welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. first a look at the headlines. iraq's prime minister is showing his defiance. he's rejecting calls to create a more inclusive government as a way to stop islamist militants. a u.s. congressional panel has voted to rename a street in washington after one of china's most famous dissidents. and we'll show you how developers and designers are pushing the limits of computer

simulations to improve everything from houses to tooth brushes. iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki has rejected calls to create a more inclusive government. he is facing criticism that he instigated the sunni insurgency by favoring the majority shia. so he is being urged to form a national salvation government as a way to stop islamist mitants. u.s. president barack obama last week challenged him to present a unified front. among iraq's three main groups. maliki says it represents a coup against the constitution. some political parties are urging him to step down to establish a national salvation government. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is to meet with foreign ministers this week to discuss iraq's crisis. he will talk with ministers from the uae and israel and saudi arabia's king abdullah. government forces in iraq are countering attacks by sunni militants. the insurgents hit a military air base wednesday north of

baghdad and they are fighting government forces around baiji which is the site of the country's largest oil refinery. u.s. media report syrian war planes crossed into erne iraq to carry out an attack on the islamic extremist group. and an antigovernment activist told nhk they saw military aircraft flying toward iraq. sunni militants have been moving back and forth across the syria-iraq border. the air raid could complicate iraq's crisis. a u.s. congressional panel has voted to rename a street in washington after a chinese dissident. members of the house appropriations committee voted to call the street in northwestern washington l

lli liu xiabao plaza on wednesday. he is serving an 11-year jail term for trying to subvert state power. the republican lawmaker says it will send a clear and strong message that the u.s. government will not overlook human rights problems around the world. the bill goes to the full house for debate by lawmakers. but a spokesperson for the chinese embassy in washington called the vote a farce. he told nhk it runs counter to promote corporative ties between the two countries. ai uchida joins us from the business desk. >> there is a law that says american oil stays in america. but some producers are finding a way around it.

some analysts say it's a partial lifting of the ban. company officials say the obama administration approved the export by classifying the oil as a specific type. shale oil production in the u.s. has boomed with improved technology for extracting oil and gas from rock. producers in that sector have been calling for removal of the export ban imposed after the global oil crisis in the 1970s. opponents say domestically produced oil should be reserved for american users. white house spokesperson josh ernest says there has been no change in government policy on u.s. exports. officials in the u.s. say the economy shrank at a much steeper rate than they first thought. they released the final rating of the first quarter gross domestic product and it shows the biggest contraction since

2009. officials at the department of commerce say between january and march the economy shrank at an annualized rate of 2.9%. they previously estimated a contraction of 1%. they say corporate investment decreased 1% due to harsh winter weather and housing investment declined more than 4% and exports fell 8.9%. but many analysts say the setback is temporary and they expect the economy to pick up in the april to june quarter. stock investors and currency traders had different takes on those numbers. on wall street the investors brushed aside the gdp figures and the share prices rose. and those in tokyo are following their lead. the nikkei opened higher and is opening higher. but some are selling stocks to take advantage of the recent rally. currency traders, they sold the

dollar after the u.s. data came out. and they are continuing to sell the dollar against the yen and the euro. the gdp numbers suggest that the american economy is recovering more slowly than the markets had hoped. let's take a look at other asian markets. south korea's kospi in the positive. shanghai's key index up by .5%. in hong kong we're seeing the hang seng also trading higher by .6%. officials at the european union have told japan they want to keep pursuing an economic partnership agreement. eu officials have been reviewing the progress of epa talks with japan that started in april last year. sources say they decided to continue negotiations as japan offered to improve access for european companies to its railway sector. this would include rail cars and operating systems. japan had also proposed

gradually remove tariffs on european wine over seven years. negotiates are expected to focus on tariffs on farm products such as cheese and pork. the eu wants them lowered. japanese negotiators want the eu to eliminate tariffs on japanese cars and other industrial products. officials of japan's fishery's agency say they have alerted the south korean government about the international limit on catching pa sisk blue fin tuna. pacific countries agreed to cut this year's catch of 15% of the average annual hall of 2002 to 2005. fishies agency officials say south korea has already shipped more than half of its allowable catch this year. japan is the largest consumer of blue fin tuna and buys 90% of the south korean catch. the peak season ends in july. japanese fisheries officials

asked their counter parts to ensure their catch does not exceed the limit and asked traders in japan not to import too much tuna from south korea. japanese officials plan to propose further restrictions on blue fin tuna fishing at an international conference. some developers in japan are pushing themselves to make the things we buy even better. they are using computer simulations to improve the designs of everything from houses to toothbrushes. take a look. >> reporter: lake sua in central japan is voupded by mountains. a man chose the lake front as the new location for his business. but he was concerned about t strong winds that blow in off the lake. he was worried that after the building is completed, it could disturb neighbors by affecting

wind patterns. so he consulted an architectural firm before going ahead with his plans. last year they started using a personal computer to simulate wind patterns. the software uses details on wind and buildings to predict how wind will move around a structure. the owner visited to see the simulation. the curved object in the center is the planned shape of the building. strong winds from the lake are shown in red. the blue dotted lines represent weak winds. the simulation showed that soft winds will flow around to the back of the structure but it will not have a major impact on the wind patterns.

