon in the philippines. our meteorologist robert speta joins me now. robert, i understand southern china is also putting typhoon warnings in place. what is the latest? >> yes, shery. this storm system still very serious. it is packing some very strong typhoon strength winds out here. now approaching hainan island, expecting to make landfall by friday afternoon. but before that happens, or before that happened, this storm system did roll across the southern philippines and brought these very damaging winds out here. not just the winds, but also the rainfall. first starting over here toward southern portions of lawsen, tracking across much of the country and impacting the metro manila area where we have video coming out of the cleanup efforts here today. the good news is that the weather has dramatically improved, but still a lot to pick up here. also there has been many reports of deaths, 38 at this time. many people are still missing out here. at one point, see all the downed

trees, about 85% of the city lost power in manila. government offices were shut down, many schools were closed, and about 420,000 people had to evacuate. really a lot of people were impacted by this storm system. and sadly you are seeing those reports of deaths out here, many of them were people that were caught out in the storms. always want to take these very seriously. let's look at how much rainfall actually fell from the storm system. this is from the nasa trim satellite. this is satellite estimation. you can get a good idea where these rain totals were. some areas as much as 350 millimeters occurred toward the south. then you see where the track pushed through, and where that heaviest rainfall took place out here, as it pushed off there towards the west. now, hainan, you're going to be seeing very similar conditions. winds at this time sustained at 144, gusting to 198 kilometers per hour. very warm sea surface temperatures out here. all those atmospheric ingredients are in place to allow this to intensify some more before making landfall by

friday afternoon. the northern portions of the island, that's the high populated area out here, that's where you're going to be seeing winds and also the heavy rainfall. even hong kong starting to go through some typhoon warnings and you are still seeing strong winds. the worst of it is toward the west of hong kong and then eventually hanoi, you would be dealing with this as well. a lot going on with this storm system, it is not just this, i would like to say the tropics are becoming quiet, another tropical depression expected to become a tropical storm out there near pulau and keep an eye on that one, potentially could track off toward the northwest through the next several days. let's get out of the tropics though and talk about what is going on in korea and japan. afternoon thunderstorms flaring up out here. a few of them could become strong. but the main reason is you have these warm daytime temperatures combined with some cool air aloft. tokyo, don't be surprised if you see a passing shower or are two. and then china, very hot actually. temperatures well above average for many of you, even in parts of northwestern china, getting

up to 40 degrees there by the end of the week. let's move over towards the americas. big topic is the cool air mass setting in out of canada. temperatures actually during wednesday here, the overnight lows, record-breaking, 11. there is good news. it is going to be warming up. we have a storm system down here towards the south. that's pumping in warm air and temperatures will finally start to rebound. talking about warm air as well, the iberian peninsula, a little more on this later on, you have been seeing temperatures spike out here. even into the british isles now. by the end of the weekend, we're going to see a big change in place, thunderstorms out there across much of the uk. here is the extended outlook.

before we wrap up, one of japan's most famous summer festivals is under way in the ancient capital. large decorative floats were paraded through the streets of kyoto. it marked first climax of the month long gion festival. the parade of 23 floats began on

thursday morning. the gion festival dates back more than a thousand years. this year's parade is divided into two days for the first time in 49 years. the second parade will be held next week. spectators cheered when large floats made 90 degree turns at crossings. the sharp turn is carried out by a team of about 50 people. >> translator: it is my first time to see it. the floats are bigger than i expected. >> translator: i can't imagine kyoto without this festival. i'm looking forward to the latter parade as well. and that's all for this hour on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching. a7guc

>> you are watching live from paris. international news. here are the headlines. several mortar rounds have been fired from gaza into israel despite the cease-fire agreed with hamas. no error rates or rocket fire until 3:00 p.m. local time. we will be speaking to our correspondent in jerusalem and the moment. russia threatens to retaliate after the u.s. imposes sanctions on moscow. washington is targeting the banking sector as well as major oil and gas companies. we will have analysis later on. ursncois hollande to west africa. the country experiencing an economicev