pomp and circumstances. north korea marks another anniversary and finds another way to enhance the power of its leader. the people who support kim jong-un have spent the past few weeks staging events to underscore his leadership. today they're observing another one. kim recently assumed the top post. he's pledged to further develop north korea's military might. the army's supreme command warned it would launch special actions against south korea. military leaders said in a statement they would reduce the government in seoul to ashes. they criticized president lee myung-bak and several media

outlets for swaying public opinion. analysts say the leadership in pyongyang is trying to tighten its grip on power at a time of economic difficulty. they say north korean officials may carry out a third nuclear test to boost national prestige. those officials launched a rocket earlier this month. they say to put a satellite into space. it blew up less than two minutes after takeoff. the united states says it will ask china to increase the pressure on north korea not to conduct another nuclear test. state department spokesperson victoria nuland said the u.s. will raise the issue next month in beijing as part of strategic economic talks. >> though i am sure that we will be exchanging views on north korea and getting a better sense of how the chinese side analyzes the situation, what messages they've been willing to send, able to send and what pressure they think they can bring to bear because it's absolutely essential we all work together

here. >> nuland also urged north korea to exercise self-restraint and refrain from conducting a nuclear test. a bomb has exploded at a railway station in lahore, pakistan. it killed at least two people. it wounded 38 others. police say the bomb expleaded tuesday around 6:00 p.m. as people were heading home. they say it went off near a waiting room for express trains linking lahore and karachi. police say they suspect islamist militants were targeting ordinary citizens. people in lahore have seen many bombings in the past, but this is the first in months. canada is suspending most of its sanctions against myanmar. it's easing the five-year-old measures after democratic reforms in the southeast asian nation. canadian foreign minister john baird says myanmar's government has changed course in a major way. he notes the authorities have released political prisoners and

held parliamentary by-elections. he said canadian officials have suspended restrictions on trade and investment but they will maintain an embargo on arms sales and a freeze on the assets of former military leaders. he also says canada will restore all sanctions if necessary. the united states partially lifted its sanctions against myanmar last week. the european union decided to suspend its sanctions for a year. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton says u.n. reports coming from syria are deplorable. the reports accused government troops of harassing and attacking civilians who meet with u.n. cease-fire monitors. >> it is absolutely deplorable if there is this kind of intimidation, harassment and possible violence. >> clinton called on the government of president bashar al assad to cease-fire immediately. she said the military must

withdraw troops from conflict areas. she also demanded that they stop hindering the activities of u.n. observers. u.n. special envoy on syria kofi annan raised the alarm on tuesday. he said the government crackdown has continued despite the arrival of the u.n.'s advance team. he said there were reports that government troops are attacking civilians once the observers leave. the u.n. will send the official in charge of the monitoring mission to syria later this week. it plans to increase the number of observers to 30 by the end of this month and 100 next month. >> the syrian government made a commitment to not only permit the u.n. monitoring mission to go forward but to work on the kofi annan plan. and we expect them to comply. u.s. officials want the u.n. to act if its monitors are prevented from doing their work. washington is calling for additional security council sanctions, including an arms

embargo. israel has legalized three outposts in the west bank. the decision is drawing sharp criticism from the palestinians. the israeli government is expanding settlements in the occupied territory. there are currently about 100 unauthorized outposts. palestinians condemned the decision. a spokesperson for palestinian president mahmoud abbas on tuesday urgedsrael to stop all settlement construction. abbas sent a letter last week to israel prime minister benjamin netanyahu saying all settlement activity must stop before the peace process can resume. in washington, state department spokesperson victoria nuland said the u.s. was concerned about israel's move. she said the u.s. does not consider the decision helpful to the peace process. nuland said her country has raised the issue with israel. u.s. special envoy for middle east peace david hale is

