caldron of nerves. egyptians waiting for the outcome of the presidential runoff will have to wait. election officials in egypt have ratcheted up political tensions. they've delayed announcing the results of the presidential vote held last weekend. egyptians went to the polls to choose their first freely elected president. now they're not sure who that will be. nhk world reports from cairo. >> reporter: the arab commission planned to announce the result on thursday, but members said they need more time to study appeals from the candidates.

mohammed morsi leads the islamic party, the muslim brotherhood. former military commander ahmed shafiq served as hosni mubarak's prime minister. both candidates have declared victories, and both sides cited results they claim to have obtained from the election commission. commission members have not said when they will declare the winner. some of them have said the results should be ready within a few days. some egyptians fear the announcement will renew tensions between the two camps. yujiro futori, nhk world, cairo. leaders from more than 120 countries are trying to figure out how to balance environmental conservation while saving the planet. it's the biggest meeting they

ever organized. they were at odds even before they arrived. >> delegates from around the world have gathered to confront a common challenge. how to perform economic growth without stressing the planet. they were asked to agree on the message for a shared dilemma. >> they are committed to a sustainable future. a future that lifts people from poverty, generates dynamic and economic growth. and respects the limits of our planets finite resources. >> a green economy is at the center of the debate. that means creating jobs and ecofriendly projects.

the delegates are split before they even start. the nations should shift toward a green economy. their counterpart from developing countries argued more assistance should come forward. the draft agreement acknowledges the importance of the green economy, but it does not include a road map on how they would get to the cause. still, they are expected to adopt the measure on friday. >> this u.n. process was very divisive and did not bring out the best. >> government delegations and activists from all over the world are sharing ideas on how best to protect the environment. japanese are showing off their

energy saving technology. foreign minister at a conference in japan will contribute more to global efforts. >> translator: japan has many years of experience, promoting the conservation of energy. and recycling. we hope to share our experience building cities that are echo friendly and able to with stand natural disasters. >> delegates came here to agree on the framework for shared environment policy over the long term. but already there will be challenges in negotiations among the countries to its competing interests. hitomi mashima, nhk world rio de janei janeiro. u.s. federal reserve

chairman ben bernanke says he's hoping for the best, but he says he's prepared to protect the u.s. economy against further threats from europe. members of the policy board met for two zaz then released their statement. >> the economy continues to expand at a moderate pace in the face of head winds generated by the situation in europe. >> the statement warns of lingering tensions in financial markets. it says the european debt crisis continues to pose significant risks to the u.s. economy. it acknowledged that growth in employment has slowed in recent months and consumer spending has too. the policy makers decided to extend a program designed to lower long term interest rates. they'll prolong operations by six months to the end of the year. bernanke said the fed is ready to take additional actions if the job situation does not show a steady improvement. economists in the u.s. and

elsewhere have been busy examining what bernanke had to say. michael gapen is the senior u.s. economist with barclays capital. >> our interpretation of what the fed did today was really just to continue its existing policy. we don't think this policy will have much of an immediate impact on the growth outlook in the u.s. or the world economy, but it is a way for the fed to signal to markets that should europe continue to weaken further or if policymakers in the u.s. do not address the so-called fiscal cliff, which is set to tighten policy in the early part of next year, that the fed is prepared and stands ready to do more. so we see it more of a signalling effect on what the next reaction from the fed may be, and in that regard it's something that we think will give markets confidence. and at least morability for the u.s. to with stand some of the adverse movements in global financial markets.

japanese government officials are planning to enter into an agreement with their counterparts in south korea, in procuring lick we with phied natural gas. all nuclear power plants in japan have been offline following the fukushima accident last year. the government is now seeking to join forces with south korea to secure energy from producer countries. this may lead to lower costs and a more stable supply. one plan is that japan and south korea join thely procure lng. japan and south korea buy about 50% of the world's lng exports. another plan calls for the two countries to call for a review of the system at an international conference in september which will be attended by gas producers. japan's struggling

semiconductor maker is expected to get financial support. the firm will receive about $1.2 billion from its major shareholders and banks to restructure its business. renesas electronics was set up by integrating the former semiconductors of mitsubishi and nec. they will get a total of about 630 million dollars from four main banks. and 180 million dollars from mitsubishi electric. nec plans to provide support of about 250 million dollars. that's by extending the redemption period. the firm posted a four-year net loss of over $780 million in the term through march. this was due to the impact of last year's disaster. and this strong yen. renaissance plans to cut about 12,000 jobs as part of its streamlining measures.

