the thai capital bangkok is the country's political and industrial heartland. here energy demand is booming as more and more companies set up shop. so far, most of the country relies on fossil fuels. that's why carbon emissions have more than tripled since the early nineties. a thai-german project is trying to cut back the demand-side of the equation. supported by the international climate initiative, they're looking at ways to conserve power in energy intensive industries. a drive for innovation that helps both, the companies and our climate. >> it's hot in bangkok and even hotter in the glass union. this family business keeps its obsolete glass presses going round the clock. they consume vast quantities of gas, oil and electricity. chai chan navignivate proudly shows off his new hydraulic press. he says it costs a lot of money, but it only uses about half as much energy. and it produces better and faster. chai chan monitors the operation daily. he checks the insulation on the glass tanks. the tanks have to be heated continuously to keep the glass inside molte

mystery condition many the morning here in bangkok is forecasted. temperaturewise 36 degrees. 8 in shanghai. tokyo 10 degrees. the temperature is going to be dipping down on sunday to again single digits, but early next week we may even see temperatures rise to about 20 degrees. let's now head over to the americas. we had reports of nine tornado touch downs yesterday in the mitt western states. things are are going to be much calmer on thursday. even in new england is system is going to move away exiting the area. another round of this winter storm could impact the great lakes on friday. so let's take a look at what's going to be happening into the next 48 hours. you can see some stuff could be nasty here. severe weather outlook for friday is as follows. well primary threats could be locally heavy rain, damaging winds, large hail as well as tornados still not going to be ruled out anywhere you see this red. also we have red flag warning which is extreme fire weather conditions that could be triggered here in new mexico and western texas. this is of

reporting for nhk world, bangkok. >>> turning now to vietnam where terrible traffic is one negative side effect from the booming economy. dangerous driving and chronic delays make getting around a chore. but that hasn't deterred one japanese delivery company from trying it luck. nhk world reports. ♪ >> reporter: sagawa express launched door to door deliveries in vietnam on march 1th. it is one of japan's major transport companies. it's now in the vietnamese capital hanoi and the business hub ho chi minh. it plans to spread further, but it needs to be smart because transportation in vietnam is different than it home market. in vietnam people use motor bikes more often than cars for getting around. so for the delivery service, this kind of motor bike will be it main means of transportation. there are around 33 million motorcycles on the roads of vietnam. about one in every two adults uses them to get around. they use them to transport anything humanly possible. but upgrades to infrastructure aren't keeping up with economic growth. on the roads, many intersections have no traffic lights. wh

reptehio central bangkok ahead of the bielections in myanmar. its photograph depicts the flight of a muslim minorit originally from western myanmar. rohingya of the knights of citizenship in myanmar. they say their land is confiscated and they suffer extortion and forced labor. their persecution is made worse by their different racial back muslims in the buddhist country. >> translator: i felt sad, a ul its citizens equally and fairly. >> translator: i hope the hingya can return to their homeland and live their lives e. estimated more than 600,000 ons rohingya have fled persecution. th he struggled to live their lives in bangladesh, thla pisn. ♪ here in thailand, there are an estimated 20,000 displaced rohingya. at this mosque in western ngk,o pray. ong them is abu karian. he left myanmar 31 years ago with no legal protection, he keeps a low profile with his family in the busy city. in myanmar he claims he was persecuted, forced to work and beaten by the military. feinfohis li, fled to thailand. >> translator: at least five villagers were gunned

and staying in the 30s in manila and bangkok and hot and hazy conditions. let's head over to the americas. well, things are going to start looking very messy yet again. wintry mix will be moving in from the pacific northwest. we're talking about this storm system as you can see the ie sew bars close to each other. gusts are strong. wind sustains pretty high. dumps snow in much of the areas. we're talking about five centimeters in the valleys and then heavy snow in much of where you see the darker colored areas. utah, wyoming, also nevada could be targeted with some heavy snow accumulation up to about 20 sent neithers in some areas. also a snow band will be marching across southern alberta and southern manitoba. that will be dumping another snowfall accumulation totaling up to 20 centimeters. also winds are very strong as i mentioned and suddenly these are very strong warm winds and the temperature is still very, very warm in this area making a very good recipe for fire danger. these are very densely populated areas and also blowing dust cross winds, these a

foggy here in bangkok at 34 degrees. and seoul 10 degrees. tokyo at 11 for our sat high. the americas, we had a much calmer day on thursday compared to what we had on wednesday. yet again another round of very severe activity especially many the mid western states. we have a potent winter weather system moving towards the great lakes dumping heavy snow which could pile up as much as 25 centimeters in some areas. winds are very strong up there. so blowing snow could reduce visibility. very dangerous for driving conditions. wherever you see this that's heavy snow. and wintry mix precipitation where you see this purple. out towards this area the red is the bull's-eye for the critical risk of tornado touch downs. not ruled out yet. tennessee, kentucky, alabama and mississippi you're going to have to be aware of all these tornado outbreaks yet again. damaging winds, large hail, heavy rain are threats for friday. lots happening here. los angeles at 21. lots of sunshine. winds are going to be strong. santa ana winds are kicking in for you there. oklahoma city windy conditions at

