hello and welcome back to "newsline." i'm shery ahn. let's get started with the headlines. israel's prime minister has squashed hopes of a fast end to fighting in the gaza strip as his country and hamas trade blame over the latest casualties. scientists have developed a device that warns people who suffer from epilepsy before they have a seizure. and some workers from abroad may benefit from japanese government plans to change the face of the workforce.

the prime minister of israel is telling his citizens to prepare for a long conflict in the gaza strip. benjamin netanyahu says the operation against the islamist group, hamas, will continue until military forces accomplish their mission. both sides are trading blame yet again for the latest casualties in this three-week-long conflict. nhk world's craig dale is following this story for us. >> reporter: prime minister netanyahu is showing no signs of softening his position. he said, quote, there is no war more just than this. netanyahu went on television to tell israelis that this war won't be over any time soon. the prime minister says stamina and determination are required in the struggle against hamas and its allies. he repeated one of his goals, the demilitarization of the gaza strip. now, netanyahu says to do that, his troops must continue to destroy tunnels hamas fighters use to infiltrate israel.

israeli commanders say they have demolished about half of the tunnels. they have also been trying to disable launch positions to stop hamas fighters from firing rockets at israel, something that happens multiple times a day. our nhk colleagues in gaza say israeli soldiers are carrying out attacks across a wide area from north to south and describe the fighting as the heaviest in the past few days. but the israelis are denying accusations one of their air strikes is to blame for this. an explosion in a park in gaza killed ten people, almost all of them children. it happened as palestinians celebrated the end of the holy fasting month of ramadan. the israelis blame a hamas rocket misfire. still, there is no denying that this military campaign has been devastating. more than 1050 palestinians have died, the majority of them civilians. thousands have been wounded. most of the roughly 50 israeli deaths have been soldiers. it's much higher than the past two conflicts in gaza in 2012 and 2008-2009.

still, the lots have shocked israelis but polls suggest many remain committed to this confli. however, members of the u.n. security council are calling for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire. they say it's necessary for much-needed humanitarian supplies to reach the palestinian territory and the u.s. secretary of state says both sides need to take a pause and build from there. >> we hope to be able to find the magic formula by which the violence could cease for a long enough period of time to try to find that sustainable cease-fire which could allow you to move on from there. >> that magic formula kerry speaks of appears elusive at this stage. both sides have specific demands before they'll agree to a cease-fire. and just as the israelis are saying this campaign will go on much longer, possibly, hamas is saying that its fighters have a lot of surprises in store. >> nhk world's craig dale.

a senior white house official says the united states and the european union are preparing to impose a wider set of sanctions on russia later this w the official is accusing moscow of continuing to so ply weapons to ukraine's pro-russian separatists even after the downing of the malaysia airlines jet. >> it's increased the provision of heavy weaponry across the border. we have seen convoys of tanks, rocket launchers, artillery and armored vehicles. there's evidence it's preparing to deliver more powerful rocket launchers. making the situation in ukraine worse. clashes between separatists and the ukrainian military are intensifying in the country's easter. blinken expressed hope that the eu will finalist sanctions on russia later this week and said the u.s. will follow suit. the u.s. imposed sanctions on major russian companies and financial institutions on july 16th, one day before the downing

of the malaysia airlines jet. the u.n. security council has imposed sanctions on the north korean shipping firm. one of its ships was seized last year for carrying undeclared weapons. now the company is banned from engaging in international trade. the north korea sanctions committee added the ocean maritime management company to its sanctions blacklist. the decision was made after china agreed to support the action. omm operates the "chong chon gang," the cargo ship was seized by authorities last july in the panama canal. the vessel was carrying a huge cargo of arms from cuba to north korea in violation of a u.n. embargo. the company is believed to operate multiple cargo ships and have offices in china and russia. it will now be placed under an international asset freeze. and its officials banned from traveling overseas. 20 north korean companies and organizations are on the u.n. sanctions list.