it will reduce its 19 plants by more than a half. the maker will announce details of the restructuring plan as early as next month. automakers around the world are constantly looking for ways to reinvent the wheels. these days we often hear of compact cars and hybrid vehicles. the folks are doing that, but they're also trying to have a little fun. they produced their first new sports car in 13 years, and this is no ordinary hot rod. take a look. >> the toyota 86 was three years in development. the car has a low center of gravity to give it more stability on those sharpeneds. it boasts a newly developed two

liter engine that generates up to 200 horsepower. and at 2 million yen, the price tag is considered reasonable for a full fledged sports car. >> it's a sports car. but rather than focusing on speed, we wanted to make a car that we could enjoy droving ourselves. toyota has adopted a unique strategy to show off the car's pleasures. 300 toyota dealers across the country have cleared exhibition space for the 86. the onsite staff are well versed in sports cars. the basic model is very simple. the drivers can customize their own car, choosing parts and adding them to the basic model. suspensions, mufflers, wheels and other customized parts are

on offer. >> i'm afraid i want to keep adding one item after another. it's getting out of control. . >> once they bought the car, customers are offered novel club like privileges. toyota has created this website. owners can post pictures of their cars or information about themselv themselves. the website's bulletin board has become a forum for swapping opinions on driving, and the effectiveness of the customized parts. the website also conducts popularity contests, where the cars can be put through their pac paces. >> our mission doesn't end when customers buy the car. we want to create an environment where they can enjoy the car by

helping them get information. toyota is even developing a new system that allows customers to gauge their driving. this box attached to the car collects data on speed, direction and other items. the data is in good to a simulator, developed by a gaming software company. owners can re-create and check their driving on screen. those strategies seem to be paying off. in the first month after its launch, the 86 outsold toyota's expectations by seven times, it remains to be seen whether a car created for sheer driving pleasure can sell in an era of green vehicles and austerity. >> the toyota 86 launched in april in japan, and it will soon make its way to the rest of asia, the united states and europe.

the japanese government is about to clamp down on illegal internet downloads, the upper house of the diet has passed a bill to tighten copyright law. anyone caught downloading pirated music or movies will face up to two years in prison or a maximum fine of about $25,000. >> if this kind of theft continues, we will have to stop making new products. we want to stop illegal downloading. >> lawyers expressed concern about a southern countdown. >> we are concerned about people being charged with unwittingly committing crimes can and the authorities abusing their powers. >> that view is echoed on the streets. >> i get what is illegal. i'm scared. >> japan's existing law only punishes those who upload

copyrighted content. the new legislation is the first to target downloaders. it will take effect in october. for years south koreans have associated the demilitarized zone or dmz with the war between north and south korea. it was set up at the end of the conflict and separates t two countries. recently people from the south have been seeing the dmz in a different light. >> reporter: i'm at the unification observatory where we can see the dmz. from here i can see the river that flows through north and south korea. although it's a little foggy today, i can see north korea. in 1953, theing between north and south korea stopped with the signing of an armistice

agreement that set up the demilitarized line. this roughly follows the 3th parallel. and the demilitarized zone stretches for two kilometers on either side of it. for the past 50 years, civilians have not been allowed to set foot on most of it. so the natural environment remained untouched. but since 2000, south koreans have lobbied hard to visit the area. now, south korea is trying to rebrand the area as an eke key tourism spot. on this day around 0 people took a tour to the dmz. it's popular as the county is only several hours drive from seoul. the visitors trek 18 kilometers around the falls. they see wildlife and admire the natural surroundings.

they can get a look at about 600 species of plants and animals. this includes rare spe >> translator: the environment is really beautiful. i'm relaxed as it feels like i'm breathing air that is more than ten times fresher than that of seoul. >> reporter: more than half a century has passed since the fighting stopped. now, an increasing number of young people do not know much about why korea is splitting too. the itinerary includes sights

from the korean war. the north tunnel mounts a surprise attack against the south. the tourists can also learn about the war at a museum. >> translator: this tourist studies at school. it's making me realize that the war actually occurred. >> in addition to south koreans, more tourists have been attending. >> coming to a place like this, can you touch it and see it, it gives it actual meaning, instead of what you read in a book. >> reporter: in promoting areas in the zone as tourist spots. south korea's government is branding areas notice dm zb as a plz. peace and life zone. >> the area is symbolic as the place separating two countries,

still technically at war. it attracts foreign tourists. as it lets them enjoy its nature and history. >> 2.2 million people visited the dmz last year. about 300,000 were foreign. natural areas in the dmz survived the korean war. now they've become unique tourist destinations. >> that was anna jung. people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuildhomes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes. on the road ahead, every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. on newsline. political tensions swirling around the persian gulf have raised concerns about energy.

