welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. first a look at the headlines. diplomatic efforts to stop violence in gaza strip are increasing. the u.s. and u.n. are urging israelis and palestinians to lay down their weapons. the remains of victims from the malaysia airlines crash will be flown to the netherlands where grieving relatives are waiting. and a cool twist on an old custom is winning new fans as the japanese summer peaks. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon is telling israelis and palestinians to stop fighting and start talking.

israeli military commanders have been going after the members of hamas in gaza from the air and on the ground. more than 600 palestinians have been killed and at least 27 israelis. nhk world ease craig dale is following developments for us. >> ban ki-moon is just a high level player to get a ceasefire between israel and hamas. israel launched its offensive in gaza two weeks ago to go after hamas and its allies to stop them from launching rockets at their country. ban went to tel aviv to urge benjamin netanyahu to urge maximum restraint. many palestinian civilians have died in the fighting. the secretary-general is calling on both sides to end their attacks and to deal with the root causes of the conflict. >> we must address these underlying issues, including the mutual recognition, occupation

despair and denial of dignity. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is also saying that israel and hamas must look at their fundamental differences. he met in cairo with egyptian president, abdel fattah el-sisi. u.s. leaders support a ceasefire that builds on the one proposed last week by egyptian officials. that called for both sides to stop attacks immediately and send representatives to cairo. israel accepted it but hamas rejected it. hamas leaders are pushing for israel to ease its economic blockade of gaza. and release its imprisoned members. they kept firing rockets, some of them penetrated israel's aerial defense system. and one of them landed near ben gur onairport in tel aviv. that prompted some airlines in the u.s., canada, europe and one in asia to stop flying to israel either for the next 24 hours or for longer. they're being extra cautious

following the downing of malaysian airlines flight 17 in eastern ukraine. israeli leaders said it's like handing terror a prize. along with is trying to stop the rocket attacks, israel soldiers are going after tunnels hamas built to launch raids on israel. more than 100,000 gaza residents have fled their homes. >> translator: the destruction was like an earthquake. artillery shells were flying over my head. i can't remember how i picked up my child and fled. we ran for our lives. >> translator: the tension in gaza is extreme. there is no safe place. there is no specific target. they are firing indiscriminately. >> many of the evacuees are taking shelter in u.n.-run schools where they face poor sanitation and limited clean drinking water. the u.s. is offering $47 million in humanitarian assistance. but life likely won't get any better any time soon.

both sides are committed to their offensives here. hamas is opposed to israel's existence and a ceasefire is not near. >> nhk world's craig dale there. dutch authorities are preparing to take the lead in the investigation into the downing of malaysia airlines flight 17. the plane was shot down last week over eastern ukraine. more than 190 of the 298 people killed were dutch. now officials in ukraine are sending the remains to the netherlands. the plane went down in an area where government forces have been fighting pro-russian separatists. investigators have moved the bodies in a refrigerated train to the city of kharkiv. and ukraine's deputy prime minister says later in the day 50 bodies will be flown out of the country. >> translator: we recommended that the netherlands lead the international investigation into the cause of the crash.

>> ukrainian authorities have wrapped up their search at the site. they confirmed the deaths of all 298 people on board. they and forensic experts from other countries will continue to check the rest of the remains until friday. then hay plan to send the bodies to the netherlands for autopsy and identification. british prime minister david cameron said investigators from his country have agreed to a dutch request to retrieve data from the flight recorders. british media are reportinghat britain and france are the only countries in europe that have facilities that can replay cockpit flight recorders. thailand's military leaders have taken a first step towards a return to democratic rule. they have announced a target date for elections but included claufzs to insure they keep a strong influence.

the document contains 48 articles stipulating how the country should be run until a parliamentary election and return to civilian rule late next year. it calls for an assembly of lawmakers and gives the military a big say on who the legislators will be. the interim government is due to start work in september. the new constitution restricts who can become a cabinet member or prime minister. it prohibits anyone who has been a member of a political party in the last three years. analysts speculate prayuth could take the rule of prime minister. he is due to retire as the army chief in september. many consumers can't get enough of apple products and the appetite for the gadgets have put a lot of dollar signs in apple's books. ai uchida has more on that story. i have some of the devices.

how about you? >> you are not alone. we have seen photos of people lightning up around the block to get their latest gadgets from apple. consumers in markets around the world want things with the apple logo. and most of them want the iphone in particular. sales of iphones in emerging markets helped executives post their biggest gain in nearly two years. apple earned $7.7 billion during the quarter. that's a 12% jump from the same time last year. sales rose 6% in the same period to 37.4 billion. consumers in china, india and other emerging economies strategiced to pick up iphones. sales rose 13%. but managers at samsung electronics and other companies are having success of their own with tablets and sales of ipads fell 9% from last year. but analysts say growth prospects are looking brighter. they expect apple to launch a