nepha gupta, nhk world. >> that will wrap up our bulletin in bangkok. >>> we have had signs all week in tokyo that spring is coming. let's find out what's in store for the weekend. rachel ferguson has the world weather forecast. >> well, not what you might think is coming, quite soon. it is going to be a bit of a wet weekend across much of japan. we have more showers coming in from the eastern china area. they are starting to hit here with 100 millimeters of rain here and the rain will spread across much of the country. when we are sitting around the 10-degree mark, if you have rain coming in, it feels chilly. as we head back in to the continent, things are drying up for china as they head across the korean peninsula and into japan. there will be a return to the rain. showers will brew over during the course of the weekend. a snow storm in northeastern china here with significant snow and also some gusty winds. as that heads over, it will be skirting the northern tip of haikkaido. the temperatures will ignite the pop-up thunderstorms during the day. 34 for bangkok. 23 in hong kong. o

. >>> next, we go to patchari raksawong in bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> hello, michio. we begin with the news that the u.n. human rights council has adopted a resolution urging the sri lankan government to investigate allegations of mass murder. sri lanka's civil war ded three years ago after decades of fighting. a huge number of civilians are said to have been killed in the final stage of the conflict. we have a report from colombo. >> reporter: sri lanka's civil war came to an end after nearly 30 years of combat. tens of thousands of civilians were reportedly killed in the final phase of the struggle as government troops took control of areas held by ethnic tamarin insurgents. on thursday, they adopted a resolution urging the sri lankan government to implement the recommendations of an official domestic inquiry that called for the prosecution of soldiers guilty of misconduct. china and russia opposed the move, calling it interference in the country's domestic affairs. but the resolution was approved by a majority vote with backing from the u.s. and european n

foggy here in bangkok at 34 degrees. and seoul 10 degrees. tokyo at 11 for our sat high. the americas, we had a much calmer day on thursday compared to what we had on wednesday. yet again another round of very severe activity especially many the mid western states. we have a potent winter weather system moving towards the great lakes dumping heavy snow which could pile up as much as 25 centimeters in some areas. winds are very strong up there. so blowing snow could reduce visibility. very dangerous for driving conditions. wherever you see this that's heavy snow. and wintry mix precipitation where you see this purple. out towards this area the red is the bull's-eye for the critical risk of tornado touch downs. not ruled out yet. tennessee, kentucky, alabama and mississippi you're going to have to be aware of all these tornado outbreaks yet again. damaging winds, large hail, heavy rain are threats for friday. lots happening here. los angeles at 21. lots of sunshine. winds are going to be strong. santa ana winds are kicking in for you there. oklahoma city windy conditions at

as for the highs, scorching day for you in bangkok with 37 degrees. cooler than average in shanghai with 11. tokyo dipping down to 9 degrees on friday, but 15 degrees on saturday. so very changing weather here. heading over to the americas. we can see rotating clouds over the central u.s., so severe thunderstorms are still impacting this area, and it hasn't moved very much, so the rainfall total will become even more significant. currently parts of alabama and mississippi are experiencing the brunt of it. tornado watches have been issued here. over the next 24 hours, as i mentioned, it won't move very much so the risk of flash floods is very high here. out towards the west, a wintry mix and freezing rain will move into central canada. meanwhile it stays dry across the west coast. however, as a strong low pressure moves in, things will turn wet and gusty over the weekend. as for the highs. historic warmth will continue across the western half of the u.s., getting up to 20 degrees in chicago and summer like 27 in washington, d.c., but parts of ontario a

. >>> next we go to patchari raksawong in bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >>> we start off in myanmar the country's military is celebrating armed forces day for the first time since a civilian front the government assumed power in march last year. the event was an opportunity for military leaders to reaffirm their role in politics under myanmar's constitution. nhk world's jun kobayashi reports. ♪ >> reporter: 17,000 troops marched down avenues in the capital naypyidaw tuesday. myanmar's constitution gives power to the military in case of a national emergency. it also guarantees them one-quarter of the seats in parliament. commander in chief of the armed forces general rian expressed determination to protect the current system. >> translator: we the military are building a democratic and developed nation. we have to preserve the constitution as one of our main duties. >> reporter: pro democracy leader aung san suu kyi has vowed to amend the constitution to decrease the influence of the army. the nobel laureate is running as a candidate for parliament in biel

