the lessons of tahrir square. violence erupts in cairo after a run-off is set in the presidential election in egypt. voters in egypt are finding out that change is not all that they expect it to be. they voted last week in their first freely contested presidential election in their history. now they found out that a veteran of the old regime has made it into the final round. protest efrs attacked ahmed shafiq's office just hours after they announced he will head into the run-off. he'll face mohamed morsi.

they ran an announcement that sparks demonstrations across the country. many young voters protested last year in tahrir square to demand the removal of president hosni mubarak. they are upset his prime minister is a contender to replace him. morsi finished on top in the first round. he won more than 24%. shafiq came second. the run-off campaign is expected to be a divisive showdown between the islamist and the secularist reminder of the old regime. kofi annan is trying to salvage his plan to end the violence in syria. the joint envoy of the u.n. and arab league hopes to meet later in the day with president bashar al ashaud. assad. annan returns to damascus. they killed more than 100 people. many of the casualties were women and children.

>> our goal is to stop the suffering. it must end, and it must end now. >> the government forces have not let up in their attacks. human rights activists say nearly 70 people were killed in the past two days. police in tokyo are trying to find out what a chinese diplomat has been up to. they've asked the man to surrender himself for questioning. they suspect he obtained an identification card illegally. they are just not sure why. investigators suspect that a first secretary of the chinese embassy applied in 2008 for a registration card required for foreigners. diplomats don't have to get the card, and police say he did not reveal he was a diplomat. they say the man then opened a bank account using the card. they say he used the account to receive consulting fees from tokyo-based companies. investigators say the diplomat was engaged in personal business activities. that violates an international treaty banning diplomats from private work.

the police requested early this month that the man submit himself for questioning. chinese embassy officials rejected their request, and the diplomat returned home. the man reportedly worked at the embassy for an intelligence division of the chinese military. he was also a research associate at a japanese university and studied at a leading business and political institute. the police are looking into his activities. they say he had interactions with japanese politicians and business leaders. china's ruling communist party has expelled a former railway minister. the party's disciplinary watchdog found him guilty of corruption. the state-run xinhua news agency said the party's central commission for discipline inspection will refer him to prosecutors. the commission said he abused his power and received large sums of money in bribes. he oversaw investment in the booming railway sector over the

last decade. he was removed from his ministerial post in february of last year. the ministry came under fire after a high-speed rail crash last july that killed 40 people. officials in beijing raised questions about corruption in development projects after allegations of a cover-up. critics claim officials tried to secretly dispose of train cars and muzzle media coverage of the wreck. a government panel concluded in december that a design flaw in the control equipment was a key factor in the accident. investigators said ministry officials violated rules in the bidding process. a fire has swept through a high-end shopping mall in doha, qatar. 19 people died, including 13 children. the fire sent black smoke rising above the building. some of the victims died as rescuers struggled to reach a day care center. the mall houses luxury brand shops, an amusement park, an indoor ice skating rink and a

canal. they are investigating the cause of the fire. an explosion has torn through a shopping center this time in the kenyan capital nairobi. 33 people were hurt. prime minister odinga is calling it a terrorist attack by islamic extremists. police say the explosion occurred in the heart of the capital. it blew out the shopping center's roof and windows. the facility went up in flames. the cause is not yet known. several witnesses say a man set down a bag and walked away just before the explosion. the kenyan group sent soldiers there to defeat al shabaab. the group has since been blamed for carrying out several attacks in kenyan cities. people in japan are gazing into the future trying to figure out the role nuclear power will play in their country's energy policy. last year's accident at fukushima daiichi prompted their discussions.

now members of an economy, trade and industry ministry have come up with four options. option one, japan would reduce nuclear power use to zero as soon as possible. option two, atomic energy would be reduced to a lower level subject to review after 2030. option three, it would be maintained at a certain level such as 20% to 25%. and option four, government leaders won't make the decision. consumers will. and this is basically like letting the market decide. and chie yamagushi has been following the discussions and the debate. tell us about some of the points the committee members talked about. >> the economy ministry wanted the committee to decide the percentage of energy sources that will be used in japan in the year 2030. the committee also gratified a long-term revision on nuclear power. >> what are the pros and cons of each of the options we just mentioned. >> the dereliance option is

aimed at preventing another nuclear accident in japan where earthquakes occur frequently. it would also stop nuclear waste from building up. but japan's utilities would have to increase electricity output by using thermal power generation for the time being, meaning carbon dioxide emission would rise. japan would need to quickly switch to renewable energy sources for this option to succeed. >> i see. and the second option called for the number of nuclear power facility to be reduced. how would that work? >> it would be done in stages. this is in line with some of the administration's policy of decommissioning nuclear plants within 40 years of operation and holding off on building new ones. this plan delays the decision of whether to abolish atomic energy until sufficient efforts have been made to promote renewable alternatives and improve nuclear safety. some committee members

