killings of muslims. more than 100 anti-muslim activists gathered near the site of the attack and scuffled with police. >> people across britain, people in every community, i believe, will utterly condemn this attack. we have had these sorts of attacks before thin our country and we never buckle in the face of them. >> the british government has tightened security. the head of london's police force has launched an investigation. anti-terrorism officials will take the lead. people in the u.s. state of oklahoma are beginning to pick up the pieces after a tornado that killed 24 people. the rescue effort is nearly over, and officials are focusing on supporting survivors. the tornado struck oklahoma on monday. among the dead were ten children. 324 other people were injured. officials say the tornado destroyed or damaged more than 12,000 houses and affected 33,000 people.

they estimate the damage at $2 billion. rescue crews say the search for survivors is nearly complete. the work to remove debris and restore infrastructure is in full swing. >> this is going to be a long recovery process. there are many, many needs with our families and individuals. >> two elementary schools took direct hits. they had no emergency shelters. locals are calling for stronger defenses. the state government is creating a fund to help residents build underground shelters. the mayor of the most severely damaged city says he'll propose an ordinance requiring a reinforced shelter in every new home. the tornado flattened entire neighborhoods, leaving a trail nearly 30 kilometers long and up to two kilometers wide. the city of moore experienced the heaviest damage. many survivors are wondering how to start over. nhk world's reporter has more.

>> reporter: residents who fled the oklahoma suburb of moore returned two days later to find their town mangled beyond recognition. they picked through the debris with the family and friends, looking for something, anything, from the remains of their home. >> it's my middle name. >> reporter: what's your middle name? >> stella. >> our first day to come back and try to salvage what we can and stuff. >> we are here today, my sister and my husband and some friends from my sister's work, and this gentleman that's just offering going up and down the road, offering help. we're trying to salvage as much as we can of memories. >> reporter: people lined up in this church parking lot for insurance payouts. state authorities say so far there have been nearly 3,000 requests. the state of oklahoma has established a fund to support

people affected by the catastrophe. >> well, i'm staying with my nephew, and they're taking care of me. i don't have anything. >> reporter: support teams distributed water and food at a number of locations. people all over the country have donated clothes and supplies. this woman was looking for something for her grandchild to wear. >> i'm coming here because my grandson and my daughter-in-law lost their home. and he has no clothes. so i'm coming to try and find him some clothes. >> reporter: the red cross and other organizations have set up shelters where people can wash, eat and sleep. the number of residents who lost their homes far outnumbers the spaces at emergency shelters.

many survivors are still trying to find a place to stay and start rebuilding their lives. john ellis-guardiola, nhk world, moore, oklahoma. now, a number of factors including some bad economic data out of china today pulled asian markets lower. ron mad sison has more on that. ron. >> what happened with tokyo stocks, really taking a beating today, seeing a selloff we haven't seen in many years. trading hit a record in what was a very volatile session. the nikkei ended at 14,483, a drop of 7.3%. that was 1,143 points lower than wednesday's close. the point loss was also the sharpest one-day drop in 13 years. sources say tokyo stocks have been technically overbought, and downbeat manufacturing data from china prompted a heavy selloff.

also, china's pmi flash hsbc data released thursday showed a contraction, declining to a seven-month low of 49.6 in may. the index now sitting below the boom or bust line of 50. april's final reading was 50.4. trading was pretty choppy. the nikkei average had risen above the 15,900 mark in early-morning trading. but the benchmark, as we all saw, really taking a plummet in the afternoon. now, we spoke with head of fukuoka capital management to get his take on tokyo stocks. >> the rumor in the market is that the market fell because of the bad economic indices was shown from china, but i don't think that is the only reason. i think the other reason is the market went up too fast, maybe overheating, especially when it exceeded the 15,000 level,

people started to feel that there was an achievement for the target for the movement. the other reason may be is that there's a consent in the market that by the interview with mr. kuroda of bank of japan, it seems that he's not too much worried about the bond yield hike, which is obviously -- is not very good news for japanese equity market. so all these reasons combined together, i think the market has started to feel that it maybe is a good time to sell for the moment. however, having said that, i don't think this is a decline in this movement. people that just wanted to make and realize the profit they have for the moment and see what is going to happen for the next market movement. the most important thing is to see how the growth strategy of the abe government is going to proceed, especially before the upper house election. they're waiting for the equity