bangkok 34 degrees. chances of thunderstorm activity there. and a pair of 8s in beijing. seoul looking at tokyo at 6 for the saturday high. still yet again another wintry weather there. and a long winter they're experiencing at-10 for the high. let's head over to the americas. finally things in the east are going to be making a great improvement as this cold front leaves the land masses. we'll still see some snow showers across the great lakes region and then towards new england. and then towards the gulf states finally things are going to be tapering off, yet again starting about sunday, the front is going to be back towards the area so the zone of drenching rain could be targeting louisiana, texas, arkansas, just around the arklatex region. the total amounts could exceed about 150 millimeters in some areas. things are going to get gusty in the pacific northwest. temperaturewise seattle 11 degrees and vancouver at 8. summer in los angeles. 27 with lots of sunshine. oklahoma city at 16 degrees. and toronto 3 degrees with some snow flurries. let's head over to europe. very

bangkok 34 degrees. chances of thunderstorm activity there. and a pair of 8s in beijing. seoul looking at tokyo at 6 for the saturday high. still yet again another wintry weather there. and a long winter they're experiencing at-10 for the high. let's head over to the americas. finally things in the east are going to be making a great improvement as this cold front leaves the land masses. we'll still see some snow showers across the great lakes region and then towards new england. and then towards the gulf states finally things are going to be tapering off, yet again starting about sunday, the front is going to be back towards the area so the zone of drenching rain could be targeting louisiana, texas, arkansas, just around the arklatex region. the total amounts could exceed about 150 millimeters in some areas. things are going to get gusty in the pacific northwest. temperaturewise seattle 11 degrees and vancouver at 8. summer in los angeles. 27 with lots of sunshine. oklahoma city at 16 degrees. and toronto 3 degrees with some snow flurries. let's head over to europe. very

this event was held in central bangkok on march 11th. more than 140 pictures painted by thai people, including professional artists were auctioned. money raised about $7 million will go to support victims of the tragedy in japan. this picture was painted by young thais effected by the indian ocean tsunami in december, 2004. the artist is 18-year-old saw. >> translator: through this picture, i want to send a message to the japanese disaster victims that we will never abandon you. >> the 2004 tsunami left some 220,000 dead or missing in countries around the indian ocean. in the village where saw and her family lived, more than 1,000 people were lost. about a quarter of the population. the village is in southern thailand. >> translator: this is where my house used to stand. >> she used to live by the sea. she was in her house when the tsunami hit. all she can remember is holding a tree trunk, holding on for dear life as she was swept by the waves. some other members of her family didn't survive. tsunami victims.n orphanage for when she firs

a very hot day in bangkok. scorching at 36. let's go out to north america. a series of storm systems has been pounding the northwest for the last week or so. unfortunately, it is not set to have a break just yet. over the next couple of days we'll see a parade of lows moving in. it's going to bring significant mountain snow as well as very heavy rain at the coast. now, this model is showing you in the next 72 hours a very wide area from northern california up through washington state seeing more than 100 millimeters of rain. actually, some places are set to see more than double that. 250 millimeters in places, particularly southern oregon into northern parts of california. so moderate to major flooding is possible as well as some strong winds that could cause structural damage, especially where the soil is saturated. severe weather today in the midwest. that's going to be heading towards just south of the great lakes. a rush of humidity coming up from the south and it's helping to bring those severe storms that can contain a large hail as well as tornadoes q

i'm patch chary raksawong in bangkok. >>> the mediterranean has been hit by some powerful storms. more on that let's go to sayaka mori who has the world weather forecast. >> southern italy has been dealing with ongoing heavy rain because of a series of low pressure systems. let's go to some video coming out of sicily. wednesday night brought a violent storm to the southern italian island of sicily in catania people tried to drive through flooded streets. you can see the broken road here. the heavy rain caused some structural damage. trains and flights were also stopped during the storm, which also delivered large hail. at this moment, sicily is experiencing a bit of a break in the rain, however, a system will be moving in to that area, so thunderstorms will erupt again from today and that will continue in to next week. so the risk of flash floods will become high again. meanwhile, clear contions for the rest of continental europe, but it's not good news for the iberian peninsula because it's been dealing with the most severe drought condition in decades here. up towards the north,