in the region trying to revive the peace process. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenging of the 2011 disaster, but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." experts warn a nuclear plant in central japan may be sitting on an active fault line. authorities have ordered a new round ofionis at the tsuruga power plant. the reactor is already offline for regular safety checks. the nuclear and industrial safety agency issued this inspection order. japan atomic power company operates the plant. the team of experts surveyed three faults under the plant compound. one is 150 meters from the number two reactor may be

active. the team said the fault could shift simultaneously with an active one nearby. that could trigger an earthquake more powerful than the plant was designed to withstand. the agency ordered the operator to confirm whether the line below the reactor is active. government guidelines do not take into account the discovery of an active fault line. the agency has been examining seismic faults near reactors across the country since the nuclear accident in fukushima. the people who won a factory in northeastern japan are proving just as durable as the product they produce. last year's tsunami almost put them out of business. but they've made a comeback. and on today's "road ahead" they show us how they are giving back to the friends who helped them get back on their feet. and to their home town

kessennuma. >> reporter: it doesn't look like much. just a small building overlooking the pific ocean. but inside, a team of workers is busy making some of the best quality denim in the world. this factory produces jeans for big name companies. levi's, wrangler. she is the ceo. she and her three sons are passionate about their work. even more so since they rebuilt their company following japan's 2011 disaster. >> we're doing our best to pay back the world and our country by producing high quality made in japan products. >> the march 11th, 2011, tsunami

washed away their warehouse. 10,000 denim products gone. she also lost her home. only the factory remained. but it had no electricity and no water. so she turned the build into a temporary evacuation center right away. then in early april, she restarted her factory. some fishermen who are staying with her brought two generators. enough power to get sewing machines sewing again. when the light was hit, everybody shed tears of joy. we all patted each other's shoulders, hugged each other and said, we are on our way to

reconstruction. >> reporter: local fishermen gave okawa even more encourage. they found some jeans the tsunami washed away up in the mountains. aside from a little dirt, they were ready to wear. no holes. no rips. not even a stitch had come undone. so now okawa and her team are hard at work on their latest project. paying back the fishermen who helped her start up again. they are creating a new brand using materials strongly connected with the fishery. >> this man is helping out. he's a fisherman who stayed at okawa's factory when it was an evacuation center. he donated something he considered special. a banner from his boat that's meant to help bring in a good

catch. >> reporter: okawa is giving a new life to the banner. and to other fishing products the tsunami damaged. she's combining them with her company's signature denim fabric. >> translator: we can't just stop here. during the first year of reconstruction, i hope to have created work which will last for two, five or ten years or even through the next generation. >> and jun joins us from sendai. how does her recovery compare to other businesses in kesennuma. >> about 1100 out of 1400

businesses in the city are operating but at limited capacity. they are just trying to survive. so oikawa's return to almost full capacity is exceptional. almost 80% of the companies in kesennuma are linked to the fishery from the men who go out on the water to the people who make their work clothes. reviving the industry is crucial to revitalizing the local economy. >> and oikawa seems committed to helping with that. what are her plans for the future? >> she wants to hire more people who lost their jobs because of the disaster. she's already hired three new employees to work on her latest brand. they are helping create and sell products such as this. this one here, they use netting for fishing. in this tiny part is tan sharkskin. all profits from oikawa's new

brand will go toward helping the city prepare for future disasters. to buy necessities like blankets and water. not many companies in the northeast are ready to help out in this way, but oikawa's actions setting a good example. >> nhk world's jun in sendai. experts with the u.s. department of agriculture have identified the first case of mad cow disease in six years. japanese officials have been considering whether to relax rules on importing u.s. beef. american officials say this will not affect their international trade. the department of agriculture announced their experts found the disease known as bse in a dairy cow in california. it assured consumers and global

importers that the cow's meat never made it onto the market. >> we will complete an investigation of this particular case, but there should be no concern as indicated about the safety of our food supply. so the finding of this case should not affect our international trade. >> this is the fourth identified case of the disease in the u.s. the first was in 2003. japan limits its imports to cattle aged 20 months or younger. young animals are less likely to have the disease. u.s. officials say that the beef complies with international safety standards. they asked their japanese counterparts to ease restrictions. consumers are buying up iphones and ipads almost as soon as the retailers put them on the shelves. apple's earnings for the january-march period have nearly doubled every year earlier.