criticized this proposal saying it lacks direction and postpones a critical decision. >> right. let's move on to their third option, one that called for maintaining a clear path. >> it's a fact that japan has limited natural resources and keeps nuclear power in its energy portfolio along with other sources. however, there are challenges. safe power generation and the disposal of nuclear waste are just a couple of them. japanese leaders also need to convince the general public that atomic energy is safe in the wake of the fukushima daiichi accident. >> and the fourth option is quite different from the rest. it would let the market decide. how is that expected to play out? >> economists on the committee floated this idea. the proposal demands utility companies include the social cost of power generation in their pricing. subsidies of -- subsidies for nuclear plants would be

abolished. consumers would be able to decide what kind of energy they want based on their electricity bills. but the opponents say if government officials don't draw up japan's energy policy and leave it up to the market, the country won't be able to secure a stable power supply. >> right. so we have four options now. what happens next? >> cabinet members will look at the proposals. the noda administration is also promising to get input from the public. some members of the committee are demanding the government listen to its citizens. >> translator: the government should think about how to reflect public discussion in its policy. it is also important to explain the options in a fair way and to set the stage for discussion. >> the government will release a new energy plan this summer. >> all right. thank you, chie.

nhk world's chie yamagishi. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges 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." japanese scientists say radiation from the march 11th disaster took just 40 days to spread around the world. researchers from fukushima university measured the concentration of airborne radioactive substances near the daiichi plant. they took daily readings starting about two months after the disaster. they say the measurements rose and fell in 40-day cycles. the density had declined by about 85% by march this year. professor watanabe directed the research.

>> translator: the research will enable to measure what influence the radioactive materials from fukushima has on the planet. >> watanabe says the results of the study can be applied to any other country or region. researchers in the u.s. believe migratory fish carry radioactive substances across the pacific ocean. they found a trace amount of cesium in tuna caught off the coast of california five months after the accident. researchers from stanford university and elsewhere tested 15 bluefin tuna they caught last august off san diego. they found the fish contained elevated levels of cesium 134. they say the substance is generated only by human activities and was not present in the pacific before the accident. the researchers say their findings suggest the tuna were most loikly contaminated in japanese waters after the accident. they say the fish then traveled nearly 9,000 kilometers across the pacific.

still, the researchers say the tuna are still safe to eat. chinese leaders are trying to keep things calm as they head toward a leadership shuffle this fall. protesters in guangdong province encouraged others when they started winning concessions from government officials. now communist party leaders are weighing more demands for political and social reforms. nhk world reports. >> reporter: last september, protesters took to the streets in rukon village. it is in the eastern port of guangdong province. some protesters attacked the local government building and clashed with police. the residents were -- by government corruption. protesters say the local officials seized about 1300

hechters of farmland. they add that the government sold it illegally to developers. one of the leaders died in custody. they say he died from police violence. the death intensified the protests. the event was reported on the internet. people all over china saw it. the protest shook the communist party in guangdong. he has been promoting economic reforms. he's likely to become one of china's top leaders this fall.

in order to clear public anger, he fired local officials who had governed the village for 40 years. he also ordered a public -- to pick new leaders. the government let the chinese and foreign media report on the poll. this left many to think more political reforms might be in the works. prime minister wen jiabao supported the way he handled the situation. >> translator: the election in the village was a success. >> reporter: he kept a low profile and did not take credit for what he did. >> translator: i didn't do

anything special. no, nothing whatsoever. all i did, and i emphasize this, was simply abide by the law. >> reporter: the consequences of the election spread across the province. protests broke out all over guangdong. demonstrators called for all corrupt officials to be fired. they also demanded elections, but the government mostly ignored the protests. >> translator: police took my fellow protesters in to custody and beat them. they are trying to crack down. >> rorter: the party chief wang and other leaders say they will arrange similar elections in other parts of guangdong. how come no election in our

village? >> reporter: locals say they keep petitioning government officials, but they get no response. an observer says political reform can only come with dramatic social changes. so that means the leaders will not be keen to change the status quo. >> translator: at times responding to public complaints helps chinese politicians grab higher posts. but at other times, the leaders suppress dissent to achieve the same purpose. it's a mistake to assume that the wukon case will bring about political reform in other regions. china's leaders have reached a critical state. they face a tough question how they should respond to public demands for political reform.

kazutoshi iishi, nhk world. on to business news now. japan's unemployment rate rose in april from the previous month. the internal affairs ministry says the seasonally adjusted jobless rate stood at 4.6%. that's 0.1% up from march. those who were unemployed numbered over 3 million while some 63 million people had jobs. however, the number of unemployment has fallen 140,000 from a year ago. people with jobs also fell 270,000. those figures were calculated on estimates because surveys were temporarily unavailable in miyagi, iwate and fukushima prefectures heavily affected by the march 11th disaster last year. struggling japanese electronicsmaker panasonic says

it plans to cut around half of its workforce of about 7,000 people at its headquarters by march of next year. the move comes as the firm considers spinning off some divisions like research and development. and that is after the company posted its largest ever losses for the last business year through march. panasonic says the payroll cuts will mostly be achieved by transferring employees to other divisions and subsidies. subsidiaries. it says it may also offer early retirement for some hundreds of workers. other major japanese electronics firms are making similar moves due to huge losses in their tv business. sony says it will cut its groupwide workforce in and outside the country by some 10,000 in the current fiscal year. sharp is reshuffling about 2,000 workers over the two years through next march. the leaders of japan, south korea and china have agreed to start talks on a free trade zone that could rival the world's largest. such a deal is not expected to