. >>> next, we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> in myanmar it has emerged that a convoy transporting democracy leader came under attack. she was unharmed, but two of her bodyguards were injured. we have the report. >> reporter: the national league for democracy told nhk that the convoy of the party leader was hit by a ball of fire. the shot was potentially lethal. the incident happened about 7:00 on tuesday evening on the motorway some 140 kilometers north of a town. she was on her way back from campaigning in the capital. the window of her vehicle two cars behind hers was broken. two of her bodyguards were wounded. in total four seats are up for grabs in the upper and lower houses of parliament. and local assemblies. she has generally been welcomed across the country by enthusiastic crowds. but there have also been incident of hostility such as the sabotage of campaign posters. western nations have called the upcoming vote a potential turning point. >> nine pacific rim countries that make up the transpacific partnership are currently holding trade negotiat

this is at a shelter, 160 kilometers west of bangkok.hese young children may look happy now, but before they moved in here, they either had a troubled past or lived an unfortunate life. it is operated to give young children a new start an opportunity to go to school. making things like these key rings teaches them skills. their handiwork also goes on sale earning money to supplement donations that fund the center. this eight new year's day came here some months ago. >> i am painting my mom's face. >> she and her brother have found a new family at the shelter. but even so, they still miss home. their mother got pregnant at a very young age. she contracted hiv from their stepfather, a drug addict. they relied on the children to find food. they had no chance to go to school. the situation got the sympathy of neighbors who reached out to the new life project for help. the kids were undernourished. they looked hopeless. it took a few months before i persuaded the parents to let us take on the kids. >> the number of people living in the slums

we're not seeing it yet. >> joining us from our bangkok's judea's. thank you for your update. the u.n. nuclear watchdog said it has received an invitation to visit korea years after its since -- the stations were closed. and to allow u.n. nuclear inspectors into the country in return for food aid. >> a string of recent deaths linked to overwork has raised questions about the price workers are paying for the country's success. top international companies place orders and a manufacturing -- in the manufacturing of a high-tech gadget. >> it is the start of a long work day. she works at least 12 hours a day, six days a week to provide a good laugh -- life for her children. she spent so much time at the shop she is starting to question the toll it is taking on her health and family. >> because i work from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., i get tired easily. i have back and shoulder aches and i have gotten sick and i have to have surgery. the family only gets to spend time together on sunday. >> she is not unusual. on average, how many people were 20% -- work 24 hours more? in 60% more than

another scorching day for you in bangkok with 37 degrees, cooler than nanaverage in shanghai wit 11. tokyo dipping down to 9 degrees on friday but back to 15 degrees on saturday. very changing weather here. >>> change over to the americas, we can zero tating clouds over the central u.s. so severe thunderstorms are still impacting this area and it hasn't moved very much so the rainfall total will become even more significant currently parts of alabama and mississippi are experiencing the brunt of it. tornado watches have been issued here. over the next 24 hours, as i mentioned, it won't moch veve v much so the risk of flash floods is very high here. toward the west, a freezing rain will move into central canada. meanwhi meanwhile, stays dry akrot the west coast. however, as a strong low pressure moves in things will turn wet and gusty over the weekend. as for the high, historic warmth will continue across the western half of the u.s. getle up to 20 degrees in chicago and summer like -- 27 in washington, d.c. but parts of ontario and quebec are starting to see temperatures drop. 18 deg

popup thunderstorms during the heat of the day. 34 degrees for bangkok. 23 in hong kong. so just on average after a bit of a chilly week. 10 degrees in tokyo. and once again, down we low the freezing point in other areas. to north america we go. not much of a change here. we have seen a winter storm combine combine confined to the northwestern corner of the continent. the intermountain west, once again, gusty winds. you'll be seeing significant snowfall. during the course of the weekend, the snow will start to expand down towards the four corners. so much of the western half of the u.s. will be seeing snow by sunday into monday. for the time being though, it stays very warm across much of the continent. thunderstorms in the mid-mississippi valley. a little bit severe perhaps, but probably large hail, thunder and gusts rather than high risk of tornadoes. let's take a look at those temperatures then. we're seeing way above average temperatures. it will last into next week. 25 degrees in denver. 26 in chicago. 26 in washington, d.c. a little cooler in new york city. in fact,

. >>> now we go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >> we start in afghanistan where the u.s. government has paid cash compensation to victims of a shooting spree by an american soldier earlier this month. an afghan official says the families received $50,000 for each person killed. nhk world has more. >> reporter: afghan president hamid karzai invited families of the victims to his office. he announced his intention to limit the activities of nato-led forces. meanwhile, the taliban is calling on afghans to retaliate against the u.s. forces. the militant group is apparently trying to strengthen its influence, while fanning anti-u.s. sentiment. the shooting took part earlier this month in kandahar province. a local government official says compensation was paid to families of the victims on saturday. the families involved are said to be $50,000 for each person killed and $11,000 for the wounded. u.s. officials confirm to nhk that compensation has been paid. it reflected the devastating nature of the incident. the incident stoked further anti-u.s. sentiment, exten

