welcome back to "newsline." the u.s. federal bureau of investigation is looking into whether terrorist groups were behind an attack in libya. gunmen stormed the consulate in the city of benghazi, they killed ambassador chris stevens and three other americans.

officials say the gun men started shooting and throwing bombs. the building went up in flames. the attack continued for more than four hours. government officials described the assault as elaborate and said the fbi and libya are looking into the possibility that terrorist groups were involved. the attack fell on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. marine corps commanders are sending the anti-terrorist unit to the libyan capital and strengthen security around american diplomatic facilities. the members of the security council reaffirmed that such acts are unjustifiable regardless of their motivations. >> german ambassador is the current president of the council and said the council called on all u.n. members.

to protect foreign diplomatic missions. and secretary general said in a statement that nothing justifies the brutal violence in benghazi. libyans had staged protests outside a consulate before the attack. they were angry about a film made in the u.s. that ridicules the prophet muhammad. the protests have spread across the middle east. hundreds of egyptians demonstrated for a second day in front of the embassy in cairo. authorities have sent in more security forces to watch them. >> translator: i'm deeply hurt seeing the prophet insulted. >> the protests spread to jordan and morocco. part of the film is now online. many muslims consider any depiction of the prophet muhammad offensive. the leaders of several countries in the middle east have reacted to the attack and

to the film. egyptian president mohamed morsi criticized the film maker. in a statement. he called on people not to resort to violence. he said the government is responsible for the safety of foreign embassies and said it has the authority to break up violent protests. iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said the film hurts the feelings of people across the muslim world and said the u.s. has a moral responsibility to stop the spread of cultural hatred and religious insults. his statement did not mention the attack in libya. the israeli prime minister netanyahu said people in his country grieve with americans. some reports say the film maker has duel u.s. and israeli citizenship. a spokesperson from the foreign ministry said they're trying to confirm that information. the officials said the film cannot be tolerated regardless

of nationality. apple awe new iphone hits the market next week, it is bigger, faster and lighter. will it be a hit? >> today we are going to introduce iphone 5. [ applause ] >> the u.s. technology giant unveiled the iphone 5 at an event in san francisco. apple has changed the size of the iphone for the first time since launching the original in 2007. the screen is bigger. and the body of the phone is slightly longer. the new model is also thinner and 20% lighter than the previous phone with high-speed l.t. communications it transmitts movies and large volume data files faster. the phone's new operating system enables better voice recognition and an apple original mapping service. >> iphone 5 and ios 6, the

biggest things to happen to iphone since iphone. >> apple will start selling the phone on friday next week in the u.s., japan and europe. the basic model in the u.s. will be priced at around $199. here are some reactions to the iphone 5 in san francisco. >> i think it's wonderful. yeah, thinner would be cool. >> i don't know. i am an android user. i don't really mind. but it makes me want to get an iphone 5. >> i have been waiting for 5 for about two years now, really. so -- it's the best news i have heard in a while actually. >> the global market for smartphones has become increasingly competitive. shipments are expected to grow almost 40% this year, heading towards 700 million units. samsung electronics

dominates the market. the u.s. research firm says samsung's share in the last quarter was 32.6%, compares with 16.9% for apple. managers at apple hope to boost their share with this latest model. but the competition is getting tougher. nokia and u.s. firms are all coming out with faster phones with bigger screens. the u.s. central bank will announce the outcome of its two-day policy board meeting on thursday. this will be followed by a news conference by the chairman, ben bernanke. the market focus is on whether the federal reserve will launch a third round of easing, dubbed qe-3. the jobless rate is high at the 8% level. bernanke repeatedly said the fed stand ready to take adegs e add measures. and short term interest rates at close to zero until late 2014. now many analysts expect that

the period of traultralow rates might be extended further. for more insight we spoke with ethan harris, bank of america, merrill lynch global research. he thinks the fed will show its determination, that it is red to do what is needed. but hair rris says the fed may announce easing at this time. >> i think the fed is unhappy with the slow recovery in the economy. they're very likely to offer new easing measures. we think they'll lower their forecast for growth. we think they will promise to keep interest rates low for a period of time. extending guidance for a year. we are not sure if they will announce qe 3 or not. if they deon't do easing they will suggest a strong probability of qe in thefuture. i think they realize -- that they, need how to -- to make it

very clear to the markets that they're going to do more. so i think the markets will be assured by the fact that even if they don't announce it, they are lakely likely to do it later. i don't expect a big negative response if the fed doesn't announce qe 3. the next fed meeting is right before the election. that would be a some what awkward time to be doing qe. so, probably the december meeting would be -- the next likely time for easing. the fed will take steps until we see a real recoverien the economy. workers who arrive at their jobs with little sleep can lower productivity and cause accidents. the people at some japanese companies see sleep deprivation as an opportunity for business. nhk has more.

