those against, please raise your hand. >> not united. a resolution on syria dies at the u.n. security council after russia and china again exercise their veto power. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations says russia and china are protecting syrian president ba shad al asad and thousands of civilians could die as a result. susan rice spoke after the russian and chinese representatives of the u.n.

security council vetoed the latest resolution on the conflict in syria. the draft would have permitted nonmilitary sanctions if president assad's government stopped using heavy artillery in ten days and called for a 45-day extension of the u.n. cease-fire observer's mission. it's the third time russia and china have vetoed u.n. resolutions on syria. >> the security council has failed utterly. this is another dark day in turtle bay. one can only hope that one day, before too many thousands more die, that russia and china will stop protecting assad and allow -- >> western nations are expected to try to draft another resolution to extend the mission of the u.n. cease-fire observers. the failure of the original resolution isn't a surprise. russian and chinese leaders made it clear they didn't like the

draft. still, top united nations officials tried to change their minds in the days leading up to the vote. they've since gone from hopeful to critical. the u.n. secretary-general expressed regret, arguing that other nations have a collective responsibility to the people of syria and that the u.n. will continue to try to end the violence there. special envoy kofi annan says he's disappointed the security council could not unite to take a strong and concerted action he's been pushing for. catherine kobayashi spoke to united nations's respond. >> there was no breakthrough at the security council. >> no, not only was there no breakthrough but quite frankly the future of diplomacy in resolving the crisis in syria is in question. sense the process started in syria 16 months ago, this is the third time russia and china have

vetoed security council resolutions. the council has always wherein divided on syria, with the west insisting on regime change and russia especially on assad's side. even after the vote, both sides accused each other for failing to unite the security council. >> translator: the sponsors of this project that just failed have attempted to fan the flames of confrontation in the security council. the draft which was just voted on was biased. >> frankly, it is impossible to understand why china and russia felt necessary to veto this text. they were stuck on opposition to chapter 7 for no convincing reasons. >> mickey, there are 300 u.n. peacekeepers stationed in syria right now. what's their fate?

>> the team has been there for three months, but their mandate is going to expire july 20. this is why the security council had to pass a resolution to extend their mission and to specify the mandate. technically, once a mandate expires, a mission has to pack up and leave the country. there's only a little more than 24 hours left, and the council members are now discussing a new british proposed resolution that would extend the mandate for 30 more days. i don't think it will be difficult to get this one passed. >> but 30 days isn't a long time. what will happen after that? >> the council members are discussing a resolution right now for what they are calling a final brief rollover of the mission, and unless the conditions surrounding the mission change drastically, the mission will pull out. western countries are now contemplating actions outside the security council. u.s. ambassador susan rice says they will intensify their work

with the diverse range of parties outside the security council to bring pressure to bear on the assad regime and to deliver assistance to those in need. after the security council extends the final rollover, we'll probably see more plans of a group of like minded nations in pressuring the syrian government or aiding people there. >> now, the nato secretary-general says the disagreement at the security council sends a dangerous signal. saying that the political solution is the only way international powers can help syria. he's ruling out military intervention. we spoke to rasmussen around the time of the security council vote. he expressed vote about the failure of countries to find common ground just as the violence in syria appears to be escalating. >> the fact that the u.n. security council has not been able to agree on a legally binding resolution sends a very

unfortunate i would say dangerous signal. >> rasmussen says nato won't be intervening in syria, something it did last year in libya. he says it could trigger unintended consequences given syria's complex ethnic and political structure. >> there's no military solution to the conflict in syria. we need a political solution based on the six-point plan. this is also the reason why nato has no intention to intervene militarily. we do believe that a political solution is the right way forward. >> rasmussen also argues no country in td for nato military intervention. president assad ended speculation over his whereabouts following a deadly bombing that targeted the heart of his regime. he made his first appearance since the explosion killed three members of his team.

syrian television showed him swearing in a new defense minister. a blast on wednesday killed the old defense minister with two other officials, including assad's brother-in-law. government troops have launched attacks in retaliation for the assassinations. their back and forth battle with opposition forces for control of the capital is intensifying. sources on the ground say that citizens are dodging gunfire and explosions as they flee to safety. >> a citizen in christmas tus kus -- damascus that people have formed long lines and families

are trying to flee the capital to go to rural areas. anti-government forces say the violence killed at least 240 people over the past couple of days. the white house press secretary says he believes the assad administration is faltering. >> i think the incident today makes clear that assad is losing control, that violence is increasing rather than decreasing. >> he said he fears more violence and chaos will follow if assad stays in power, calling on the international community to support a transition of power. u.s. high tech giant microsoft reported its first quarterly loss since 1986. this is due to a poor performance in its online advertising business. microsoft released its earnings

