welcome back to "news line." the turkish government has intensified its crackdown on kurdish militant groups and the islamic state group. this comes in the wake of saturday's simultaneous double explosions in the capital ankara that killed nearly 100 people. turkish security forces attacked kurdish militant groups in the country and northern iraq on sunday. killing 49 militants.

security forces also detained more than 43 islamic state militants in the central city and the southeastern province. the explosions occurred near a peace rally in central ankara where participants were protesting against a recent series of clashes between government forces and kurdish militant groups. the blast killed 97 people and wounded 246 others. turkish authorities believe two male suicide bombers carried out the attacks. they're focusing their investigation on the islamic state group kurdish militants and extreme leftist organizations. crowds of mourners have gathered in ankara for the funeral of the victims. thousands attended one service at a hillside cemetery. public criticism of the government is mounting. people are arguing that it is the hard-line stance taken by the government that has encouraged insurgents to conduct terrorist attacks. activists are calling on people to take part in fresh waves of

anti-government rallies planned for monday in istanbul and elsewhere around the country. iraqi military officials say they have struck a convoy carrying islamic state militant group leader al baghdaddy. they issued a statement through state-run tv. they say his fate is unknown. the statement says iraqi air force planes bombed baghdadi's convoy as he was on his way to meet with the group's commanders. it says he was carried somewhere by car after the airstrike. the iraqi military says it has also struck the venue where the meeting was to take place, killing many commanders. there have been reports in recent months that baghdadi was wounded in usairstrikes, but the militant group has denied such reports by releasing audio messages it claimed had been made by baghdadi. senior officials at doctors without borders are calling for an independent investigation of an attack on one of their hospitals. they're urging international

observers to probe the u.s. bombing in afghanistan that killed 22 people. officials at the aid group known as msf have asked the international humanitarian fact-finding commission to conduct an inquiry. they say 33 people remain unacunted for after the airstrike that devastated the hospital. the group's representative for afghanistan spoke to nhk. >> the 77 countries of the creation of this commission be sent a letter by msf officials asking them to support. >> he says the group hasn't got an official response from any of the countries, but it has received informal offers of support. he said in the days before the attack, a hospital staffer had been hit by a stray bullet while on the way home. he said that incident had prompted other staff to stay at the hospital for safety. u.s. president barack obama apologized for the airstrike and

pledged to conduct a full investigation. japan's rugby team will be flying home soon after a world cup to remember. they began as underdogs after winning ju one match in seven tournaments. they left as giant-killing fan favorites with a slew of records including one they didn't want, the first team ever to win three matches without making the quarterfinals. nhk world looks back at the performances. >> reporter: japan faced the usa for its swan song. both teams had already been knocked out. but the americans were hoping to grab their first win, and the japanese wanted to go out with a bang. the u.s. opened the scoring from the penalty spot, but japanese winger quickly turned the tables with the opening try. they put japan further ahead with a try on his world cup

debut. it was out of reach when the winger powered through a wall of u.s. blue for another try. they sealed the win with a penalty. the game ended 28-18, and japan coach eddie jones finished the tournament with a smile. >> to win 3 out of 4 games is a super effort from the team. it just shows the quality of players that we have and how hard they've worked to achieve this. >> reporter: the japanese player delivered one of the greatest upsets in rugby world cup history on the tournament's second day. they stand two-time champion south africa. the game was tied as the underdogs kept pace with the favorites. and it finished in dramatic fashion. they roared into the corner just before the final whistle. and japan took the game 34-32. it was the first world cup

victory in 24 years. japan face scotland next and briefly led the game after a try. but scotland beat japan 45-10. back on form against samoa in the third match. the winger went flying over the line to help japan win 26-5. after waiting nearly a quarter century to win its second world cup game, japan took three in quick succession. and the victories have fired up a passion for rugby back home. >> reporter: the next world cup

takes place four years from now in japan. rugby fans will be watching to see whether home advantage will help the team go even further. nhk world. japan's automakers have been struggling to deal with slagging sales for years. model changes and upgrades won't do it anymore. some are calling for a revolution in the way we travel. nhk reports. >> reporter: electric transport on three wheels. toyota claims this is the future of city driving. zippy and stylish, the i-road allows all-weather driving and no helmet required. it's about 90 centimeters wide, slightly bigger than a motorbike. a three-hour charge offers

enough juice to run 50 kilometers. toyota is giving customers a year to test it out. >> translator: it's a cross between a car and a motorcycle. i can just take it out for a casual spin, and it's not scary to drive. it's comfortable and fun. >> reporter: safety has been an issue with three-wheelers. they've been prone to tipping over. turning corners, the driver has to lean against the centrifugal force. the i-road has a computer-controlled solution. the two front wheels tilt automatically with a maximum lean of 26 degrees, ensuring a safer turn. >> translator: people who aren't physically strong or who aren't

confident drivers can drive this vehicle because it stabilizes itself. we're still developing more safety features. >> reporter: three-wheeled vehicles aren't just a means of getting yourself from place to place. this three-wheeler can carry up to 150 kilograms of cargo. the extra carry space makes it ideal for small deliveries. this electric parts supplier volunteered for a six-month trial. crisscrossing the city, the three-wheeler has logged 100 kilometers a day. going where no delivery van has gone before. it saves the owner time and money. >> translator: running a gas-fueled car used to cost us between 160 and $250 a month. now we pay about 20% of that.