market. >> well, the downward theme definitely spreading across asia today. other markets really suffering some losses. we saw that weak pmi data from china weighing on sentiment. also comments from fed chairman ben bernanke dampening sentiment today. he said the central bank could scale down its asset buying program by the end of the year. in sydney, the s&p/asx 200 ended at 5,062, a drop of 2%, the worst daily loss in more than two months. mainland chinese share prices ended at a weak low. the shanghai composite fell 1.2% just about to 2,275. investors sold major issues like banks and oil companies. in hong kong, shares are down pretty much across the board, extending its losing streak into a third session. the index down another 2.5%, 22,669. now, one analyst that we

spoke to said the chinese economy has a long-term impact on other asian markets and the region's economy as a whole. here's a senior executive fellow at the fujitsu research institute. >> in respect of the economy of china, there are several important questions being raised. the first, what about the growth rate, which is currently less than 8% during the last three quarters. and then chinese export is beginning to show some sign of weakness. this is partly due to the weak demand in europe but more importantly, the wage in china has been going up so rapidly that chinese product is losing competitiveness in the international market.

thirdly, there is talk in the recent past about the hidden debt of chinese local governments. then comes the industry overcapacity kps vewhich is ver difficult to get rid of, and environmental problems getting even more serious. all these things are coming together to make us a little bit cautious or even pessimistic about the future of the chinese economy. >> all right. well, japanese automakers have seen their profits rise thanks to the weakening yen, but some overseas car companies are actually facing the opposite situation now. the top executive of ford australia said the company will halt production in 2016. he said a strong currency and high labor costs are to blame. ceo bob graziano made the announcement thursday. he said the company posted a net loss of 141 million australian dollars in fiscal 2012.

losses over the last five years have totaled about 600 million australian dollars. that works out to just about 581 million u.s. dollars. he said the company will lay off 1200 workers at its two factories after production ends. a strong australian dollar and high labor costs have made the company less competitive against japanese and south korean rivals. and mitsubishi motors is aiming to clear accumulated losses of about $8.7 billion. that's to rebuild its business by the end of the current fiscal year. executives at the carmaker say they plan to use the firm's capital and reserves to achieve the goal. they also aim to increase the maximum number of shares affecting the issue. a final decision on this to be made at a board meeting. meanwhi meanwhile, the automaker will discuss withholders of the remaining shares on how to sf z dispose of them. they are currently worth about $3.8 billion. mitsubishi issued preferred shares to boost finances. this was in the wake of a financial crunch at the firm. and the measures coming about

after it was revealed that the company had concealed recall cases in 2000 and 2004. the preferred shares were bought by its group companies including mitsubishi heavy industries. and the yen's weakness is affecting food prices as well here in japan. the country's largest flour miller is set to raise its prices in july. it says it will increase prices on all of its 18 products. this does include cake and bread flours. the price hike will be in the range of 2% to 7% depending on the product. the delivery price of cake flour will rise by 10 cents a kilogram. other millers are also considering price rises. the major millers have already decided to raise prices for their corporate customers starting next month. the move comes as the weakening yen spurred the japanese government last month to raise the price it charges domestic millers for imported wheat. it also plans to raise the price of pasta sauces by about 10%.

cooking oil prices were marked up last month, and mayonnaise is going to be more expensive starting ijuly okay. that is going to do it for biz. let's get a check of the markets. officials at the international atomic energy agency say iranian scientists have installed hundreds of advanced centrifuges at a nuclear facility. the devices will allow iran's leaders to enrich more uranium.

the official said the natanz complex in central iran now has more than 600 centrifuges. most of them were installed over the last three months. they added that iran has over 300 kilograms of medium-enriched urani uranium. half is being stored in the form of fuel rods which are difficult to convert to weapons-grade material. diplomats from iaea member states say iran's leaders are eliminating stockpiles that can be used to make weapons, but they say they're concerned by the buildup in enrichment capacity. iaea officials have held ten rounds of talks with iran's leaders in the past year. they're trying to persuade the iranians to abandon their nuclear program. representatives of western and arab nations are promising further support for opposition fighters in syria. the friends of syria group met for talks in jordan's capital, ahman. delegates from the u.s., britain, egypt and other countries attended the talks.