be as comprehensive as some. still it would make it easier for japanese and south korean businesses to get a piece of the chinese market. they are already trying to get a jump on each other before negotiations have even begun. >> reporter: carmakers at this auto show showcase their latest efforts in an effort to boost sales in the largest market. more than 1100 models are on display. 120 are being introduced for the first time. japan's toyota motor unveiled a prototype of a new hybrid car. it hopes to launch the vehicle in china by 2015. toyota plans to build the car in the country as well. nissan motors turned the spotlight on its electric vehicles. the top executives of both companies travelled to the show

to promote their brands. >> translator: we'll bring you chinese-made hybrid cars so that drivers here can enjoy our renowned environmental technology. >> translator: we would like to be leader in electric car and we want to be at the top level in terms of fuel efficiency and all the other segments of the car market. >> reporter: south korean brands are rapidly becoming rivals to japanese automakers in china. last year, japanese companies had a 19% share of auto sales while south korea had 8%. cars from south korea have been selling briskly because they are cheaper than similar models from japan, the u.s. or europe. south korea's kia motors has a dealership in qingdao. an import tariff makes the cars more expensive than domestic

models. but even so, the shop sells more than 60 vehicles a month, thanks to strong demand from china's growing middle class. the automaker aims to expand further by improving its technical expertise and designs. >> translator: i'm keen to buy it because of the dynamic design and the quality of the engine. >> if china and south korea reach a free trade agreement, our market share could surge by 50%. >> reporter: south korean brands are also doing well in china's home electronics market. at this major appliance store, products from japan and south korea compete with chinese rivals. japanese brands outnumber those from south korea, but the south korean products stand out. they are displayed in a prominent location on the floor. south korean brands are becoming more popular due to perception

change among chinese consumers. >> translator: i have a good impression of south korean brands. >> translator: the difference between south korean and japanese products is narrowing. >> translator: it's natural to focus on selling popular products. sales will continue to grow for south korean brands if the bilateral trade pact comes out. >> reporter: the competition between japan and south korea to capture the chinese market is sure to get even more intense as south korean brands step up their marketing offensive. we're seeing lovely blue skies here in tokyo but apparently not for long. here's rachel ferguson with the weather forecast. >> we're in for another round of storms across much of japan. yesterday we saw the same thing

come 3:00, 4:00, you get those pop-up thunderstorms during the heat of the day. and some nasty thunderstorms at that. today we're actually going to be seeing even more rain. i'll break it down for you. you can see much of the country is going to be affected by these storms. heavy rain, damaging gusts, hail and even potentially tornadoes as well. here in the red is where the hot spot is going to be where the heaviest of the rain could be. and the winds may be strongest here along the pacific edge as well. now into tomorrow, much of central japan will be seeing clear skies. and a much more peaceful day. we will still see that system left over up towards the north. now heavy rain, a rain storm has been hitting inland china. that heavy rain pushes down towards the shanghai region and then in towards the south. that is going to be continuing into wednesday. but it shouldn't be quite as heavy. the peak of the rain will be today. heavy rain, however, moving into the korean peninsula on wednesday. also down towards the south

you'll notice plenty of blue here spread out across the philippines, taiwan, southern japanese islands and indochina as well. this is the southwest monsoon. starting to get geared up now. so we'll be seeing plenty of this kind of activity. thunderstorms and also periods of heavy rain over the next couple of months. let's go now to check on beryl. beryl was a tropical storm that made landfall yesterday just near -- excuse me, jacksonville, in florida. now it has downgraded to a tropical depression. it's moving at 7 kilometers an hour. wind speeds at 45. so not too bad in terms of the wind speeds but the rain is still coming down very, very heavily and will continue to do so for the next couple of days. the system is making a u-turn. it's turning around, moving towards the northwest. and it looks like it's going to be heading up towards north carolina. now when it comes out over the water, leaves that rough terrain behind. it is going to be energized by those warm waters and will

probably become a tropical storm once again. certainly keeping a very close eye on it. here is the rainfall accumulation forecast for the next 48 hours. you can see through georgia and northern parts of florida, 100 millimeters, maybe 120. we could see locally about 380 millimeters of rain in some places. very high risk for flooding and landslides. all along this front today we're going to be seeing some severe storms breaking out. southern quebec right down through into texas. so we have the forecast for you to show you widespread rain across much of canada and the u.s. and these are the hot spots from kansas into northern texas. and then right up into new england down towards west virginia is where most severe storms are going to be erupting. as that system passes, though, it's going to be bringing temperatures down. gradually over the next few days, towards the northeast, particularly, we'll be seeing temperatures fall by almost 10 degrees in some places. as we go into europe, lots of scattered thunderstorms along the mediterranean. it's going to be heaviest beer

around the black sea region, balkans and into turkey. then a front coming down. this front will make a big change from the british isles through western and central europe as it brings those temperatures down. way above average temperatures especially out toward the british isles. these will be falling. london down to 15 degrees on friday. i'll leave you now with 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 joining us.