a man was severely burned when lpg tanker truck crashed ape exploded in bangkok on friday. the accident took place when a truck carrying about four tons of liquefied petroleum gas crashed into a bridge railing and exploded into flames. a series of explosion s prompts nearby residents to evacuate their homes. firefighters have been trying to contain the accident but say the blaze will persist until all the fuel is exhausted. >>> in macau, two giant pandas will soon be separated as part of a mating ritual. the separation is designed to help them develop a mutual attraction as they approach mating age in two years' time. experts say getting pandas to mate is quite a challenge because the cuddly animals like to live alone. they will be reunited in two years and allowed to mate. female pandas have to be at least 5 years old before they can have cubs. and male pandas are not mature enough until they are at least 6 years of age. >>> in eastern mongolia earlier this week a surprise mother sheep gave birth to five little lambs. these woolly quintuplets are the first in the history o

i'm cholaphansa narula in bangkok. >>> major storms have been hitting the u.s. midwest. rachel ferguson joins us with the world weather forecast. >> thank you. yes, some of those storms have just wreaked absolute destruction and i want to go to video to show you what the scene was like in illinois. on wednesday morning. this is harrisburg. the tornado ripped through at around 5:00 a.m. just causing absolute devastation as you can see here. cars, homes, stores as well. just completely torn apart. not only that, not only the structural damage, but unfortunately at least nine people have been reported dead from that storm. and also unfortunately i must say we are not going to see the end of this storm from that system just yet. if we take a look at our weather map, you can see, this is low to the north and then along the front is where the severe weather has been erupting. now, on your wednesday night into thursday, the severe area is quite wide. anywhere you're seeing in the yellow is where the thunderstorms are expected. within the red area, the, of course, most at risk l

they say they're investigating whether the bombing was connected to a ss of explosions in bangkok last month. officials at the indian foreign ministry asked the iranian authorities to help them capture the bombers. >>> east timor will have an election. 11 candidates are running against the president running a second term. we are following the campaign in a country that's trying to become economically independent. >> reporter: heated campaigning began on february 29th for the second presidential election. the incumbent president is seeking a second term. he was elected east timor's second president five years ago, taking advantage of his recognition as a nobel laureate. his pledge for the campaign was maintaining peace. his new slogan is fighting poverty. >> translator: our country has serious problems of malnutrition and a lack of education, and these are becoming more serious. >> reporter: east timor became independence from indonesia ten years ago. the current administration has focused on public projects using the profits from the country's abundant oil fields. this is helping east

in bangkok, thailand, again, floodings. to the contrary, in east africa, drought and famine. so i would like to extend my sincere condolences and sympathy to the victims of all those natural disasters. we talk about march 11, at the tsunami and the nuclear power accident. japan has faced tremendous difficulties. but with your compassion and support and encouragement, japan is now on the the way to recovery and reconstruction. [applause] thank you very much. thank you. with your determination and prayers, and again, support and friendship and from you, we will overcome this tremendous difficulty. thank you is again for your help, and thank you. [applause] i would like to extend my gratitude to the mayor. thank you. >> what a beautiful tree, and while we have the children gathering, i want to read one of the minute -- many wishes we got on the origami. it says i wish for a world for our children more just, more fair, and more kind than the one we know now, president barack obama. [applause] i think they're just about gathered. you will tell me when. this is the chinese-american

. >>> next we go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >> has asked them to issue an arrest warrant for pervez musharraf. the one-time military leader is living in self-imposed exile. pakistan's current leaders want to prevent him from returning to politics. >> reporter: pakistani law enforcement officials told nhk they have taken steps under international law to arrest pervez musharraf. the former president is already wanted in pakistan over the assassination of 2007 of ex-premier benazir bhutto. equate sy ug awe of plans f fo mudon andba it' up point out t rertg rhemeda the generio mala iacofth i silelar t nio ftbl t g io bhise pl nnithc r iiar: maya hese alaseese . , 's y g. inssowh end 'sngoein o. edhs8 s, icisnge dhe . , agale isllhsng ohf eys n. hoveheounds lleoee dehorsn swnkao will continueo anil o low presse stthat isci t snow condition in northeastern china as well as more than half of theorn peninsula will move out to sea and head towar northern wn towards the south thundershowers -- i should say sohe china up to 100s n the cou here temperature wise gett

going to be a very hot day in bangkok, 36 for your high. into europe we go. not much of a change across much of central and western europe. we are going to see some very welcomed showers spreading across portugal and spain, where drought conditions have been persisting for the last week or so. getting a bit wet across northern parts of the united kingdom, scotland, as well as ireland with a stream of moisture, that's going to continue up the western coast of norway. down towards the southeast, turkey and into syria, seeing showers as well as lots of inland snow, particularly across turkey, temperatures continuing to fall through the end of the week. ankara seeing 4 for the high on thursday and moscow at minus 3. then spring-like temperatures in central europe, 17 in athens, rome, mid-20s in madrid, 17 in london, not even bad for the summer. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast. >>> our lead story this hour, u.s. president barack obama and british prime minister david cameron say they will increase pressure on iran to abandon its nuclear development

. >> at first, joe bangkok and gordon smith seem an unlikely pair of friends. have, lover of the arts, smith, athlete and college tennis champ. they share two important bonds. most were seen as high profile partners. >> i represented saturday night live in a libel suit. >> at atlanta's mega law firm king & spaulding. >> a tried a lot of cases for general motors. we did represent a tobacco company. >> both left law at the height of great professional success, turning part time volunteer passions into full time career work. bangkok made the switch first. he was persuaded to take over as ceo of the woodrough arts center. the atlanta nonprofit where he was already volunteering. >> i was not expecting this. this was not a plan. i'm not that organized. >> woodruff comprises self of the crown jewels including the atlanta symphony and high museum of art. >> we created theater at the alliance for children that are 18 months to 3 years. >> the father two of adult children says the arts teached life long skills like innovation and how to work in a group. >> i don't care w

. >> next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> we begin with a story from afghanistan. a helicopter of the international coalition forces has crashed outside the capital kabul. at least 14 people have died. the international security assistance force says the turkish military aircraft crashed into a building on friday morning. afghan police say the helicopter crashed into a civilian house. they say at least 12 helicopter crew members and two civilians were killed. they are investigating the cause of the crash and says it has no information that the helicopter was attacked. the crash could intensify public anger towards the coalition forces that has been sparked by the recent incidents involving u.s. troops. more afghans are demanding an early withdrawal of u.s. military from their country after a series of scandals and violent incidents. the u.s. is seeking an honorable retreat by the prospect of achieving one is becoming increasingly dim. >> reporter: u.s. defense secretary met afghan president in kabul on thursday. they discussed the shooting spree by a u.s. soldier

hot day in bangkok. 36 for your high. into europe we go. not much of a change across much of central europe. we will see welcomed showers spreading across portugal and spain where drought conditions have been expanding for the last week or so. wet across parts of the united kingdom. and that's going to continue up the western coast of norway. then down towards the southeast, seeing some showers as well as lots of inland snow particularly across turkey. temperatures will be continuing to fall into the end of the weekend. four for the high on thursday. and moscow below the high. and 13 in berlin as well as in vienna. 17 in athens and rome. mid-20s in madrid. 17 in london. i'll leave you now with the extended forecast. >>> and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. we'll be back at the top of the next hour. see you then.

so, for example, many of the dams in laos will be selling energy to thailand and that will go to bangkoknd, ironically, often people who are displaced by dams or who are impacted in some way in the rural areas will not see the benefits in terms of electricity. narrator: displacement of people living in areas targeted for dam construction is only one fact of hydroelectric development, whether privately or publicly funded. fox: all around the world, tens of millions of people have been displaced by large-scale dams. in laos, it does disproportionately impact ethnic minorities who live in the highland areas where the dams are being built. so they're resettled away from the reservoir areas and they're also resettled away from the mountains and highlands above reservoirs. narrator: anotr problem with resettlement in laos isacy ofheamarosasaughssas.smbed x: 1.9 million ns oorance e droedn , so when people are resettled for example from a highland area where they practice shifting cultivation to a midland or a lowland area where they must grow wet rice or some other unfamiliar crop, not only mi

in bangkok, 34 degrees. that will be a chance of thunderstorms skirting across the area.lus, manila with 31 degrees. let's head over to the americas. we had a tornado touchdown reported in louisiana. this system is finally tapering off moving -- exiting the country. as it weakens, it will still bring some severe weather just around the great lakes region. we are talking about tornadic activities not being ruled out just yet. widespread areas will have a chance of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain could be possible in and around the east. out toward the pacific northwest, another system is going to be approaching. today actually will be marking the start of a stormy week. heavy snow could be piling up in the cascades. as much as 30 centimeters in areas. up to 100 kilometers per hour gusts will be targeting much of the coastal areas, especially in the surf area of oregon. high waves could reach as much as 8 meters high. taking a look at temperatures. 8 in winnipeg, vancouver and seattle. oklahoma city, summer-like temperature at 27 degrees. may-like temperature in chicago

a preview of the bangkok motor show on tuesday. the event opens to the public on wednesday. it showcases the latest models from 21 automakers from the u.s., europe, japan, south korea, and india. the show offers a much needed boost to the thai motor industry after it was disrupted by flooding last year. the event sees the lauvnch of a record number of new models including two ecofriendly vehicles. organizers expect 1.7 million visitors and predict sales of around 40,000 vehicles. >>> singapore's national museum will spotlight the cheongsam, a chinese dress, in an exhibition that opens on wednesday. the museum will show 150 dresses from the 1920s to the present day. the collection includes dresses worn by the wives of singapore's political leaders. the ruling society evolved over the decades. they were originally the mark of the educated and privileged. by the 1950s, they were slimmer fitting everyday wear for women of all classes. >>> vietnam's national broadcaster, vtv, is promoting a southern province. the tourism farm area is known for its evergreen orchards, beautiful sc