observers say the latest addition could deal a blow to north korea's trade and may draw sharp reaction from pyongyang. in addition to the u.n. blacklist, the u.s. house of representatives has passed a bill tightening financial sanctions against north korea. it restricts the country's access to hard currency. the house approved the bill on monday. it was sponsored by foreign affairs committee chairperson ed roast and bipartisan lawmakers. the legislation targets foreign banks that help north korea acquire weapons of mass destruction and commit human rights abuses. it bars them from the u.s. financial system. >> north korea is undoubtedly one of the most significant security threats that we here face and our allies face. >> the bill asserts north korea has yet to give up its nuclear program. it says the nation has repeatedly been involved in

illicit activities like weapons sales and human rights violations. the bill needs to be approved by the senate and signed by president barack obama. the u.s. government has already imposed sanctions on north korean banks. it blames them for assisting in the north's missile development. let's now get the latest business stories from ron madison. >> thank you, shery. the top executive of mcdonald's holding japan has apologized for a food safety scandal. a chinese food processing firm was found to have supplied expired chicken meat to her company. >> i would like to extend my sincere apology to our valued customers. given the willful did session with a few individuals in one plant, mcdonald's is re-evaluating our protocols to strengthen them to ensure this doesn't happen again. >> casanova set the incident dealt a blow to mcdonald's. she said what the chinese firm

reportedly did is unforgivable. mcdonald's japan has stopped using chinese chicken meat in its products and switched to thai suppliers. company officials say they will conduct thorough inspections on other chinese meat processors as well as thai chicken suppliers to make sure their products are safe. mcdonald's japan says its daily sales have dropped 15% to 20% from its forecasts and has withdrawn its earnings guidance for this year. japan's third largest has decided to cancel their order for aircraft. 6 a3a super jumbo jets. airbus notified his company of the cancelation by fax on sunday. originally he said skymark had wanted to have the delivery of two of the aircraft delayed for some time and postponed the purchase of the rest of the

planes indefinitely. he said his company had to take this step because its business has been hurt by a weak yen. he expressed his intention to continue negotiating with airbus. skymark could face a massive penalty for violation of the contract if the talks break off. the airliner was planning to start international services using the a380s later on this year. japanese government officials have released a picture of the employment situation that's got some people a bit confused. the number of jobs available has been rising. but it seems they're not the right jobs for those who are looking. officials at the internal affairs ministry say the unemployment rate rose 0.2 points in june to 3.7%. the figure went up for the first time in ten months. labor ministry officials say the ratio of job offers to seekers edged up to 1.1. that means for every 100 job-seekers there were 110 positions available. the officials say there were

more jobs in medical and public welfare and in manufacturing but these fields aren't necessarily a good fit for those looking for work. families across japan are making more and more cutbacks. they've spent less on household items for three straight months now. officials with the internal affairs ministry say in june families of two or more laid out an average of about $2,600, down 3% in yen terms from a year earlier. many consumers went on a spending spree before the government increased the consumption tax. it went up in april from 5% to 8%. ministry officials say since then, demand has been stagnant. consumers spent 20% less on furniture and electronic appliances and other durable goods. they also bought fewer cars and ate out less. ministry officials say the decline was smaller than in april and may. they say the same thing happened back in 1989 when the government brought in the consumption tax and they say it happened again in 1997 when the rate went up

from 3% to 5%. let's get a check of the markets now. many investors in asia were reluctant to trade actively. they're focusing on the federal reserve's two-day policy meeting which is scheduled to begin later on in the day. here's how major benchmarks finished out the day. marketed like seoul and sydney post multi-year closing highs. other markets did extend their winning streaks. jakarta and mumbai are closed for public holidays. in seoul, the kospi hit 2061. that's a level not seen since august 2011. the government's plan to help local companies increase dividends has encouraged investors to shift their money into the market. the nikkei average saw gains of nearly .6%, 15,616. that's a six-month closing high for a third great session. many are becoming more confident about prospects for solid corporate earn lgds. in shanghai the composite index seeing a sixth consecutive day

of gains. 2183. this is a fresh closing high for the year. some market players continue to bet on an improving chinese economy. others took a bit of a breather following sharp rallies. japanese leaders are trying to change the face of their workforce. they're encouraging more women to take on senior roles. and the plan could benefit some other workers as well. nhk world's jun oikawa explains. >> reporter: yuko mizuochi's cafe opens at 7:00 in the morning. she works there alone 12 hours a day. so she asks a housekeeper to come once a week to help keep her home tidy. mizuochi pays about $65 for the housekeeper to come for two hours to clean her bathroom and living room. she says it saves her a lot of time.