they expressed support for an international conference in geneva next month. the conference will be organized by the united states and russia. they hope to bring president bashar al assad's administration and its opponents to the table in geneva. >> it is a path that leads to a political solution and a political transition to a renewed syria. >> the delegates also demanded the immediate withdrawal of and iranian troops. rebels have said iranian and hezbollah fighters have intervened in support of assad. the meeting was divided on how to support the syrian rebels including whether to provide them with weapons. white house officials are opening up about something they have been keeping secret. for the first time they've acknowledged that four americans have died in drone strikes since 2009. attorney general eric holder says the drones were being used

to pursue terrorists in yemen and pakistan. holder wrote a letter to congressional leaders acknowledging details that were previously classified. holder confirmed that drone operators targeted and killed the leader of a jordan-based terrorist group. he said three other americans who were not deliberately targeted also died. holder said the operation did not break any laws, but some lawmakers and journalists say government officials need to explain the legal basis for the killings. president barack obama is expected to discuss the drone program thursday in a speech on national security. japanese diplomats have launched a complaint with the editors of a south korean newspaper. a commentary describes the u.s. atomic bombings of japan as divine punishment. the piece was published in monday's edition. the writer claims the atomic

bombings were revenge for the victims of the research on biological warfare. the unit 731 team operated in china during world war ii. japan's chief cabinet secretary suga says the editorial is disgraceful. >> translator: japan is the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, so we will never tolerate such views. >> suge added that it's important for the people of both countries to stay calm. now, officials have said the article represents the author's personal view. a captain accused of abandoning passengers after his ship ran aground will be tried for manslaughter. the accident off the coast of italy last year killed 30 people. two others are still missing. a judge ordered captain francesco schettino to stand trial in july. the judge said the captain caused a wreck, then fled the vessel before the passengers and

crew had all been rescued. local media say the captain could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years. prosecutors had also sought indictments for four of the ship's officers and a crisis coordinator. they're likely to settle for plea bargains instead. the cruise ship flipped onity side after hitting rocks near the coast. workers have tried to move it, but they've been hampered by high waves. this japanese adventurer has reached the top of mt. everest at the age of 80. he's the oldest person to climb the world's highest peak. but this was not his first attempt. he has been at everest twice before at the ages of 70 and 75. nhk world's reporter explains his passion for adventure. >> reporter: he started at the base camp at 5,300 meters in any paul on may 16th. he climbed several difficult

sections. these included the ice hall at the head of the crumbling glacier in the icy wall. on thursday, he set out from a camp at an altitude of 8,500 meters for the final stretch. around 12:15 japan time, he reached the summit of the 8,848-meter mountain. >> reporter: miura had sought adventure all his life. in his 30s, he skied down japan's highest mountain, mt. fuji.

miura had skied down the highest mountains of the seven continents by the age of 53. but miura also suffered setbacks. in his 60s, he gained so much weight that he could hardly climate all. he worked hard to regain his strength. then at the age of 70, he reached the top of mt. everest for the first time. he made another ascent when he was 75. he broke his leg at the age of 76. he had two heart operations when he was 80 years old, but he overcame those difficulties. miura's determination has impressed many elderly people. >> translator: we're proud of him. we're encouraged by what he did. >> translator: it's wonderful.