temperaturewise getting up to 32 degrees in manila and scorching hot in bangkok with 37 degrees. warmer than average in shanghai with 19 degrees. and tokyo 16 degrees for the high on thursday. heading over to the americas, heavy precipitation have been pounding much of the central u.s. all the way up to eastern canada. parts of the southern plains in the lower mississippi valley have been experiencing the brunt of it. we've been hearing reports of large hail, damaging winds, and even tornadoes. because the system is moving very slowly, the same situation here will continue throughout wednesday. out towards the west, there is another low pressure system moving across northwestern portions of the u.s. and western canada. but this is a winter storm spreading heavy mountain snow and rain across the coastal areas. gusty winds will be accompanied by a heavy precipitation. the risk of avalanches is very high. we've been talking about exceptional warmth in the east. what's going to happen over the next two days, look at this. getting up to 28 degrees in boston for your thursday. and 21 d

. >>> next we go to bangkok to find out what's making headlines in the region. >> pakistan has asked them to issue an arrest warrant for pervez musharraf. the one-time military leader is living in self-imposed exile. pakistan's current leaders want to prevent him from returning to politics. >> reporter: pakistani law enforcement officials told nhk they have taken steps under international law to arrest pervez musharraf. the former president is already want in pakistan over the assassination of 2007 of ex-premier benazir bhutto. musharraf has been accused of failing to provide her with adequate security even though he was apparently aware of plans for her assassination. musharraf lives in self-imposed exile in london and dubai. even if interpol does issue a warrant for his arrest it's up to each country to decide whether or not to detain him. musharraf has expressed the desire to return to pakistan and even run for office again. but ek perts point out the country's current leader will do everything they can to stop him from returning to politics. reporting for nhk world, islamabad. >>

next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> pakistan has asked interpol to issue an arrest warrant for its former president mush raf. the one time military ruler is living in self-imposed exile. pakistan's current leaders appear determined to prevent him from returning to politics. >> reporter: pakistani law enforcement officials told nhk they have taken steps under international law to arrest president mus raf. he's wanted in pakistan over the assassination in 2007 of expremier ben sooer bu toe. he's been accused of failing to provide her with adequate security even though he was aware of plans for her assassination. he lives in self-imposed exile in london and dubai. even if interpol does issue a warrant for his arrest, it's up to each country to decide whether or not to detain him. he has expressed the desire to retire to pakistan and even run for office again. but experts point out the country's current leaders will do everything they can to stop him from returning to politics. >> the malaysian football team used to be one of the best in asia. it played at the

. >>> ethnic groups in thailand stage a rally in bangkok on thursday, urging authorities to protest their ethnic identities, languages and cultures. there are about 400,000 stateless people in this country. a representative of the group demanded they be certified as thai nationals and their standard of living improved. he also criticized the country's standardized education system which disregards linguistic and cultural diversity. the communities are seeking representation on the government committees, education policy and school curriculum. >>> hong kong is famous for its gourmet restaurants. it is a major center for cantonese food. it has a strong focus on seafood, the top restaurants in hong kong like to use shark fins, dried abalone and other seafood products from japan. up until last year, one of hong kong's most important sources of japanese abalone was tohoku, but last year's earthquake knocked out the seafood industry there. now, producers are aworking to resume shipments to these markets. >> reporter: this abalone is prized not just for its taste, but also for its appearance. >>

japanese girl with a serious condition has won a gold medal at the gymnastics junior championships in bangkok, thailand. japan won the title with the personal best of 54.1 points. it was her first appearance at an international event. she suffers from scoliosis. she wears a brace to protect her spine and removes it to perform gymnastics. she took gold in the women's individual all around event with a flawless performance. >> the japanese team won the all around team event with 162.7 points. nearly six points ahead of south korea. >>> north korea's chief nuclear envoy says his country will soon accept inspectors. the move comes after a sweeping agreement with the united states. late last month he told washington they will suspend uranium activities in exchange for u.s. food aid. >> translator: we will allow iaea inspectors in the country in the near future. we are taking concrete measures to fulfill agreement with the u.s. >> reporter: ri spoke after attending an international conference in new york. he said the event made it possible for north korean and u.s. representatives to hold detailed