>> translator: i have time to cook but i don't have time to clean my house when i'm at the when i have to work all day at the cafe. >> reporter: major housekeeping agencies are recruiting more part-time workers. they expect demand for their services to rise as more women enter the workforce. >> translator: we are positive we can provide help for working mothers behind the scenes. we know they need our service. >> reporter: in june, government officials decided to ease restrictions on foreign workers. currently, only a limited number of foreigners can work as housekeepers. but more will be allowed to work in designated areas. many people feel foreign workers will take away their jobs.

but some analysts estimate in 50 years, the japanese population will fall by one-third. so they are pressing ahead with their plans. elsie nakamura is from the philippines. her husband is japanese. she registered with an agency last year to become a housekeeper. >> translator: even though i get exhausted i am motivated to keep working when i see my customers' happy looks. >> reporter: this family has hired elsie to clean their home, thinking that their child will have the opportunity to hear and speak english. >> translator: it will be

necessary to have a global mindset in the future. >> reporter: elsie's agency is preparing to hire more foreign workers when the government eases the restrictions. >> translator: i hope the restrictions will be relaxed as soon as possible. we can accept many good housekeepers from the philippines to revitalize japan. >> reporter: major companies are setting targets to promote more women to management positions. the housekeeping service industry is likely to boom as more women enter the workforce. jun oikawa, nhk world, tokyo. that is going to do it for business hour. let's check in on the markets.

every morning, investors turn their attention to asia. the tokyo market leads the way. and markets around the world follow. >> from the decisions that could change the course of an economy. >> to the companies at the forefront of change. >> up-to-the-minute market reports. >> and analysis by specialists from around the world. >> get all the latest business

news and insight every day here on "newsline." scientists have developed a cutting-edge warning system for people suffering from epilepsy. the device is able to detect an imminent seizure by monitoring heartbeats. the sensor was developed by a team from kyoto university and other institutions. it monitors the heart rate variability, hrv, the time interval between heartbeats. the device can detect fluctuations several minutes to 30 seconds ahead of an epileptic seizure. seizures can result in serious accidents and injury. japanese statistics show that for every 1,000 people between two and three suffer from epilepsy. >> translator: i hope this device will help people who, until now, couldn't move around freely because they didn't know when a seizure might hit them. >> researchers say once the device is introduced it will be

the world's first hrv-based seizure prediction system. they say the device will lower the risk of accidents by helping people protect themselves before a se the great wall of china is the world's longest structure, running tens of thousands of kilomete but parts of the unesco world heritage site are on the verge of collapse. and preserving it is not an easy task. here's nhk world's kengo okamoto. >> reporter: the great wall is more than 20,000 kilometers long. it stretches across the country from west to east. shanghaiguan is located at the eastern tip of the wall in the city of qinhuangdao, hebei province. this popular tourist spot is well preserved but more than 80% of the rest of the wall is not.

officials of the great wall society of china are in charge of studying and preserving the stru they say about half of the wall has lost its original shape and is on the verge of collapse. hao sanjin heads the society's branch at qinhuangdao city. he was born in this town. hao has been involved in preserving the wall ever since he landed a job at the city's cultural bureau 30 years ago. >> translator: the culture of the great wall is profound but clear cut. is it the culmination of china's soul and ethnic spirituality. >> reporter: rain, wind and snow have pounded the structure for hundreds of years. but no efforts were ever made to preserve or repair it.