spokespersons for the u.s. computer giant said the net profit stood at more than $11.5 billion. sales surged nearly 60% to more than $38 billion. both figures marked record highs for the quarter. unit sales of the iphone jumped 88%. the new model sold briskly in china after the introduction there in earlier countries earlier this year. sales of the ipad soared 2 1/2 times. chief executive tim cook said apple is thrilled with the outstanding results and record-breaking sales of its flagship products. the head of the organization of economic cooperation and development is urging japanese leaders to get their books in order. japan's debt is percentage of gross domestic product is the highest among industrialized countries. oecd secretary-general garria met with azumi in tokyo.

garria encouraged government leaders to push through their plan to double the consumption tax from 5% to 10% by 2015. and he urged them to take other measures to reduce public debt. azumi said government leaders will raise income and other taxes. they need those revenues to rebuild areas hit last year by the earthquake and tsunami. he said raising taxes will enable them to implement the projects without issues more bonds. azumi said the added revenues will also be used to cover the ever increasing costs of social security. now we bring you the weekly report from south korea. our reporter in seoul sue choi filed the following stories. >> last week the bank of korea lowered its economic growth outlook for this year. it said gdp will expand 3.5%. that's down 0.2% from its previous forecast released in december. i spoke with an expert about the central bank's latest forecast and its background.

the bank of korea has lowered its gdp growth forecast for this year to 3.5%. what's the main reason for this downward revision? >> the main cause behind this forecast revision the slowdown in exporting sector of the nation's economy. as to european debt crisis persisted, the negative outlook decreases the demand from this advanced economies. besides, among the emerging economy they changed their policy toward more contractionary stance and as a result, it is harder to expect a faster growth in exports to the chinese market as before. >> what indicators do we have to watch out for to keep track of how the economy is doing this year. >> the key factor might be the crude oil price. the bank of korea increased its

estimate for the crude oil price for $102 per barrel to 118 in this forecast revision, and in this situation the grade is unlikely to support the demand of growth and we have to pay attention to the crude oil price throughout the year. >> the bok says gdp will expand 3% in the first half of this year, but the pace will pick up to 3.9% in the second half. what's your assessment of this prediction? >> the later part in 2012 is likely to gain some speed in its growth as to uncertainty decreases and once the international resource prices stabilize, then combined with the strong employment, the consumers buying power will increase and the consumer sentiment will be recovering soon.

the growth of the gdp in the nation's economy will be as high as 3.9% in the second part of 2012. >> that was an economist lee him-iig of economic research institute. now let's take a look at some economic figures. the international monetary fund has forecast that south korea's per capita gross domestic product will reach $30,879 in 2016. this is the first per capita gdp above $30,000 for the country. a think tank says south korea's income gap has widened. the korea development institute reports that income inequality worsened around the time of the asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. it notes that the gap now is at a level seen in the early 1980s. some local governments are

requiring major supermarket month. they're trying to help smaller stores get a bigger share of business. about 30% of big supermarkets across the country are now involved in this effort, and the number is expected to increase in the future. that wraps up today's report from seoul. back to tokyo. >> that was sue choi from seoul. a u.s. venture firm backed by the two executives who run google plans to mine asteroids for rare metals. washington state-based planetary resources says there are over 1,500 asteroids near earth with rare metal deposits. the firm plans to first send a probe to determine which asteroids hold potential. the asteroids would then be mined for rare metals such as platinum and titanium to bring back to earth. the company plans to send the first probe within two years,