report on thursday. revenue grew 4% from the same quarter last year to about $18 billion. the company says their gain was due to strong sales of the office software suite and home user video game console. but the company reflected a devaluation of $6. 2 billion from its 2007 acquisition. this led to a net loss of $492 million for the quarter. microsoft plans to shift its focus to tablets and smartphones to improve its earnings structure. the company is working towards that goal by launching the windows 8 operating system in october. microsoft's chief executive says the company's business will turn for the better because the record number of product also be released this year. tens of thousands of people

took to the streets in many parts of spain on thursday. they're protesting the government's new austerity measures announced last week. protests took place in over 80 cities across the country and over 1.2 million people took part in the demonstration. in the spanish capital of madrid, 800,000 marchers flooded the main street. some held banners saying austerity will not solve the crisis. the prime minister unveiled the measures last wednesday that included an increase in the value added tax and cuts and bonuses for government workers. google has posted record sales and double digit growth in profits. the u.s. based internet giant released an earnings report on thursday. revenue grew 35% from a year earlier to 12 .2 billion

dollars. strong online revenues also pushed up the company's top line. net profits rose 11% to just over $2.7 billion. google launched its first tablet this month to compete with the ipad. the apple tablet dominates the market with a share of more than 60%. the asian development bank revised down its forecast for economic growth in member countries and territories for this year. the adb altered its growth outlook for 44 pmembers to 6. 6, excluding japan and other advanced countries. it cuts its estimate to next year's growth to 7.1%, down from 7.3%. the head of the ad b's office of regional economic integration

said on thursday that the slowdown in europe and the united states is affecting asia. >> when those g-2 countries, ie europe and the u.s. are experiencing a slowing down of their economy, that affects the asian economy, in particular in china and india. >> he said export oriented economies such as singapore have been most affected. he pointed out that china and other asian nations are increasing exports inside asia as well as to other emerging markets such as latin america and africa to keep their economies strong. chinese are drinking more wine than ever, and wine makers are sniffing a good business opportunity. already some chinese businesses are making wine so good that overseas customers are buying it.

here is our report on china's growing wine industry. >> reporter: even though wine cultivation is not part of china's culture, scenes like this have become more common in recent years. chinese are drinking twice as much wine as they did five years ago. >> translator: i love wine. i always drink it. >> reporter: amid the boom, some chinese have been putting up their own version. these chateaus, as they are called, indicate the owner has bought a vineyard and facilities for processing wine. here in eastern china, wine production is increasing to meet the strong demand from chinese consumers. china's biggest wine producer,

with a history of 120 years, owns the chateau. built ten years ago, it's thlas more than 120,000 people visited. >> translator: first, you check the color of wine. please tilt your glass at 45 degrees. you can enjoy the ruby red color. >> reporter: the tour ends with wine tasting. a wide explains how to drink it. this helps visitors understand the wipe culture. >> translator: this place made me feel like i'm deep in wine culture. >> reporter: the company exports some of its premium wine to more than ten countries. the wine maker operating five

other chateaus in china and plans to build two more in four years. >> translator: by visiting our chateaus, tourists will understand more about the role of the chateau and wine culture. this will lead to further development of china's wine market. >> reporter: now, companies are coming to china to grow wine. a french wine group that owns one of the most popular brands among chinese consumers started planting this vineyard in march. he heads the project and he helped find the location. how long does it take for you to find this place?

he says the climate and soil are suited for wine production. the soil does not lap up water, and the roots grow deep. >> 15 years ago when i come in china, all my friends say to me, you are crazy. you cannot make good wine in china. now all people come and we can make good wine, sure. >> reporter: the opener's plan to start selling locally made in four years. they aim to produce quality wines. they also want to show chinese consumers how wine is made. >> chinese people understand how to -- and need to understand how to drink wine, how to look whether this wine is good or not. but we want also to explain

this. >> reporter: chinese and foreign winemakers work hard to spread the wine culture among the chinese, hoping to encourage them to buy more wine. >> and our reporter joins us now from beijing. what are the prospects for china's wine market? >> reporter: people from the wine industry expect the market to grow quickly, just like the beer market did. chinese now buy more beer than any other people in the world. and the wine market already is the world's fifth largest. a source insider tells us the market will keep expanding. >> translator: per capita wine consumption in a developed country like france is 50 to 60 liters a cheyear. in china, it's only one liter.