and very warm for this time of year in taipei and 35 in bangkok., moving over to the americas, last week tornadoes damaged the eastern u.s. the system that brought severe weather has moved out to sea so things are getting much calmer in the east. however, the exception is going to be the lower appalachian. winter-some conditions will continue throughout the nighttime hours. the combination of dry weather, as well as lots of warmer air, is producing fire weather in the southern and central plains. out towards the west, a developing low pressure system is moving across the british columbia region as well as the pacific northwest bringing mountain snow along the cascades, about 45 centimeters are in the forecast. expected highs are as follows. heavy rain in seattle with 7 degrees. 0 degrees in winnipeg. minus one and 7 degrees in d.c. with cloudy skies. finally, let's go over to europe. we can see lots of clouds in the east. we've got multiple systems in the west. multiple systems are bringing quite a bit of rain in the east and wintry mix in the sout

but not in bangkok, thailand for ultimate tack ball.he object is to get your ball over the goal but just to make it more interesting, every player has an electric stun gun. yeah, you get the picture. johnson is about to make a play, zap. and now he's not. four players per team. the ball is large and strange. there are the stun guns. if you have the ball you can be tase teared. there are likely more comfortable gyms out there but this one is probably the most shocking. >> doh! >> it's a low voltage. >> yes. >> we want to hear what you think. send your e-mails to mcginty's mailbag, mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back. >>> take a knee, everybody. time for the mailbag. in the mailbag the wusa 9 facebook page fielding many comments regarding council member and alleged beltway danica patrick karen tolls and her no-question news conference. basically she read a written statement saying i'm sorry to cause all this trouble, now leave me alone while my lawyers and the lawyer work this out. patrice matthews was just one of many who wer

temperature wise, getting up to 35 degrees in bangkok, 23 degrees in hong kong, with some rain patches. cooling down to 8 degrees in shanghai. tokyo, again, 14 degrees, but it will drop to 9 degrees tomorrow. heading over to the american express, it's mostly dry and warm in the east. however, stormy and very cool in the west, and in between these areas, very strong winds are blowing and red flag warnings have been posted for much of the southern half of the u.s., particularly dry in parts of texas and new mexico. the risk of wildfires are dangerously high here. meanwhile, a low pressure system continues to track eastward over the u.s., canada border, spreading widespread snow showers here. up to 20 centimeters in manitoba in the next 24 hours. a system is moving over the rockies producing winter storm conditions. behind the storm, there's very cold air, that will continue to move southeastward, pushing down temperatures. so on your wednesday, cooling down to 2 degrees in denver, which is about 18 degrees lower than what we saw on tuesday. but still warm in the east. getting up to 16 de

eight in shanghai as well, taipei and hong kong both at 21 degrees but a hot day in bangkok. 36 for your high. into north america we go. to the northwest we're seeing a system here starting to dissipate as it moves farther inland, which is certainly good news. this one a windy system bringing snow as well as coastal rain in the last 24 hour. but even as thins settle down here, there's going to be yet another system coming in on its heals friday night. something to keep in mind. go out to the east because really severe storms have been just ripping up the midwest and eastern united states over the last couple of days. you can see this front moving away out over the atlanta. but there's only going to be a short break, i afraid. this low here in the south is getting ready to develop, move into the east and bring yet more severe weather on friday. tornadoes are possible. damaging winds. potential for hail in those storms as well as potentially flooding rain. all right. temperatures are a little bit cooler towards the south but still staying fairly warm in the mid-atlantic. 14 for you in d.c.

. >>> next we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> in east timor's presidential election, incumbent president and know belle peace prize winner jose ramos-horta on monday conceded defeat. two new comers face a runoff next month to see who will replace him. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this is a second presidential election in east timor since independence from indonesia in 2002. people went to the polls on saturday. vote counting proceeded without major disruption. the election was practically a three-way race. head of the largest opposition fretilin party, francisco guterres came in first place. former military chief taur matan ruak was second. he previously led east timor's struggle for independence. the two men face a runoff next month as neither gained more than 50% of the vote. incumbent jose ramos-horta was a distant third, waiting in his bid to win a second term. he conceded defeat at a news conference on monday. >> tralator: i will hdver the ldersp of the country to the new president. i will be always available in whatever capacity to help the new pres

taking a look at your temperatures, well, bangkok is going to be hot and hazy here at 35 degrees. hong kong will be a bit foggy in the morning hours at 19. seoul just seven degrees. and tokyo, ten degrees for the thursday high. all right. let's head over to the americas. things are going to be much messier as we progress in towards the week. we have a few system that will be just sweeping across much of the eastern portions of the united states. here in canada, also, ontario all of the way to quebec, those are going to be blowing snow and snow could be piling up a lot in the mountainous areas. and in the great lakes region we'll have an intense cold front swinging across the area. and that's going to be just colliding with the warm air surge from the gulf. thunderstorm activity will be seen in around gulf states even on wednesday. this is the set-up for wednesday. and here four corners behind that system, the snow, the cold surge is going to be bringing lots of snow spurting across the area. the gusts are very strong here accompanied with this system. so 50 to 70 kilometers per ho