>> i was impressed with their panel sis. >> the architect used to rely on models like this one to display wind patterns. but they were not enough to show clients. >> personal computers are better at handling 3-d software. we are happy it helps our clients understand. >> reporter: computer simulations aren't only used by architects. they can help develop everyday products. this company created a program to visualize the movement of up to 2,000 individual bristles on a toothbrush. this simulation shows that medium bristles don't reach between teeth. the bottom of the screen shows that soft bristles are more effective. the program also visualizes the

amount of pressure from the bristles. high pressure areas are shown in red. the engineers used to base design on past experience and hypothesis. they use this device to test prototypes. areas of contact can be seen where the red paint is scraped off of the model teeth. they started using simulations to find out how bristles move. the team designed a toothbrush for users with sensitive gums. soft bristles were placed on the outside and a row of hard bristles in the center. the soft bristles gently massage gums.

the engineers also use the technology to improve the massage effects for users suffering from gum disease. >> we can simulate various conditions. so we expect to design even more sophisticated, higher quality products. >> reporter: computer simulations have just started improving the products we all use. we will have to wait until the technology becomes more accessible and widespread to see if it really has an effect on our daily lives. >> more stories in business for you next hour. i'll leave you a check on markets.

now the latest from the world cup. in group f, leonel messi delighted argentina's ski blue clad supporters. the match got off to a quick start. messi slammed in a rebound in the third minute. argentina allowed nigeria to equalize soon after but messi struck again just before halftime, curling a 20-meter free kick into the corner of the net. nigeria equalized just after halftime to make it 2-2.

but three minutes later, argentina were quickly back on their feet. the defender stabbed home a bouncing ball with his knee from close range. argentina beat nigeria 3-2. [ speaking foreign language ]. the other group f match featured bosnia, the only team making a world cup debut. the team won an historic victory against iran. in the 23rd minute, ace player, eden dzeko opened the scoring. another player added a second goal in the 59th minute. iran responded but couldn't stop bosnia from adding a third goal. bosnia beat iran 3-1 to clinch the team's first ever victory in the world cup. argentina topped group f with nine points.

despite losing, nigeria secured a place in the last 16. in group e all four teams played. switzerland powered into the knockout stage by beating ecuador. -- honduras. the swiss took the lead soon after the kickoff. in the sixth minute, a shot from outside the penalty box flew into the top corner of the net. in the 31st minute, he scored again. sliding the ball past the honduran goalkeeper. he completed his hat trick to give switzerland a resounding 3-0 victory over honduras. in the other group e game, france met ecuador. france dominated the game from the start with 20 shots at the goal. but they couldn't break through

the ecuadorian defense. the game ended in a scoreless draw. france tops the group with seven points. switzerland follows with six and goes through to the knockout phase. the tournament is preparing for its second phase but some teams are on their way home from brazil. japan is one of them. the coach announced he will step down as the team made its exit from its world cup group. [ speaking foreign language ]. he had wanted to lead japan to its first world cup quarter final but the team managed only one point in the tournament. he said the team lacked physical strength. and that's a wrap-up of wednesday's action. in other news, relations between china and taiwan have

just gotten a little warmer. the two sides head ministerial level talks for the first time since their split in 1949. officials discussed the establishment of liaison offices and import tariff cuts. china's top official in charge of taiwan affairs is visiting the island for the talk. zhang zhijun met his taiwanese counter part, wang yu-chi. they discussed what place the liaison offices will have. wang said the chinese side that officials at the liaison offices will be able to meet people detained by the other side. taiwan had demanded the right. >> translator: we have basically agreed to set up liaison offices that connect both sides of the strait on a more humane level we would like to establish a substantive institution to better serve the public. >> translator: we've made a

historical first step in our relationship and we'd like to promote peaceful ties. i think we've built a solid foundation for creating a win/win situation. >> both sides confirmed that they will also put a servi sector free trade pact into effect. they agreed that if taiwanese industries are harmed they will quickly deal with the matter. many people in taiwan remain cautious about relations with china. about 100 people demonstrated at an airport and outside the meeting venue. earlier this year, students occupied taiwan's legislature for more than three weeks. they opposed the trade pact with china which they say threatens the island's service sector. japanese and u.s. officials are hoping closer ties between scientists and business people in biotechnology industries will benefit both countries. they announced the deal on the site lines of this year's biointernational convention in

san diego, california. scientists and business people from more than 1700 firms and research institutes from around the world are attending the convention. the meeting is showcasing the latest in regenerative medicine using ips. genetic analysis of disease and new drug treatments are also on show. representatives from 19 japanese companies are demonstrating their latest innovations in biotechnology. their equipment for culturing cells and selecting certain types of cells is attracting attention. the japan external trade organization and the u.s. ste of massachusetts have signed an agreement to cooperate in the sector. the massachusetts governor says that he hopes the partnership will produce jobs and profits while improving people's quality of live. the head of the office in los angeles says she hopes the agreement will help link japan's highly skilled small and medium sized firms with u.s. businesses.