>> reporter: a start-up company developed the vehicle. the body is imported from india. other parts are fitted in japan. the makers installed a number of safety features including a reinforced frame. the maker has priced the car at about $10,000. it's already getting inquiries from overseas including canada and germany. >> translator: the price is reasonable. customers will also appreciate the low fuel expenditure. >> reporter: offering fuel efficiency, safety, not to mention fun driving. makers of three-wheelers say they're reshaping the industry's future. yang nguyen, nhk world, tokyo. a story about easing the stress of surgery, even under

the best of circumstances, operations can take a toll physically and emotionally. patients in developed countries often are able to take advantage of a less invasive approach called endoscopic surgery. they are working to make the med more widely available in southeast asia, it would. >> reporter: thailand is trying to cope with an increase in colon cancer cases. an asian population may have something to do with the problem. some people believe the spread of food is a factor, too. this hospital in bangkok is the country's largest hospital. it treats 2 million patients per year with about 1,000 doctors on staff. the hospital is part of a university. ten years ago it set up a facility dedicated to endoscopic

surgery. that method could help with some of the colon cancer cases. however, only 20 of its surgeons know how to do the procedure. the country has a lack of training opportunities. they asked japan's university to help. the university is known for endoscopic practice and research. in june, five surgeons went there for a teaching session. >> as you know, japan is one of the most advanced technology in surgery, especially for endoscopic surgery. so we decided to set up this operation for the best of our trainees. >> reporter: the training lasted two days.

the first day covered operation of the endoscope for tools for removing tumors. the participants used equipment made by a japanese company. the flexible moving head is equipped with a camera. watching the monitor, the trainees excised a piece of chicken serving as a tumor. most were young physicians with little experience in the technique. >> this angle is very important. >> it is our first time to practice the laparoscopic. >> reporter: on the second day, they did surgery using the same equipment.

the four-hour procedure highlighted the importance of attention to detail. >> it's the first time, so it's difficult for me. he teach me step by step, yeah. really good. >> translator: i think young thai doctors have learned japan's medical techniques. we hope to keep helping them develop their surgical skills. >> reporter: the two-year program will train 100 thai surgeons through six sessions. the trainees will come to oita next year. haruka noichi, nhk world. the asp news agency says last month's stampede in saudi

arabia was the deadliest ever at the annual hajj pilgrimage. the crush killed more than 1,500 people. the stampede occurred just outside the muslim holy city of mecca. afp says its research has shown the death toll has risen to at least 1535. that would make the staser worse than a stampede in 1990 that claimed the lives of 1,426 pilgrims. the tally also shows the victims were from 31 countries. 464 were from iran, and 177 from egypt. many more people reportedly remain unaccounted for. iranian government officials have lashed out at their saudi counterparts for their handling of the issue. saudi leaders remain tight lipped about the progress of their investigation. presidential hopefuls in the philippines are set to make some big announcements.

they have just a few days to register their candidacies for next year's race. they're scheduled to choose a successor to the outgoing president aquino in may. aquino is barred by the constitution from seeking re-election after his six-year term in office. the president from an opposition party has already registered his candidacy with the commission on elections. the former interior minister preferred by aquino as his successor is expected to run. and the independent senator is also likely to contest the ballot. the three have been attracting roughly equal support. just over 20% in recent polls. presidential hopefuls have until friday to file their candidacies. they'll start campaigning in february. political analysts say the big question is whether voters want someone who carries on aquino's anti-corruption policies or a candidate who focuses on poverty and infrastructure.

farmers in fukushima prefecture are trying to put the impact of the 2011 nuclear accident behind them. they've sent the best of their produce to an international fair in italy. prefectural officials are showing off the good goods. one of them delivered a speech in italian. visitors sampled ten kinds of sake. they also got to taste dried peaches and fruit juice. the officials said they ensure the safety of their products with rigorous screening for radioactive substances, and they said they're pressing on with efforts to decontaminate farmland.

the event runs through wednesy. environmental protection goes beyond keeping the air and water clean. 169 governments have joined an international agreement on wetlands. more than 2200 sites have been listed under the convention. japan's wetlands were added in may. nhk world reports on the diversity of life to be found there. >> reporter: the wetlands emerged from the volcanic activity of the mountain. they are located 150 kilometers north of tokyo. the air -- area is scattered with lakes large and small,

creating a unique ecosystem. the flower is in bright yellow. a white-face pauses along a wooden path. the dragonfly lives along the mountain range. >> translator: it's terrific, like walking into a diorama. >> reporter: in the lake, tadpoles wait for nature to take its course. the wetlands are the highest place in which the frogs have been found to breed. despite its natural attractions.