members of forum will gather next week in st. petersburg, russia. they'll discuss ways to stabilize energy. the global deman for natural gas has been increasing. delegates have agreed to boost the output of natural gas throughout the region. japanese representatives will explain the disaster at the power plant. modern japan's big three makers is turning its focus to alternative energy. engineers helped build fukushima daiichi. executives have announced they'll develop japan's largest ever solar powered project nearby.

the engineers will build several solar power station as long the coast. construction of new houses was bound after the disaster last year. the area was designated a tsunami risk zone. construction is scheduled to start next march. the plans are expected to begin operating in 2014. they'll provide up to 100 megawatts of electricity, enough to meet the demands of 30,000 homes. >> translator: the project will be a big step forward for our reconstruction. and it will serve as encouragement to residents. >> he wants to end their dependence on nuclear power and switch entirely to renewable

energy. city hall in paris is hosting around 300 graphs giving a glimpse of life after last year's disaster. the exhibition was planned by paris officials and a group of japanese residents. photographs show locations shortly after the disaster. they're displayed above shots of the same location taken months later. other photos show workers that the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. japanese fashion designer is one of the organizers of the event the. >> translator: we are holding the event in paris because we want to show our reconstruction efforts to the people of france. japan's reliable friend. ♪ >> a violin maker crafted this

instrument from the tsunami debris. musicians will play instruments at the exhibit to accompany the show. people in southern japan are experiencing severe weather again today. herer the details of the world with weather forecast. >> torrential rain has been pounding southern japan. because we've got low pressure system and the seasonal front. supplied by ample moisture from what was once severe tropical system you already have more than 150 millimeters of rain. heavy rain is likely spread into western and central japan. in tokyo, the peak of heavy rain will be during the daytime hours tomorrow. down toward the south rain will continue across taiwan and southern portion of china. this is due to ample moisture.

this area has been contending with a lot of heavy rain due to a seasonal front. any additional rain could worsen the situation. up toward the north. thundershowers will likely remain in parts northeastern china throughout the day. heading over to the americas, we can see a cluster of clouds extending from ontario down toward the texas panhandle. under the clouds we are seeing lots of active weather, lots thundershowers are occurring. we have reports of hail, the size of a ping-pong ball in kansas and gusty winds in the western corner of the great lakes region. the heaviest rain is coming down in and around minnesota. because rain has been falling over the past few days, lots of floods have been reported here. it looks like rain will move out of this region in the next 24 hours. that's definitely good news. ahead of the system, hot conditions are continuing.

we have some footage coming out of new york city. this is taken on wednesday. the high hit 33 degrees. that's about 6 degrees above average for this time of year. people are enjoying playing in the water and basking in the sun. the record high for june in manhattan's central park is about 38 degrees. it hit the mark back in 196 and 1934. the peak of the heavy heat will be on thursday. look at this, getting up to 37 degrees in new york city. we've had excessive heat warnings in place across parts of the northeast earn corner of the u.s. but as you can see, a clear definition here what's causing this temperature contrast is the cold front. as the front moves in, temperatures will get back to normal over the weekend. finally, let's go over to europe as the low pressure system is

starting to spread a lot of rain across much of the british isles. the heavy rain will shift to -- 13red through the low countries as well as germany over the next 24 hours. meanwhile, hot conditions are still ongoing across the southeast and parts of europe. getting up to 35 in bucharest and the same goes for athens. out toward the rest, looking mild, reaching 20 degrees in london, 24 in paris, and 2 degrees in madrid on your thursday. that's it for me now, here's your extended forecast.

our top story once again, election officials in egypt have ratcheted up political tensions. they've delayed announcing the results of the presidential runoff vote held last weekend.

the election commission planned to announce the results on thursday, but they need more time to study appeals from the candidates. mohammed morsi leads the muslim brotherhood. shafiq served as hosni mubarak's last prime minister. the commission members have not yet said when they will declare the winner. some of them said the results should be ready within a few days. some egyptians fear the announcement will renew tensions between the two camps. that's all for now on in edition of newsline. we'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. do join us then if you can. thanks for watching.