if you understand how big china's population is, you understand how big the market potential is. >> reporter: although many chinese have never drank even one sip of wine, the chateau is one way of attracting their interest. the chinese winemaker says it is investing about $940 million to build a so-cald international wine city. the company expects to attract a lot of tourists and it wants to introduce more people to wine. meantime, the industry is promoting the health benefits of drinking wine as chinese people have become more health conscience. so the prospects for china's wine industry look very bright indeed. >> thank you very much. benjamin netanyahu is blame hezbollah for a bombing in

bulgaria. wednesday's attack left seven people dead and 32 injured. >> yesterday's attack in bulgaria was perpetrated by hezbollah, iran's leading terrorist proxy. >> netanyahu didn't produce any evidence showing the group's involvement. the apparent suicide bombing targeted an airport. a spokesman for the iranian foreign ministry called the accusation baseless, saying it was aimed at diverting world attention of israel's assassination of many innocents in lebanon, palestine and elsewhere. israel accused iran of carrying out bomb attacks in india and georgia in february, targeting israeli diplomats apparently. the former egyptian vice president has died of a heart attack. he was one of ex-president hosni mubarak's closest associates. suleiman died thursday in a u.s. hospital. he was 76 years old. he served as the head of the

country's intelligence services for 18 years. suleiman also played a key role in mediating between israel and the militant palestinian group hamas. observers considered him a possible successor to former president mubarak. but the election commission did not allow him to run. he had been receiving treatment for lung and heart disease in the u.s. for the past three weeks. police at london's scotland yards have charged three men with planning acts of terrorism. the men allegedly underwent military training in pakistan between july 2010 and july 2012. they're also charged with helping others commit acts of terror. the three are converts to islam. one of the suspects is 29-year-old richard dart who had spoken about his conversion on british television. the other two men are also in their 20s. police arrested them earlier this month.

a law enforcement spokes person says it's unlikely they were planning attacks during the upcoming london olympics. the london olympic games are facing a strike by one of britain's largest labor unions. the union said it will call a 24-hour strike on july 26, the eve of the london olympics. they're protesting government personnel cuts and privatization. the union is britain's sixth largest with 280,000 members, including airport, immigration and customs officers. the strike could disrupt services at london's airport as about 120,000 people are expected to enter britain next thursday through heathrow airport alone. the british prime minister has condemned the union saying a strike would not be right or justified. other unions have called a series of strikes aled of the olympics, saying the games have increased their workload, demanding bigger bonuses and

better working conditions. members of japan's governing democratic party want the united states to review a plan to deploy a fleet of controversial military aircraft in japan. the lawmakers say serious questions remain about their safety. the u.s. is planning to deliver the ospreys to the marine corps air station in iwakuni, intending to put them into service at the futenma air station in okinawa in early october. the policy chief on thursday met with the defense minister, calling on the defense minister to review the deployment timetable with the u.s. in light of public concerns. the lower house members from yamaguchi are calling on the government for a halt to the delivery to the prefecture. they conveyed their request to the chief cabinet secretary on

thursday. they say there are still not enough details about the recent crashes of the aircraft. they say they also need to win support from local municipali municipalities ahead of the deployment. a lot cooler today. in fact more than ten degrees lower than wednesday -- thursday here in tokyo and some rains coming ahead too. let's turn now to rachel ferguson for the forecast. >> we're going to be talking about some much cooler temperatures in the northern half of japan into saturday. some northeast winds are bringing the temperatures down by about ten degrees and quite wet this the southern half of japan. so here in the capital, we're starting to see raindrops now. the wind is picking up and yes, a bit of a chilly day. the rain is going to be pretty fierce into saturday and sunday

for parts of western japan. in central japan, we've got reports of more than 110 millimeters of rain falling in the space of one hour. so very intense stuff. particularly of concern in kyushu. there are a couple of areas of heavy rain to keep an eye on. we have a tropical depression down here. it looks like it will become a tropical storm by saturday morning, so strong winds dense fieing here, as well as heavy rainfall. not just for the philippines but for taiwan. and then another heavy band of rain forming and heading up into northern china. so you can see 100 to 200 millimeters of rain locally off of this band of rain. definitely high potential for flooding and land slides. let's go now to north america. also potential for flooding here

in the pacific northwest. ongoing rainstorms and in the east, thunderstorms the accompanied by heavy rain. the ohio valley is getting it overnight and then that rain band, the front is going to sag down further towards the south and into the southeast during the course of the day. anywhere highlighted in the red, expect severe thunderstorms through the mid-atlantic. now, this rain, although it could cause flooding problems, is going to be welcome. there's been a rough drought situation prevailing for the last several weeks. record breaking drought in fact through much of the united states, as you can see here. hasn't been helped by the very high temperatures. oklahoma cities, 41 degrees for you. after this rain moves away, temperatures start to rise in the upper midwest. chicago, 28 for you on friday. by monday, it will be 38. so be prepared for that.

as we head now into europe, it's going to be one more soggy day for you in southern parts of the uk. but the good news is by saturday, it should start to improve. not just with the rain moving away, but temperatures will rise into the low 20s. seeing some showers moving through central locations, the alpine region stretching towards the ukraine and southern poland and it will stay fairly unsettled towards much of the north and central portions of the continent. these temperatures struggling to get out of the teens, but towards the south, it is a completely different story. 35 in athens, as well as bucharest and 37 in madrid. here's your extended forecast.

that's all for now on this

edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani. thank you very much for watching. .