you've got to keep looking for new challenges. i'm practicing. miura's achievement at the age of 80 has encouraged the young and elderly as well as those who want to stay young at heart. jun yotsumoto, nhk world, tokyo. soccer fans in the u.s. are excited about a new super team. the new york yankees and the english premier league club manchester city will set up a team. new york city fc will join u.s. major league soccer from 2015. yankees' co-owner hal steinbrenner and soriano talked to reporters in new york. >> soccer, most of us know,

continues to be one of the fastest growing sports in this country, particularly young our youth, and i do believe great things are going to happen here, and this team is going to be a great thing for new york city. >> we're also happy because we got the best partner possible. who could be the best partner than the new york yankees? >> manchester city players attended the news conference. they also gave children a few tips on the game. new york mayor michael bloomberg welcomed the creation of the 20th team in major league soccer. let's now bring in robert speta for a check of the weather. robert, it's the rainy season for southern china, and i understand they're seeing pretty nasty weather right now. >> oh, yes, shery. it really has been taking place here over the past several weeks. and it's that time of year into late may, early june that we often do see this rainy season front setting up here in southern china, even extending through southern japan. and more often than not, there are these areas of flooding. here today into okinawa actually

upwards of about 150 millimeters of rainfall was reported here, starting to see the pooling up of water across the islands. behind it, there in southeastern china, over the past week, you have just been getting pounded by heavy rain. macaw on wednesday, up to seven centimeters fell throughout the day into hong kong. 15 reports of landslides occurred there. and also the hong kong observe story, the weather office there, issued the highest warning level in three years, up to black warning level there. definitely you do not need any more rain thankfully on thursday going through friday. there is a break in the activity here. that front's drifting farther towards the south and east, but it is the rainy season, and it doesn't last very long. by the time the end of the weekend rolls around, another low-pressure area is starting to work over the west. push off towards the east and just bring another shot of showers with it. it also is cooling things off, too. in beijing, you've been above

average for your temperatures. it's going to cool back down into the lower portions of the 20s by the end of the week. and as far as the korean peninsula and over towards tokyo, also looking at temperatures there into the high 20s. throughout the weekend, some fair weather associated with that as well. now, let's take a look over towards the americas, though, where we are continuing to watch the severe weather here into the northeast. yesterday here on your wednesday, upwards of 100 reports of high wind damage all the way from the ohio river valley extending off through the northeastern states. now that same low is continuing to work its way off. there's still the risk of severe weather here, but the main threat is going to be heavy rainfall. a new low will start to form just off the eastern coast. and with that, that's going to be lingering throughout the weekend. by early next week, that high pressure will start to drift towards the south, bring in fair weather behind it and cooling off temperatures. the severe weather is not quite over yet because this is that time of year where we see tornadoes popping up. and here into northern texas, western oklahoma, it does look like another shot of severe weather will be possible on your

thursday. you cannot rule out one of these stronger tornadoes. and like i said, it is that time of year. these areas in the red, this is tornado season. you can see here by may, it actually starts to peak, even into june, this is where you get the collision of air masses. then it tapers off through the summer months. even though it's hotter, you don't have the interaction between the colder and warmer air masses. the tornado occurrences start to get less frequent. let's look at europe. really much of northern europe is being dominated by one weather system here that is bringing all sorts of rough weather. into western germany, we've been seeing heavy rain showers. that's pushing off towards the east. northern scotland as well, you've been seeing very gusty winds, upwards of 72 kilometer per hour winds. that's cooling things down. in london and paris, you're going to be getting down to around ten degrees here going through your friday. you'll start to warm up by the weekend, but things really getting cooler.

as we look farther east, moscow, showers, kiev, upwards of 24 degrees, some thunderstorm activity, but the air has been quite unstable across this region. and even here on your wednesday just south of moscow, there was a report of a tornado. it goes to show even if you're not in one of these tornado-prone areas very likely around this time of year you could be hit by one. we definitely want to continue to watch out for that. just be ready for it. that is a look at your world weather. here's the extended forecast.

and that's all for this hour. i'm shery ahn. thank you for watching.

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, a conversation with eve ensler, the best-selling author. she has written a new book, a call to action, entitled "in the body of the world," which talks about her own battle with cancer and ending violence to women and girls, particularly in the democratic republic of

congo. we are glad you could join us for our conversation with eve ensler, coming up right now. >> there is a saying that dr. king had that said there is always the right time to do the right thing. i just try to live my life every day by doing the right thing. we know that we are only about halfway to completely eliminate hunger, and we have a lot of work to do. walmart committed $2 billion to fighting hunger in the u.s. as we work together, we can stamp hunger out. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: