glad to have you on this edition of "newsline." first a look at the headlines. nato leaders have gathered in wales to discuss a number of international conflicts and they are trying to chart a way forward in ukraine. ministers in the thailand interim cabinet are getting to work. and accidents across south korea have made people fear for their safety. now they're worried about a danger beneath their feet.

nato leaders have descended on a resort in wales to discuss some lets the far away. they're talking about afghanistan and about the mill tanlt group islamic state. much of the focus is on ukraine so they were eager to hear from the country's president, petro poroshenko. >> reporter: more than 60 heads of state and government attended what officials describe as one of the most important nato summits in history. the overarching topic of the two-day summit is the crisis in ukraine. the leaders held discussions on the issue for more than two hours on thursday. nato military alliance stressed that it stands with ukraine in the face of russia's destabilizing influence. the leaders called on russia to step back from confrontation and

take it. nato's secretary general rasmussen and poroshenko held a press conference side by side. >> while talking about peace, russia has not made one single step to make peace possible. instead of de-escalating the crisis, russia has only deepened it. >> every single head of state and head of the government stressed the importance of unity and solidarity in the ukraine that nato should demonstrate today. >> earlier, poroshenko sat down with u.s. president obama. the u.k. prime minister david cameron and three other european leaders. a white house official said the leaders again condemned russia for its continued violation of the sovereignty. they agreed on the need for russia to face increased costs

for its actions. nato leaders have offered ukraine $20 million in financial assistance to strengthen the country's military. nato is also planning a joint military exercise in ukraine later this month. the tension between western powers and russia appears to be at the highest point since the end of the cold war. nhk world, newport, wales. negotiators from ukraine and russia are among those trying to organize a cease fire to end the conflict. russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov has been watching the talks from afar and it's he's warned that ukraine's nato ambitions could throw the process off course. >> translator: this kind of action will derail all efforts aimed at arranging the pro-russian groups. >> he referred to a draft law ukrainian lawmakers approved earlier this week that allows

the country to join military blocks. russian leaders considered that a threat to their interests. poroshenko says he's ready to order government troops to stop shooting if negotiators can reach a deal. poroshenko said he would call on commanders to cease fire. emhe hopes that might even happen later on friday. but for now, government voices and pro-russian separatists are still fighting. some units are trading fire near the city. poroshenko has gotten behind a peace plan proposed by russian president putin but they disagree over some points. ukrainian leaders are dmanling that russian soldiers pull out of eastern ukraine. russian leaders say their troops aren't even there. nato leaders want to build a broad coalition against the islamic state militants. u.s. delegates, the united nations security council are pursuing other options. they're pushing for a resolution, calling for action again foreign fighters traveling to join terrorist groups.

>> we will encourage international cooperation to prevent foreign terrorist fighter travel and underscore the centrality of countering violent extremism through positive narratives and programs that give would be fighters alternatives to violence. >> powers said later this month president obama will convene a security council summit on the islamic state. she said more than 10,000 foreign fighters have joined a group. many of them from western countries. the u.n. officials held the last security council summit in 2009 when obama called for a discussion on nuclear disarmament. indian leaders are considering how to respond to a new terrorist threat. members of al qaeda say they're establishing a union to carry out attacks in south asia. al qaeda leader ayman al zawahiri made the statement in an online video. >> translator: i announce to muslims around the world and

especially in south asia the founding of a new branch of al qaeda. >> indians have faced threats for years. militants staged coordinated attacks in 2008 in mumbai. more than 160 people were killed. the majority of indians are hindu but the country also has the world's third largest population of muslims. new prime minister modi has described hinduism as the cornerstone of the muslim state. some are concern his views could agitate radical muslims. representatives of iran and six world powers failed to reach a lasting agreement on the future of the iranian nuclear program. but they'll return to the table later this month in new york. the negotiators missed a july deadline for an agreement. but a european union spokesperson said they'll meet again in two weeks on the sidelines of meetings of the u.n. general assembly.

they're hoping to reach a deal by late november. but negotiators need to resolve differences on some core issues including the scale of iran's program of uranium enrichment. they are reportedly meeting in geneva to discuss how to proceed. senior government officials from britain and two other european countries will meet with their iranian counter part next thursday in vienna. members of the tie lined interim cabinet have taken part in a political rite of passage. military officers dominate the new team. they and other ministers appeared before the king in an inauguration ceremony. king bhumibol adulyadej is staying in a hospital in bangkok. 33 ministers went before him to take an oath of office including the interim prime minister. the general heads up the army and led a coup in may. 12 of the ministers are active

or retired military officers. the former army chief will serve as defense minister. the armed forces supreme commander will serve as foreign minister. cabinet ministers will hold their first meeting next week. they're set to run the country until parliamentary elections expected late next year. military officials dominate an interim national assembly formed last month. it's time now for the latest in business news. the u.s. dollar continues to gain against major currencies. let's get an update on what's happening in the business world. tell us what's happening. >> this morning $1 will get you more than $105 yen. earlier this morning, in fact, the pair hit the upper 105 yen levels which is a rate we haven't seen since october 2008. that's exactly five years, 11 months ago. now one reason why the dollar is

stronger is that investors are more confident about the u.s. economy. on hurt the, like service sector growth was better than expected and confirmed those views. analysts say the dollar may come in though for some profit taking in the short term but they do expect the u.s. currency to continue its upward trend against the yen and the euro, especially since traders sold the single currency after the european central bank surprised markets with an interest rate cut. the euro is now at 14-month lows, against the dollar. breaking below the 1.3 level. people in the market say these currency levels are increasing investor appetite for shares in japanese exporters. the nikkei is trading in positive territory this morning. but analysts say investors may now sit on the sidelines ahead of august u.s. jobs numbers. investors will want to see if nonfarm pay roll numbers confirm the economy is continuing to

recover. let's also check on asian markets, other asian markets. over in seoul, the cost based trading lower by more than a third percent. let's see what's happening in shanghai. the key index is trading higher by .3%. and in hong kong, it is in negative territory. a bit of a mixed in the asian pacific. delegates have spent years trying to negotiate a trans pacific partnership trade pact. those from the two biggest economies, japan and the u.s., have often disagreed. now japan's new agriculture minister has weighed in on the talks. negotiators need to speed things up. he said lawmakers in japan passed a resolution to protect five agricultural products. the resolution says those items, including beef and pork, must be exempt from any tariff cuts.

he said japanese and u.s. leaders agreed earlier in the year that some items should be treated as such. >> translator: i believe economic partnerships are essential. nations should collaborate. i hope to conclude the tpp deal as soon as possible. >> negotiators from japan and the u.s. will meet next week in tokyo to discuss agricultural tariffs. the chairman of east japan railway has expressed his strong intention to bid for a high speed rail system in california. the u.s. project is to build a super express rail system between san francisco and los angeles by 2029. the bidding is expected as early as autumn. east japan railway chairman delivered a speech in washington. he stressed the safety of the trains against natural disasters

such as earthquakes. he then. his group would do its best in contributing to the development of the american rail system. east japan railway has formed a consortium with japanese firms to prepare for the bidding. >> translator: it is a total package from train cars, signaling to integrated operating systems we're teaming one others including train makers as the japanese consortium to offer our total system. >> tend consort yum will come up with ways to meet the needs of the american rail system. intense competition is expected for the project. corporate groups from other companies including germany, france, china and south korea are also showing interest. the people in charge of the fukushima daiichi power plan are seeing their costs go up and up

so they've put together a committee to discuss ways to save money. and they say they may even have to charge their customers more. tepco executives are going through it. they have plans to slash costs by about $45 billion. now they're looking for ways to make extra cuts. the executives were hoping to get their plant back up and running soon. but they say, delays have forced them to rely on thermal power generation instead and they say the cost importing fuel for the generators has soared. the executives say if they cannot hit their target, they'll consider raising electricity bills again. the people who supply fuel sheets for cars say an explosion has hit production. they've assured customers they can meet demands with supplies from their other plants.

officials at nippon steel and sumitomo metal say 15 workers were injured. they say the incident was the latest in a series of problems and that most of the production lines are down. managers say they have inventory to satisfy customers for about two weeks but they say they can ramp up production at their two other mill in the kanto region to meet demand. buyers from abroad want to get ahold of some japanese treasures. they want to buy jewelry and gems second hand. nhk world explains. they don't lose their sparkle even after secondhand. used diamonds are being auctioned at the event in tokyo. standing out from the crowd is a

group of indians occupying it. the purchases amount to over half the $4 million spent at this auction. this is one of the indian bidders. he runs a jewelry trading company in japan. [ speaking in foreign language ] >> he exports the diamonds to over 10 countries, including india, china and israel. on this day, he was the highest spender shelling out $750,000 for diamonds. >> i bought a lot of this. >> the value of items his

company has exported has risen 20% every year for the past few years. global demand for the diamonds from japan is rising. that's because gems owned by the japanese are authentic. and with the prices declining, due to persistent differentiation, the quality diamonds are considered bargains globally. >> the good quality of japan is in very big demand. especially cheaper than the international market. >> as the jewelry market remains weak, more and more companies claim to increase their expert of secondhand items. a shop opened in central tokyo. it is run by a company that started exporting the jewelry to

china last year. it says there isn't much demand in japan these days for flashy items with large stones. but they are very popular in china. >> this ring is okay for my generation but my daughter and granddaughter both agreed that it is too big to wear so i decided to sell it. >> second has not jewelry purchased by the shop is single to china. at the trade fair in tokyo, the company's chinese sales manager is trying to appear to buyers from the mainland. trabs. >> translator: jewelry design in japan is very delicate. the price isn't bad either so it sells well in china. >> during the three-day event, the company sold expensive gems like emeralds and rubies to many

chinese buyers. >> we hadn't dealt with expensive items until now. but we attempted to introduce them to this event and they sold well. >> the total value of gems owned by japanese households is estimated to be $190 billion. to maintain a steady supply, traders have to make continual efforts to dig up more jewelry. keiko aso, nhk world. that's all for now on business news. i'll leave you with a check on markets.

many south koreans are worried for their safety. they saw the wall go down in april. they've seen bus and train crashes and other accidents and many are worried about another safety problem. more than 500 sink holes have opened in seoul since the start of the year. more from nhk world's ana jung. >> reporter: people were shocked when this sinkhole opened up last month in a major highway in the district near downtown seoul. the area in seoul is reported to have the largest number of sink holes in the city.

more than 60 sink holes have been found this year alone. city officials who investigated the accident found six cavities under the highway. the larger ones were over 80 meters long. the survey concluded that cavities were the result of mistakes in construction when a subway was built nearby. there is a population of 700,000 and is the most densely populated part of seoul. >> translator: i am really worried. it is like the ground could open up at any time. >> people called an emergency public meeting last week. engineering experts and city officials attended. anxious residents say they were worried about more sink holes appearing. they asked how to prevent them. the experts suggested the

problem was mostly manmade. >> translator: we think 80 to 90% of sinkhole in south korea are caused by leaks from broken sewage pipes which flow into the soil and wash it away. >> the hearing failed to reassure many about what the authorities are doing to prevent future accidents. residents are now taking it on themselves to raise the alarm over potential trouble spots. >> when they find an area that looks dangerous, the residents push the city to make a detailed investigation. >> translator: this is our home.

we've started a movement to put our safety first and foremost. >> sinkhole appearing across south korea one after another. a professor at the university of seoul says what makes the problem worse is that south korea as a whole does not take public safety seriously. he says when a sinkhole appears, authorities prefer to repair it quickly rather than investigate what caused it. >> translator: we tend to prioritize speedy progress. this is given us an advanced society but it has had negative consequences. progress is important but it is also important to take time to reflect. >> the problem of sinkhole continues as officials respond with little more than stop-gap measures.

against a back drop of major accidents including the ferry disaster, pressure is mounting to take responsibility for ordinary people's safety. ana jong, nhk world, seoul. >> time for a check of the weather. people in parts of western japan are dealing with torrential rain and flooding. here's more in world weather. >> a very slow moving system is passing over japan. it looks like in and around kyoto things have been quite worse. the heavy bulk of it in and around hiroshima. rainfall of about 100 to 200 millimeters of rainfall has fallen over the course of the past 24 hours. and over toward hokkaido as well. 214 millimeters in kyoto

prefecture has fallen. it has exceeded the monthly average. as i mentioned, 150 millimeters. on top of this, about 150 millimeters will fall, all the way up as well. this is not good news. not only that the suspension of the search operations will prolong but also flagging than slides at high risk. we have a report of over 30,000 people evacuated from a chance of landslides across kyoto. the system will also pull into the konto region. we had a high-pressure system building over tokyo and we didn't see any precipitation. but it will be over by saturday due to the system pulling in. an increased chance of thunderstorms will happen for us

throughout the day tomorrow. high-pressure system will dominate much of the northern areas of this continent. we have a low-pressure system and a monsoonal flow. we see the 134 millimeters in thailand. bangkok at 34 degrees. then it is likely to be on the cooling trenl, actually hitting about 30 degrees on your sunday morning for your morning low. out here across the americas, this is still over baja, california, south of baja, california, and it has still tropical storm warning in place. it is still a hurricane. a category 1. this is surging a lot of that ample copious moisture into the four corners and texas panhandle. so flash flooding is also possible from the search of this copious moisture. out further to the north. this system has already spawned a lot of thunderstorms. take a look at these shelf

clouds. they are usually associated with thunderstorms and really strong gusts. so this system is now pulling into the great lakes and moving over to the eastern sea boards. back behind it, cold air seeping in will drop the temperatures dramatically. you saw 30s in denver. down to 21 degrees. similar thing will happen across the mid-atlantic and new england states. now over toward europe. a cut-off flow. we have been talking about this for quite some time. still creating a unstable conditions. 140 millimeters of rainfall has fallen over southern italy. finally it will be on a weakening trend. that's good news with the high pressure dominating much of the mid section of this continent. and in italy, the grand prix will be happening on saturday. it looks like it will be really fine weather across these locations in and around milan. nice, geneva, vienna.

i'll leave you now for the extended forecast. . that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in

tokyo. thanks for joining us.

. good evening from los angeles i'm tavis smiley, with criticism mounting over president obama handling of the crisis in syria and ukraine, we will talk about the strategy the u.s. might undertake to counter the mounting threats and what objectives may be possible. and we will turn to a conversation with billy childs whose latest cd is an influence. the new cd titled "map to the treasure," features artists as fleming, and yoy mama, and he will close our show with a composition of "the confession." that is coming up right now.