new iphone and a watch-type wearable computer even within the next few months. u.s. drivers have seen the numbers at the gas pump tick by faster and faster. the spike in the cost of gas has pushed up prices for all kinds of products. labor department officials say in june the consumer price index increased 0.3%. they adjust the numbers to even out swings to different seasons of the year. many americans head out on the road during summer. the increased demand and the fighting in the middle east drove up gas prices 3.3%. the added cost to transportation and other inputs pushed up prices across the board. in the 12 months through june the consumer price index increased 2.1%. policymakers at the federal reserve set an annual inflation target of 2%. economists say the higher prices may prompt the fed to start raising rates earlier than

expected, possibly around the middle of next year. investors could not find enough clues in the cpi numbers. they want to see more signs of the economic recovery. the wait and see mood has carried over here to tokyo. the nikkei is caught in a narrow band although it is still staying in the positive. people who track the markets say that many investors are staying on the sidelines ahead of the quarterly business results. japanese companies will start reporting earnings this week. some are selling shares on exporters on concerns the stronger yen could slow their sales overseas. let's see where currencies are trading at this hour. traders are keeping the yen at a stronger level against the dollar and the euro. people in the market say dealers are anxious about the affect that sanctions on russia may have on the eurozone. the single currency is close to

its lowest levels this year against both the dollar and the yen. looking at other asian markets. south korea's kospi is in the negative by a touch. let's see what is happening in china. shanghai's key index is up .5%. and in hong kong, the hang seng is higher by .5%. a u.s. judge has ordered negotiations between argentina and their creditors to meet around the clock. they have to reach a deal by july 30th or argentina may default again. argentina defaulted in 2001. argentine leaders have been locked in a dispute ever since.

judge thomas grise said that the default would hurt not only the investment funds but what he called real people. negotiators for both sides are expected to meet in new york later on wednesday. south koreans are seeing more and more tourisms in the hotels, restaurants and shops. many come from china but an increasing number of russians are visiting and they're not just coming to see the sights. nhk world's anna jung explains. >> reporter: this is a beauty salon in seoul. maria is visiting from -- russia. this is her first time in south korea. she's planning to stay for a full month, so she is having her haircut short. . after getting a new look, she goes on a shopping spree.

south korean cosmetics are the first thing she wants to buy. then she goes to another store to try on some clothes. her shopping budget for her one-month stay is $3,000. >> translator: i got a stylish jacket that's just my size. i'm really happy with it. >> reporter: the number of russian visitors between january and may this year surpassed 87,000. that's almost 20% more than the same period last year. and since each visitor spends an average of $2,000, tourism and travel-related industries are eyeing a big boost in sales. south korea and russia signed an agreement lifting visa

requirements for russian visitors beginning this january. that led to a sharp increase in holiday travellers. seoul is also working to promote medical tourism. this university hospital in seoul is a major destination for foreigners traveling for a treatment. 15,000 foreign patients come a year. russians account for 90%. the hospital staff promotes medical tourism in russia's far eastern region. they emphasize the high standards of medical care and a quick process from making reservations through checking out. this woman came from vladivostok to get treatment for her joints. the hospital's medical sbrerpter helps her communicate with her doctor.

[ speaking foreign language ]. >> reporter: the patient says she likes the hospital because it is easy to reach for her city. specialist treatment in moscow would mean an eight of hour flight. but seoul is only two hours away. the hospital has geared services to russian patients. they can watch russian programs on it have. and they can try a variety of foods suiting russian tastes. >> translator: the better service we provide to foreign patients, the more we can charge for treatment. this really helps to increase revenue. >> reporter: the government estimates that the number of

foreigners visiting for medical treatment will approach 1 million by 2020. that will generate over $3.4 billion. as the number of russian visitors continues to rise, the tourism and medical industries are beginning to see the benefits. anna jung, nhk world, seoul. >> and that's all for now on business news. i'll leave you a check on markets.

joko widodo has won the indonesian election. >> reporter: the election result is unpress kepted in modern indonesia. all the country's previous leaders were from the military or wealthy elite. joko was born to a family of modest means and he remains close to the common people. the results announced tuesday were for the elections that took place july 9th. the electoral office said that joko got 53.15% of the votes. his rival, former army general, prabowo subianto took 46.85%.

>> translator: this is a victory for all indonesian citizens. let's forget who was first or who was second. we should unite again. >> reporter: joko is 53 and currently serves as the governor of jakarta. he gained wide support from the poor and the young while promising economic growth and better social security. joko is a former humble background. all of the country's previous presidents were authoritarian leaders. with a population of 250 million, indonesia is southeast asia's largest economy. it has enjoyed annual economic

growth of around 6% in recent years. more and more foreign companies are coming to the country to invest. but there are concerns about the future. in january, indonesia imposed an export ban affecting minerals leading to a slow down in shipments. one o joko's main challenges will be improving infrastructure to support stable economic growth. on tuesday, prabowo complained of large-scale and systemic misconduct by the election commission and others. prabowo's campaign said it will reject the election result. >> translator: withdraw from the process that has been underway. >> reporter: the election process could be thrown in

turmoil include clashes between supporters of both condos. -- candidates. i'm -- in jakarta. summer is heating up in tokyo and some people are practicing an ancient method to keep cool. uchimizu is an ecofriendly japanese way to bring down temperatures on the streets. nhk world meteorologist sayaka mori explains. >> reporter: the rainy season ended on tuesday. the summer high pressure system controls the tokyo area, bringing strong sunshine and high temperatures. the temperature has risen to 31 degrees. today i'm wearing my clothing here in tokyo, it still feels hot. when the heat and humidity become too much to bear, many japanese people turn to uchimizu. it's simple but effective.