few tourists visit during the summer season. >> translator: i never expected to see so many rare species. >> reporter: this mountain hut was built for visitors. they can eat here and spend the night. but the number doing so have yet to increase. >> translator: people will realize the beauty of this area once they visit. >> translator: welcome to nature watch. nice to meet you. >> reporter: to promote the wetlands' appeal, the municipal office invited them to join a nature-watching event. 15 participated. it was the first time for many of them to visit.

after they were on the mountain pass for about an hour, they saw the landscape spread out before them. >> translator: the red-colored plant at the bottom is the round leaf sun dew. it feeds on insects. the sticky texture traps the creatures, and the insects are gradually dissolved to be digested. >> translator: it eats insects. that's remarkable. >> reporter: more discoveries are waiting further on. >> translator: you see the leaves shining like a mirror? they're known as rock mirror. they grow on rocks. that's how they got their name.

>> translator: this is my first visit. it was really refreshing. the area is beautiful. i never thought nature could be so vast and rich. >> translator: now that t wetlands has been listed under the convention, i hope to hold a lot of these nature-watching events. we'd like to share this experience with many more people. >> reporter: nature in a pristine state. the wetlands offer an opportunity to nurture the environment. nhk world, guma. rains have hit the waterlogged southern united states again. let's check in with meteorologist jonathan oh for a look at the forecast. jonathan, will they be able to catch a break monday? >> hello. i think that there will be a

short dry period for those in the southern united states after more rain came into south carolina. we have been keeping an eye on this particular region because in south carolina, we have had so much rainfall. we're talking about rainfall to the point of causing many severe flooding in columbia, south carolina. and because of that, even though it was dry for the second half of last week, we had some rain coming in during the weekend, and that additional rainfall caused even more concerns for the area. we do have a small trough and a low-pressure system located off the coast, but it is pushing off toward the atlantic ocean. so because of this period of dryness, hopefully we'll be able to catch a bit of a break on monday. we will be keeping an eye on a cold front pushing east. this will be the instigator of possibly unstabled weather for those in the southern plains and maybe bringing some cloud cover and the potential for showers as we go into tuesday. further back toward the west, we have high pressure that is bringing some very dry

conditions to the rocky mountains. but the interaction with a low-pressure system will bring windy conditions north of the great lakes. so be prepared for some rain and windy conditions as we go throughout the day on monday. meanwhile, further toward the west where we need additional rainfall, talking about the opposite of what's happening in south carolina, very dry conditions in southern california. and in fact, further up along the coast, we're expecting some rain for places like vancouver and seattle with highs in the teens. 35 and dry in los angeles as we continue on through monday. 28 in oklahoma city. 23 in denver. wet into winnipeg. a bit windy as well. 20 expected on the atlantic coast. and we're expecting sunny skies for most of the area with 29 in miami and a chance for some rainfall. now, a bit of a complex picture. as we look at the forecast for europe, we do have a low-pressure system that is swirling over the iberian peninsula. that's bringing in a lot of moisture. and wee looking at some thunderstorms. some of them may be strong, so be prepared for that. further up toward the north, we do have a cold front that's going to be bringing rain into

the scandinavian peninsula. high pressure into the british isles and ireland. meanwhile, we have a low-pressure system moving over in the northern portions of italy. this may be a producer of some potential flash flooding with some heavy rainfall occurring from time to time especially into the middle of this week. look out for that potential. also a low-pressure system may bring isolated severe thunderstorms over portions of northern turkeas we go throughout the day. so looking at the forecast for monday, chilly weather with that high-pressure system coming on shore with highs in the single digits for places like stockholm and vienna. wet into warsaw and also moscow, may even see a chance for flurries there. wrapping things up with a look at east asia, looking at relatively calmer conditions over eastern portions of china and also into the korean peninsula. the higher peaks in south korea saw some flurries as we went through the weekend. now, we are looking at the same low-pressure system moving to the north and east and bringing some windier conditions over into hokkaido in the northern portions of japan.

so look out for that. meanwhile, further down toward the south and also over the pacific, we are watching out for a couple areas of tropical depression system moving toward the west. not expected to intensify in the next 48 hours, but we will keep an eye on these areas as heavier bands of rain will be associated with them. looking at 20s in tokyo as we go throughout wednesday. hope you have a good day wherever you are. here's your extended outlook.

that wraps up this edition of "newsline." we'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. thanks very much for joining us. ñ

anchor: hello and welcome to " live from paris." it is 1:00 in the french capital. let's look at headlines this hour. withice officer is stabbed the attacker killed as a result. it comes amid a recent wave of israeli-palestinian violence as tensions continue to rise over access to a holy site favored ideas and muslims. turkey continues to pound kurdish militant