>> reporter: a health equipment maker started selling sleep meters to businesses in october. the device measures vibrations from twists and turns, breathing and heartbeat, to measure the length and depth of sleep. the data is managed on the intern. it can also be checked remotely. sleep quality appears as a numeric score. the system then provides advice on how to improve sleep. >> translator: measuring sleep is a new concept to many people. it's not an easy sell. we're starting with businesses that have immediate needs. is one business that's >> reporter: this taxi company considering using the device. the firm employs around 180 drivers. they work 20-hour shifts, though they can take breaks.

the managers know that if the drivers are getting enough sleep, the chance of an accident is reduced. but it isn't easy to check the drivers' sleeping habits or make sure they are getting enough rest every night. the drivers are going to try using the device at home. if it shows some of them are not getting enough sleep, the company plans to ask those drivers to see a doctor. >> translator: we want to monitor the drivers' sleeping habits. we want to make sure they're getting enough rest so we can prevent traffic accidents. >> reporter: some companies have started helping their employees sleep better as part of a health management program. as well as to improve work

efficiency. this management consulting firm employs 14 people. everyone has a heavy workload. and most likely severe mental stress. a survey found that many of the employees were having trouble sleeping. so the company asked this woman to conduct a seminar. her job is to give advice on improving sleep. mayeda showed the workers how foot massages and stretching could lull them into a good sleep. >> make sure you use firm pressure. it will help you fall asleep. >> reporter: the roughly 90-minute seminar cost the firm about $2,000.

>> translator: if the seminar helps employees relax, sleep well, and perform better during the day, then it's well worth the price. >> reporter: good sleep means less accidents and better mental health. business opportunity seems to lie in a dreamland that's just waking up. politicians in the netherlands party, are headed for a victory in parliamentary elections. the party support belt tightening measures to deal with europe's debt crisis. the result reaffirms voters supports for the prime minister, the cabinet was forced to resign in april, after economic austerity measures. with 97% of the votes counted. the dutch public broadcaster projected the center right party

had won 41 of 150 seats in the house of representatives. the party ran on free market pro european policies. the opposition center left labor party is projected to win 39 seats. its members have pushed for a review of spending cuts and measures to rein in the deficit. politicians belonging to the socialist party will likely hold on to their 15 seats. the party has fiercely opposed cuts in government spending. and haefd loeavy losses for the right party. and campaigned for the netherlands to leave the european union. no single party seems to have within a majority. the parties are expected to begin talks on forming a coalition. foreign ministry officials from japan and china have met to discuss their row over islands.

the japanese government bought the senkaku islands tuesday from a private japanese owner. japan controls the territory. china and taiwan claim the islands belong to them. the head of the japanese foreign ministry's asian affairs bureau met for two days in beijing with his chinese counterpart. a chinese foreign ministry statement says china urged japan to immediately correct what it called a mistake. the statement asks that they return to mutual understanding and resolve the dispute through dialogue. japanese embassy officials say the chinese insist that diplomats agreed to shelf the dispute 40 years ago during talks on normalizing ties. the japanese say the chinese may want them to acknowledge the existence of a territorial dispute to allow the situation to cool down. demonstrators in beijing and shanghai have staged repeated protests and millions of people have posted comments on the

internet criticizing japan. the japanese embassy is calling on residents and tourists to stay away from the demonstrations. the best among them change with changing times and that's what happened with the art of japan. the painting once typical of her style. their country's disaster, prompted him to reconsider his approach to his craft. >> reporter: familiar and yet some how different. yoshitomo's work, exudes softness and warmth. the 52-year-old, nada is an artist. he honed his technique while studyingen germany in the 1990s. promise blossomed into fame. first in europe. then america.

but nada says all the critical attention and personal success came at a cost. >> after all of the success, i lost my freedom to draw freely. i didn't have time to look at myself objectively. the 2011 tsunami and earthquake forced nara to take a hard look at himself. nara was born near the disaster strek en stricken region. he was shocked by the devastati devastation. awe t >> i was overwhelmed by how powerless i was. it was an empty feeling. i would think about what i could do for the people who had survived this devastation. i stood in front of the canvas. and just couldn't paint anything. i didn't think it would possibly matter. >> struggling for inspiration, nara returned to his alma matter become to his roots. he still couldn't face the

canvas. he started with clay. and a 5 foot sculpture. the work of an artist, struggling to find his muse. >> nara doesn't start with a sketch. it is reworked with each burst of inspiration. most of my work is unplanned. i just start and something will come to me as i am working. and at some instance, i can envision the finished product.