all you have to do is sprinkle water on the street around your house or store and on the garden. uchimizu was a part of everyday life before air-conditioning. i'll try it, too. oh, it already feels a little cooler. last friday some businesses near ginza launched an uchimizu campaign. they hope to have everyone join in at the same time in the early evening. the campaign is running every day for a month. uchimizu doesn't only make you feel cooler. it has social benefits, too. >> translator: the air really feels cooler after uchimizu. i can feel i am doing something good for this town and the earth. it's kind of fun, too. >> translator: it's good because it makes us feel cooler and gives a sense of summer.

>> reporter: uchimizu came back into fashion following the nuclear accident of fukushima daiichi in 2011. after that, all nuclear reactors in japan went offline. people became more aware of saving energy. some people doubt that such an old-fashioned practice really works. they say the effects of uchimizu are mostly psychological so the business group decided to test this. on this day, about 40 people sprinkled about 460 liters of water around the street. when they measured the ground temperature, they found it had dropped from 32.2 degrees to 30.5 degrees. behind the uchimizu campaign is some enthusiastic support from tokyo's historic imperial hotel. every year, more businesses around ginza are taking it up. there are now 15 uchimizu organizations in the district.

>> translator: uchimizu is more effective when many people do it so we ask neighborhood organizations to join the event. >> reporter: the hotel staff started uchimizu together at the same time. it requires a large amount of water, but the hotel uses so-called gray water from washing. the water has been filtered to remove bacteria. it's a clever idea that has spread to other practitioners. uchimizu may be an old way of coping with heat, but innovations like this have given it a new lease on life. and for many people on the street, that's pretty cool. sayaka mori, nhk world, tokyo. going back to the basics. people in central europe are

not needs to spray any water. they are dealing with torrential rain. mai shoji joins us with more on that. >> a low pressure system is keeping things very active in the central locations of europe. we have a report of tornado touching down in italy and some waterspouts found in greece. a lot of hailstorms have been reported. but unfortunately, i must tell you that similar locations will also still see similar conditions such as excessive rainfall, hailstones again and tornados still cannot be ruled out. meanwhile the northern locations has a high pressure system cresting overhead making things scorching hot. take a look at oslo, 35 and 36. we don't really see that kind of temperatures across norway. well above the average range. definitely some beach weather across some of these locations but try not to stay out in the sun too long and please watch out for heatstroke. it's going to continue into the latter half of the week.

in continental asia, this is right after rammasun soaked across the philippines causing devastation and killing 150 people, another typhoon is slamming taiwan. it has caused this type of picture. this is a tree falling down on the roads in taiwan. all schools are closed on wednesday and also a lot of the businesses are closed now too. this is a severe tropical storm status. it lost its typhoon status but still packing gusts of 126 kilometers per hour. another secondary landfall will be made possibly on wednesday evening in the eastern coast of china and will be effecting both countries heavily with stormy conditions as well as very drenching rainfall. torrents of rainfall again on top of the 500 millimeters -- additional 500 millimeters could be topping inland locations and 250 additional millimeters of rainfall across china and the

western coast of the philippines. flood willing be a huge threat across these locations. another area we're seeing ref -- rough weather is across the tohoku region of japan. and scorching hot. we have heat warnings in parts of china. beijing will be reaching up to 34 degrees on friday. nagoya, 35 degrees. it's the first time we are seeing 35 this summer in nagoya. but that is likely to continue all the way into friday. here across the americas, a low pressure system is keeping things very active across the great lakes region. and as this cold front sags, it sweeps across the area, temperatures will be dramatically dropping about 10 degrees difference. that's a significant drop. but no precipitation in sight across the pacific northwest. we have elevated fire weather with gusts up to 80 kilometers

an hour in idaho and 7% humidity in and around nef. -- nevada. it's very hot in las vegas at 42 degrees. but in the southern hemisphere people are seeing snow. take a look at this picture from peru. this is the mountainous areas of peru. people are seeing freezing cold temperatures and snowfall. it closed the closure of parts of the highway on monday. hundreds of cars were stuck on the highway. and ambulances were sent to evacuate passengers. the storm system which brought the white stuff should be tapering off by thursday. here's your extended forecast.

and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks very much for joining us.

good evening from los angeles. i'm tavis smiley. tonight, first a conversation about environmental justice with dr. carolyn finney, assistant plo fessor of environmental science, policy and management at uc berkeley. she is the author of a new5af b titled "black faces, white spaces," reimagining the relationship of african-americans to the great outdoors. then we'll pivot to a conversation i had a while back with james garner, who died over the weekend at the age of 86. his career spanned more than 50 years. i had the honor of talking with this very private man, who actually disliked media attention of any kind, back in 2004 for the very first year of this program. we're glad you can join us with a conversation with dr. carolyn finney and a reprise of our conversation with james garner, coming up right now.