sturdy bricks make up most of the wall. but earth was used for some sections. rainwater seeps into these parts, making some sections even more unstable. >> translator: this part crumbled after a heavy rain last year. we've been fixing it. but the leaking continues due to the poor quality of the repairs. as you can see, it's about to collapse. >> reporter: people also damage the structure. they've cleared mountains of trees in order to collect mineral resources or build roads. also farmers have taken bricks from the wall for their homes. people sometimes sell the bricks to tourists. hao believes the farmers could

make a better living if the wall is repaired and attracts more tourists. also, if they can live a comfortable life, the locals will stop pilfering bricks and the structure will be better preserved. hao has been working with a local company to fix part of the wall inside the city. it's a one-hour drive to the site. but hao believes tourists will flock to it after the road is paved and the section is repaired. he also published a book containing thousands of the photos he has taken. he's trying to persuade his readers that the great wall is an irreplaceable cultural asset. >> translator: if the destruction of the great wall in our city continues at this rate, there will be nothing left worth seeing in 50 years.

laws to protect the wall should be observed strictly to better protect the structure. >> reporter: with his camera at the ready, hao continues his work so that future generations will be able to cherish this age-old monument to china. kengo okamoto, nhk world. a powerful system terse through the northeastern united states bringing heavy rain and powerful winds. our meteorologist sayaka mori is here with more on that, sayaka? >> a slow-moving and intense storm system has lashed the northeastern parts of the u.s.

let's go to video. in rochester, new york, a car spun out of control on a flooded road and crashed because of the dangerous conditions. common scenes of heavy rain, blown-off roofs and downed trees from found from massachusetts to new york state. the national weather service confirmed that a tornado with winds of about 200 kilometers per hour touched down 11 kilometers outside of boston, while many houses and buildings were damaged no injuries have been reported from these storms. now, you can see skies are clearing up in the northeastern u.s. right now affecting parts of quebec with strong winds and heavy rainfall but that's going to move away within the next several hours. but behind it, much cooler air is coming in from northern parts of canada. that is lowering temperatures. a different story over the west. heat is building. that is worsening the drought condition in several places like california. but in the middle due to the collision of cool and hot air, rain is falling heavily in the

intermountain west as well as the rocky and the four corners region. so flood watches are in effect for a wide area. temperatures over the west higher than average. 29 degrees in seattle. that's 5 degrees higher than normal. across the opposite side of the continent, about 5 degrees cooler than average. only 26 for washington, d.c. and 28 for new york city on your tuesday. very comfortable conditions. across asia, the tropics are really firing up. we have a tropical depression just to the east of the philippines and this is a tropical storm at this moment named halan now making its way toward the southern parts of the mariana islands. this system will likely get close to the mariana islands such as guam by wednesday night local time as a severe tropical storm. so winds are going to be quite strong on top of the hazardous recurrence and surf expected and heavy rain, of course. after making its way towards the

west it's going to intensify to a typhoon. we have a typhoon warning, excuse me, watches in effect for guam and siaipan you are under tropical storm watch. winds and rain continue the next couple of days in guam. the peak of the stormy weather is on wednesday so do brace for the stormy conditions. that tropical depression is dropping heavy rainfall for the west coast of the philippines and it's going to move out towards the north, probably affect northern parts of taiwan or the southwestern islands of japan within the next couple of days. across japan, it's bringing -- high pressure system is bringing sunny conditions and high temperatures. tokyo at 32 degrees tomorrow. and 32 in seoul as well. and quite hot for this time of year, common ching. in europe weather in similar locations from the iberian

peninsula through central europe. excessive heavy rain is falling especially in central parts of germany and eastern fronts. temperaturewise, 24 degrees in paris. 31 in moscow as well as kiev. stay that way for the next couple of days. here's the extended forecast around the globe.

and that's all for this hour

on "newsline." i'm shery ahn. thanks for watching. 

>> welcome back and we begin in gaza. artillery continues to pound targets in what has been the heaviest 24 hours of bombardment in three weeks. another territory has just been hit. benjamin netanyahu warned of a: campaign, squashing any hopes of a cease-fire.more than 1100 palestinians have bn