that vision has changed since the disaster. something visitors at the exhibition seem to appreciate. >> i felt challenged and renewed by his works. they are a lot of new pieces. as i look them over it gave me a sense of courage. there was something insincere about them. there was also a mocking tone in a lot of my pieces. i have straightened myself out a bit. and knuckled down to my work. the way i mixed colors has changed. i really hope people will come out and see the show.

a white flower, was once in danger of being wiped out. but conservation efforts have them growing again. now the flower is being used in cosmetics and medicine. nhk world's shio hammerler reports. >> reporter: i am in the alps, as you can e tsee the flower is growing in the cliff. the flowers cover the european alps. the main means noble white, and the song mentions the flower, making it popular. around trails, many people come here every year to go hiking and enjoy the flowers.

he has spent over 50 years guarding the edelweiss. the flower only grows in the wild, above 2,000 meters. picking the flowers in the alpine region is prohibited. despite the ban, numbers fell at one point due to rampant picking. >> translator: we have been trying to stop anyone from stealing the flowers. some people even tried to attack us. they had been monitoring the edelweiss from 1935. the division has kempt pt an ey the flowers, every day since then, during the blossoming month of july and august. years of conversation activity led to a recovery of edelweiss

numbers in the alps. about 10 years ago, researchers began studying artificial cultivation. but growing the flowers was difficult outside of the natural mountain conditions. researchers, finally found a way. i can now grow the ideal edelweiss through artificial cultivation. many products use the flower as an ingredient, now that it can be mass produced. this cosmetic product, uses edelweiss extract. some studies have found that the flower has whitening and anti-aging properties. 35,000 of this cosmetic product have introduced last year.

>> i didn't know there were cosmetics made from edelweiss. it seems like a good idea and worth trying. >> edelweiss is starting to draw attention for its medicinal properties too. researchers say, the flower contains substances that can prevent cancer, and hardening of the arteries. >> translator: the edelweiss is a very special flower. people living in the alpine region, it has a lot of potential. i am sure it has other useful properties yet t be discovered. >> man a new song will be sung about the potential of a small mountain flower that has bloomed back to life in the harsh mountain ranges.

shio hammeler, nhk world, vienna. a typhoon is affecting the residents along the east everyone coast of the philippines. here is sayaka mori with her update and the weather forecast. >> the outer ban of the typhoon will move over the seas. it could become a strong, very strong typhoon, before it reaches the okinaw islands, sunday morning. after it moves through the island. moving towards the korean peninsula or western japan. stormy conditions across the southern islands of japan as well as taiwan. wind could exceed, 160 kilometers per hour. that is strong enough to topple trees and cause property damage. in terms of rainfall, the bulk

of the heavy ran should stay over the waters. but, sanba could intensify, and the west coast of the philippines will see intensifying showers over the course of the next few days. as for the rest of east asia, tropical depression to the east of japan is dissipating. so it is not going to produce rain to japan. but heavy rain from -- southeastern russia, through the korean peninsula, down through southern china will be moving towards the east. western japan is going to see short-term, heavy rain on your friday. all right, moving into the americas then. we can see a long, cloud band stretching from quebec through the western great lakes down towards the four corners region underneath the cloud. seeing short time heavy rain and thunderstorms. as the the system tracks towards the southeast, texas will start to see heavy rain from wednesday, and that will be continuing into your weekend. we are anticipating as as much

as 100 millimeters to fall. a lot. so it could become beneficial rain for texas. back behind it. a cool air flez flows in from t north. temperatures will drop. we have frost advisories in placen the d ein the dakotas. and colorado will see 10 to 20 centimeters of snowen higher elevations. down towards the south. monitoring, tropical storm christie. christie is going to move toward the northwest. parallel to the west coast of mexico over the next several days. while it is weakening. it could bring some moisture as cross the country for the next for the next couple days. temperatures are looking like this. cooling to 21 degrees in chicago. that is 10 degrees, 9 degrees lower than wednesday. cooling down also in, in oklahoma city with a high 2u62. looking hot in los angeles. 31. should be warming up to 36 degrees, as well head into your friday. all right. finally, let's go over to europe. then it is mostly wet and windy

out toward the northwest. remnants of tropical storms are moving into scotland as well as norway. that is going to produce very heavy rain as well as very strong winds. down towards the south, we have got upper cold, low, existing in the alpine region as well as the the northwestern balkan peninsula. thunderstorms, gusty wind and hail will continuetomorrow. all right, temperatures are as follows the. still on the hot side. lisbon. 33 degrees. very cool for this time of year in vienna. only 12 degrees. feeling more look late october here. that's the for now. here is your extended forecast. ♪ ♪

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