results of an international survey suggest that teachers in japan work longer hours than the rest of the world. but that work isn't always in the classroom. the organization for economic cooperation and development conducted the survey. teachers from 34 countries and territories were asked questions. japan took part for the first time. japanese teachers said they work nearly 54 hours per week. that's about 1.4 times the international average. they spend about a third of their time in school for classes. a bit shorter than the average but the time spent on clerical work and extracurricular activities is two to three times longer than the average. teachers were also asked to assess their class organization

and teaching skills. those in japan fell far below the average. and the number of those who said their teaching promotes critical thinking and confidence was only one fifth the average. officials of japan's education minister says they now realize they may need to improve the education system by hiring more teachers. the tokyo metropolitan assembly has been taking on global attention for its sexist jibes. a female lawmaker was subjected to shouted insults last week. the session closed on wednesday without resolving the issue. the remarks could be heard as ayaka shiomura was questioning measures on women and children. [ speaking foreign language ]. another heckler demanded to know whether the assemblywoman was even capable of having a baby. one of the culprits was akihiro

suzuki of the liberal democratic party. that's the largest group in the assembly and the same party as prime minister shinzo abe. suzuki owned up and apologized after repeatedly denying his involvement. but no one else has admitted to making the cat calls. shiomura says other jeers came from the seats from the ldp. at the final session on wednesday, members of smaller factions proposed a motion to force those who made remarks to step forward but the ldp and others voted it down. instead they adopted a milder resolution. it said only that members should try to win back public trust and prevent a recurrence. is it seen to be an embarrassment to prime minister abe. abe is promoting the cause of women in japanese society. he apologized. shiomura does not feel the matter is settled.

she still wants the anonymous hecklers to step up and take responsibility. time now for a check of the weather. people in southern china are dealing with heavy rain. mai shoji has more in world weather. >> every year people in china have dealt with severe flooding during the rainy season. but the rainy season this year has brought torrents of rainfall. the rain band still stretches into southern china and has been bringing drenching amounts of rainfall. people in guangdong province are still wading through knee-high waters. unfortunately rain will continue in the amounts of 100 to 150 millimeters in localized regions, certainly heightening the risk and concerns for further flooding and landslides. swrls mudslides. southwestern islands of japan has been dealing with flooding as well. down to the south, a tropical low pressure system is

approaching the philippines and will be affecting the eastern seaboards. as well as the western coast due to the southwestern monsoonal flow being enhanced. so much of the archipelago will be looking at more torrents of rainfall. considering japan where we had really extreme weather patterns for the last couple days we're not likely to see the widespread thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours. localized regions may have pop ups but a little bit of peppering showers and that's about it. it's more unstable across northeastern china including beijing. evenhough you see cloud marks you may see afternoon thunderstorms to pop up with 31 degrees as the temperature. in the 30s in kyoto as well. and tokyo just at 26 for thursday. now to europe, we have reports of tornados spawning in serbia, 6 centimeters diameter hailstorm in nia.

this system is spawning severe weather. it will be affecting ukraine and poland and thunderstorms continue in the balkans. flooding, large hail and damaging gusts will be a potential. we are likely to see another atlantic system in the british isles. meanwhile here across london on thursday we're likely to see partly sunny skies with 19 degrees in the forecast. but from friday, a chance of thunderstorms there. and looking at those heavy rain pulling in for the weekend. you may have to arrange your weekend plans in munich and in paris. the rest of the temperatures are looking like this. in europe, take a look at this. in athens, 38 degrees. and we have a high pressure system cresting overhead. surging all that heat. the heat wave could continue. now across the americas the midsection of the u.s. and eastern seaboards are looking at drenching thunderstorms. we may see 50 millimeters of additional rainfall in new york city and boston but it's that will be pulling away.

the midsection is a concern with the severe thunderstorms. the darker shaded area, include rapid city will find severe thunderstorms. dry thunderstorms could ignite in the southwestern corners. talking about lightning, though, it's actually the peak of the fatal lightning incidents. 70% of it occurs during these few months across the year. and considering the outdoor sports for information, soccer is the sport that causes the most fatal lightning incidents. these are your temperatures. shaping up like this. seattle is looking at rain falling into the weekend at 22 degrees. and as for brazil, four games are set for your thursday and these are your forecasts. i'll leave you now for your extended forecast.

i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us. r

tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, a conversation with bill medley, one half of the righteous brothers, who did "you've lost that lovin' feeli'' ," and"unchained melody the righteous brothers were front and center as music changes swept the nation. now, bill medley has written a memory, called "the time of my life." we are glad you could join us for our conversation with bill medley, coming up right now. ♪