and if the operation goes well to begin mining around 2020. also involved in the company are movie director james cameron and the founder of a space tourism venture. chinese president hu jintao has called on sudan and south sudan to halt fighting and settle their territorial disputes through negotiations. the two african countries are fighting over oil fields in their common border area. the region supplies 5% of china's oil imports. the chinese leader recently met south sudanese president in beijing. china's xinhua news agency reported that he denounced sudan for declaring a war on its southern neighbor. it said he sought support from china and other members of the international community. the news agency quoted hu as saying he hopes both sudans will respect each other's sovereignty and exercise restraint. hu indicated china's readiness to cooperate with south sudan's

efforts to improve its infrastructure. china hopes to secure more oil exports from the region. china made large investments in oil resources in sudan before south sudan achieved independence last year. a teenage girl fell into a deep hole under a sidewalk in china. a security camera captured the girl plunging as paving stones crumbled beneath her. china's central television reported on tuesday that the accident occurred late last month in the city in changxi province. a taxi driver tried to rescue the girl but failed. it was about six meters deep. firefighters used a ladder to rescue her about 15 minutes later. central television said groundwater may have eroded the soil beneath the sidewalk. a similar accident occurred on april the 1st when a road

suddenly collapsed killing a woman in central beijing. it's another pleasant spring day here in tokyo. let's turn to rachel ferguson with the world weather forecast. >> another wet day coming to tokyo and much of japan. heavy rain has been impacting eastern china for the last couple of days. now that system or a couple of systems is moving across the korean peninsula and coming in towards japan. heavy rain accompanied by strong gusts and thunder. the winds will be picking up those waves as well. now this system has been dropping very heavy rain, as i mentioned, across eastern china. we saw upwards of 100 millimeters. some places getting 150 millimeters in 24 hours. some very hefty showers. things are clearing out behind that system. however, there's a front just sweeping across the southeastern

coast. so still another day of heavy rain and thunder for some of you, including those of you in hong kong. farther down towards the southeastern half of indochina looking a little unsettled. scattered thunderstorms and periods of heavy rain whereas the western half is looking dry and very hot. now into north america we go. we're still seeing the remnants of this storm. winter storm that moved across the northeast yesterday. in your overnight hours just now. and still seeing a bit of a wintry mix. i'll show you some of the pictures coming out of pennsylvania. to give you an idea of the kind of snow, the amount of snow we were seeing here, certainly enough to cause power outages to thousands of homes and also shut some schools. i'm sure the kids weren't too unhappy about that, but certainly some very significant snowfall this late on in the season. nearly into may now. it also brought very strong winds to ohio. this is lake erie. and you can see the waves just jumping out of the water there.

some very impactful scenes altogether. now things are starting to clear up across the northeast today. but still eastern canada, you are dealing with that storm. a lot of it is going to be rain rather than snow. but still a bit of a wintry mix in parts of new england. we're also seeing some severe weather today in the midwest. the ohio valley is going to be get something thunderstorms. it could turn a little bit nasty. back in across the intermountain west as well, thunderstorms popping up here, too, and then very heavy rain at the coast with more snowfall to hit the sierra nevada. now in the middle of all of that, we have this dome of high pressure and heat just coming right up. bringing temperatures way above average with record-breaking heat in denver yesterday. another hot day on your wednesday. 28 degrees. 31 in oklahoma city. 29 in houston. in towards the northwest, though, a little bit cooler. 16 for you in seattle and 13 in vancouver. all right. into europe we go.

another storm is starting to impact the western parts of the continent and also the british isles. this is more of the same. we had another system now pushing east and breaking up as we speak but you can see it is going to be pretty unpleasant, wet and windy for the next couple of days. out towards the east, though, high pressure is building and temperatures are soaring. it looks like midsummer here. moscow at 20 degrees. kiev at 22. that's going to come up to about 25. berlin, 16 on wednesday. into the next couple of days you'll see that coming into the low 20s. so do enjoy that little dose of early summer. out towards the west, it's going to be, as i said, wet, windy and a little bit chilly, too. just 12 degrees for you in london. here's your extended forecast.

and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. thank you very much for watching.

tavis: