welcome to "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. residents of fukushima prefecture wonder what's in the air they breathe and the food they eat. they never gave a thought to these things before march 11th we've got two stories from fukushima, one today, one on wednesday. about the effects of radiation. and tonight we focus on residents who are more concerned every day about the possible effects. people are exposed to internal radiation when they breathe in radioactive material or eat contaminated food. the body's cells come in direct contact with the radioactive material. but researchers still aren't sure of the long-term effects. doctors in fukushima prefecture have tested more than 10,000 residents. they give preference to children and pregnant women. still, many residents are concerned. so some local governments and private hospitals have started doing tests of their own. nhk world's hiroki yajima has the story. >> translator: we've been overwhelmed by calls requesting appointments. the next possible appointment will be after janu

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japan's environment ministry says downstream radiation levels have risen in some rivers in fukushima prefecture. the ministry has been monitoring radiation levels in rivers near the fukushima daiichi plant to assess the impact of the accident there. officials took sand samples from two rivers in september. the upstream radioactive cesium levels were over 300 becquerel in a river near a village. downstream levels of the same river were 3,000 becquerel. they had fallen to one fifth of those observed in may, but downstream measurements tripled. cesium levels near the mouth of another river in soma city where were nearly 30,000 becquerel. they doubled since may. he says radiation levels should be monitored near river mouths as radioactive substances in river bed sands are probably moving downstream. >>> a survey team of the international atomic energy agency has drawn up final recommendations on how to remove the radioactive substances released from the fukushima daiichi nuclear power pla

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. debt concerns are weighing down bond prices. for details, we go to business news this hour. >> thanks, katherine. when bond prices go down, yields go up. the yield on italian government bonds hit a new high on european markets. the surge comes amid rising concerns that italy may be the next country to be dragged into the debt crisis. the yield on ten year italian government bonds briefly led to a record high of 6.6% on monday. bond prices recorded lowest level since the euro was introduced. >> there were serious instability in italy. the markets think the country will probably have elections next spring. italy can't restore its fiscal health with things as they are. >> the situation in italy has prime minister silvio berlusconi fighting for political survival. a vote on the budget is scheduled for tuesday in the lower house. it's being taken as a lit must test as some members of the ruling party are opposed to the proposals. this puts berlusconi in danger of losing his majority in par

>>> welcome to "newsline." it is 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the operator of a nuclear plant in southwestern japan has restarted one of its reactors. it became the first reactor in japan to go back online since the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. the operator plans to resume power generation on wednesday afternoon. the number four reactor of the genkai nuclear plant in saga prefecture was halted due to abnormalities with its cooling system in early october. but the plant's operator, kyushu electric power, told the government 's nuclear safety agency the stoppage was called by a procedural error. this type of stoppage does not require kyushu electric to conduct a so-called stress test before restarting the reactor. the government introduced the test for idle reactors after the march disaster. the vice president of kyushu electric visited the genkai town mayor on tuesday. yamamoto told him he would like operations to restart as soon as preparations are completed. he then told reporters that he wants the reactor to operate normall

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. u.s. president barack obama said in a landmark speech to australia's parliament that the ununed s stes is turning its attention to the vast potential of the asia pacific region. he stressed the importance of the region as a major part of his country's foreign policy. obama told his audience that his administration plans to refocus on the region now that it's ending its military campaigns in iraq and afghanistan. obama acknowledged the importance of china, but pointed out that the international community wants china to abide by international rules. his remarks suggest that the unite is seeking to involve china in a multinational framework as a strategy for achieving stability and prosperity in the region. >> the united states will continue our effort to build a cooperative relationship with china. all of our nations, australia, the united states, all of our nations have a profound interest in the rise of a peaceful and prosperous china. and we'll seek more opportunities for cooperation with

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the japanese and u.s. governments are changing how they deal with crimes involving civilian employees working for the u.s. military in japan. they're reviewing the application of the status of forces agreement to allow japan to exercise jurisdiction over crcres that lead to death. as a result, public prosecutors in okinawa decided to indict a u.s. forces civilian employee in connection with a car accident that killed a japanese man. the case involves a 24-year-old american man. prosecutors say he was on the way home from his job at a supermarket on a u.s. basin january when his car struck the victim. they could not indict the suspect because he was deemed to have been on duty at the time of the accident. the status of forces agreement gives the united states primary jurisdiction in cases involving soldiers or civilian employees on bases who cause accidents or commit crimes when they are considered to be on duty. people in okinawa repeatedly expressed anger over the agreement. the justice ministry says in f

you are watching nhk world "newsline," i'm shery ahn. italy could be deciding on a new prime minister soon. napolitano held a meeting with the front runner to discuss cabinet members. the cantidate most likely to succeed berlusconi. on the previous day he was named as senator for life by the president and a move widely perceived as paving the way for the nomination. opposition parties are expected to pass a reform bill and facility with the transition of power and the new government. berlusconi promised to resign after the bill is passed. the legislation is expected to be approved by the house of parliament on friday and the lower house during the weekend. a cabinet will be sworn in on friday and the ruling and opposition parties agreed on thursday to name former european vice president as the new prime minister. outgoing prime minister agreed to resign following an unpopular proposal on whether to accept the bailout package. he said greece faces a serious financial crisis that can only be resolved through cooperation and dialogue. he al

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. grass roots movements seem to be finding their way to japan. candidates from independent party won elections sunday for mayor and prefectural governor and osaka city mayor. it is the second largest business center. they ran on a platform of creating a metropolis with structure similar to tokyo. kampai! >> formhe took steps to reform spending, formed a new party, osaka restoration association. then resigned as governor. he said he needed the power of the mayor's post to realize his plan. he says his program of reforms willie limb nate overlapping services from prefecture and municipal governments. >> the voters handed down the judgment after thorough institutions. so i asked the administrative organizations to take the election results seriously. >> hashimoto says his party will consider fielding candidates in the next election if the central government and major political parties don't support his reforms. >>> traders in markets in tokyo looking to recover after a rough week. yogi joi

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japan's environment ministry says downstream radiation levels have risen in some rivers in fukushima prefecture. the ministry has been monitoring radiation levels in rivers near the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant to assess the impact of the accident there. officials took sand samples from two rivers in september. the upstream radioactive cesium levels were over 3,000 becquerels per kilogram in itate. the downstream levels of the same river in an area of soma city were 13,000 becquerels. the upstream levels had fallen to one-fifth of those observed in may, but the downstream measurements had tripled. cesium levels near the mouth of another river in soma city where were nearly 30,000 becquerel. they have doubled since may. kinki university hideo yamazaki says radiation levels should be monitored near river mouths as radioactive substances in riverbed sands are probably moving downstream. >>> a survey team of the international atomic energy agency has drawn up final recommendations on h

>>> welcome "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. former european central bank vice president lucas panda to be named the new prime minister of greece. the country's presidential office announced on thursday that the ruling and opposition parties have agreed to name papandous to the post. he told reporters that he's honored. he said he's confident that the financial crisis can be solved. the ruling and opposition parties is been negotiating to form a coalition government since the presidential office announced the incumbent prime minister, george papandreau's intention to resign on monday. the new prime minister and the ministers of the coalition government will be sworn in on friday. >>> the tokyo stock exchange has put olympus on a supervisory watch list. that is what it costs investors about trading company's shares. it is reaction to an announcement by the spokes the object equipment maker embroiled in a scandal involving corporate buy-out concealing massive losses. and the company was placed on the watch list after announcing it

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. negotiators in south africa are arguing over the details of climate change under stormy skies. torrential rains hit the host city. it waterlogged the conference center, throwing the opening of meetings into disarray. we have a report from durban. >> reporter: they welcome participants from 119 countries. talks are taking place in africa where experts say impact of global warming can threaten lives of people. the day before, they suffered from the worst storm in years. local authorities say at least five people were killed. here the previous storm caused landslide when mud went into the houses. residents in eastern durban were hit especially hard. they were trying to repair their houses and remove mud from inside. >> translator: i am traumatized. i don't know where to start. even tonight, i don't know where i'm going to sleep. >> i've never experienced this. i've seen it happening in other places, but not here. >> reporter: climate change can lead to more extreme conditions such as sev

welcome to "newsline." the harvest season is usually a happy time in japan. consumers are worried about radiation in their food. they are trying to fight fear with facts. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: farmers are promoting their fruits and vegetables. they have come to the city hundreds of times since japan's nuclear accident. >> translator: people can eat food from fukushima without worrying. >> reporter: still consumers are divided on the safety of the food. >> translator: people in fukushima are really tryk hard so i will continue to eat vegetables and fruits from fukushima. >> translator: if there is a product from southern japan, i will choose that rather than one from fukushima. >> reporter: fukushima assures that radiation detectors bought in september, they now have ten devices and they can check many samples a day. they won't allow products to be safe unless they confirm that the radiation is below the limit. this man has been farming in fukushima for more than 30 years. it is his policy to produce safe fruit for his customers. he uses pestic

. >>> coming to you from our studios in tokyo, this is "newsline," i'm james tengan. the evidence was too damning. the pressure, too great. the leaders of olympus admitted on tuesday the company used massive payments connected with corporate buyouts to hide investment losses. the issue of olympus's dubious corporate takeovers has now become a question of whether the company engaged in illegal accounting. investigators from a third-party panel found the practice began in the 1990s. olympus president, shuichi takayama, says he's sorry. >> translator: we apologize and report that we've found facts that are different from those we announced at the news conference on october 27th. >> the company has dismissed executive vice president hisashi mori for his involvement in concealing losses from securities investments. the firm was found to have used more than $1.2 billion tver up its losse inst tunt was r appropriate for corporate takeovers. olympus paid consultants an unusually large fee of almt $700 million to assist in the buyout of a british medical equipment maker. the c

. >>> welcome to "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. government representatives from different corners of the planet are in south africa right now. they're trying to confront a common enemy -- global climate change. but first, they must confront their differences over international rules to cut greenhouse gas emissions. the u.n. conference on climate change is looking at what happens after the kyoto protocol expires. nhk world's susumu kajima is covering this for us in durban. >> reporter: the conference just kicked off. delegates have gathered here in durban for two weeks of negotiations. developed nations except the united states have binding targets between 2008-2012 for their c.o. 2 emissions. the problem is, there's no agreement on what to do after that. the host, south africas, are urging delegates to find common ground. >> for most people in the developing world and africa, climate change is a matter of life and death. given the urgency, parties, states, should strive to find solutions here in durban. >> reporter: finding agreeme

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. debt concerns are weighing down bond prices. for details, we go to business news this hour. >> thanks, katherine. when bond prices go down, yields go up. the yield on italian government bonds hit a new high on european markets. the surge comes amid rising concerns that italy may be the next country to be dragged into the debt crisis. the yield on ten year italian government bonds briefly led to a record high of 6.6% on monday. bond prices recorded lowest level since the euro was introduced. >> there were serious instability in italy. the markets think the country will probably have elections next spring. italy can't restore its fiscal health with things as they are. >> the situation in italy has prime minister silvio berlusconi fighting for political survival. a vote on the budget is scheduled for tuesday in the lower house. it's being taken as a lit must test as some members of the ruling party are opposed to the proposals. this puts berlusconi in danger of losing his majority in par

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> the asia-pacific economic cooperation forum summit opened at day two in honolulu, hawaii, on sunday. leaders of the 21 apec economies exchanged views on economic collaboration as well as growth and employment in the asia-pacific region. >> we'll be discussing how we can work together to spur on quicker economic growth, and more sturdy and sustainable economic growth. >> on the sidelines of the apec summit, leaders of nine pacific rim nations participating in the u.s.-led tpp free trade negotiations held talks. they include australia and singapore. the nine countries said in a joint statement released on saturday that they broadly agreed on the elimination of tariffs and ways to increase investment. amid a prolonged economic downturn at home, he wants to create jobs by boosting exports through the tpp. >>> prime minister yoshihiko noda gave japan's perspective on the tpp in a separate meeting with president obama. noda and obama talked on the sidel

. >>> welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.pain will soon have a new government as the opposition people's party is on course to win the general election. people's party leader mariano rajoy has declared the win. vote counting is going on for sunday's election after the polling stations were closed several hours ago. the interior ministry has released its forecast. it predicts the conservative people's party will win a majority of the 350 seats in the lower house by 186 seats. the party is on track to finish with 110 seats, a loss of 59 seats. >> translator: the spanish people have put their trust in our party to govern for the next few years. we have no enemies except joblessness, the deficit and our economic malaise. >> spanish people is have been critical about austerity measures to improve the country's fiscal health along the economic slump. the yield of spain's ten-year bonds hit almost 7% because of a lack of confidence in the country's ability to shoulder its massive debts. attention is focused whether a new government

>>> welcome to "newsline" the united states has released figures on its struggling economy. the economy did grow but at a slower pace than expected. the country's gross domestic product increased by a rate of 2% in the third quarter. that is down half a percentage point from a figure released late last month. that is 0.1 off the estimate. corporate inventory grew 14.8%. >>> there are growing fears in egypt that the political turmoil triggered by protests against the country's military rulers could delay preliminary elections scheduled for next week. clashes between pro-democracy demonstrators and security forces left at least 24 people dead and more than 1,900 others injured since friday. several thousand demonstrators continue to occupy tahir square in central cairo. new protests erupted in other cities as well. all of the cabinet led by essam sharaf tendered their resignation. it's unclear whether they will accept the resignations. calling on all political forces to join in dialogue but protesters are scheduled to hold another protest on tuesday. the elections will be the

welcome to "newsline," i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda plans to pledge assistance worth 2 trillion yen or $26 billion to asean to help the regional block strengthen its unity. asean is developing into an economic by 2015, working for integration through measures liken hansing infrastructure and standardizing customs procedures. noda will announce the aid at a summit meeting with the block's leaders friday. he hopes the support will expand infrastructure exports and investment in the region. japan will participate in 33 projects. these include improving major roads and airports, introducing efficient customs procedures and long term disaster satellites. japan will engage in fund-raising efforts in cooperation with the asean development bank. aside from that plan, he will back the support for research on a road building project to link a port town in southern myanmar to the thai border. the assistance is to encourage construction of roads crossing that region. through the measures, the japanese governm

here's your three-day outlook. >>> and that's all for this edition of "newsline." catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

you're watching nhk world "newsline." i'm shery ahn. a magnitude 5.6 earthquake has hit turkey's eastern provincial capital of van just two weeks after it was struck by another quake that killed 600 people. amid a grim replay local media say at least three people are confirmed dead. the u.s. geological survey says the earthquake struck around 9:20 p.m. on wednesday local time and its focus was five kilometers underground in eastern turkey. state-run tv says 18 buildings, including two hotels, collapsed and at least three people have been confirmed dead with dozens more trapped under debris. footage from van province near the epicentral shows concrete buildings completely flattened and streets covered in debris. it also shows people scrambling through the rubble, searching for survivors. the region was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on october 23rd. in the hardest-hit van province more than 2,200 buildings were destroyed, killing at least 600 people and injuring more than 4,000. we spoke with a member of a turkish disaster search and

don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> thanks for watching "newsline."'m james tengan. up next, rachel ferguson with world weather. >>> hi there. time to get you a check on the weather as we head on into thursday. across asia, things are starting to get a little bit wet. we're talking about up in towards northern parts of china. we've got this low pressure system also down towards the south. showers are moving out of the mountains and coming down in towards the southwest. this is going to be heading up, in fact, in towards eastern parts of mongolia as well. generally staying dry at the moment for the korean peninsula, but you are going to start to see showers moving on in into your friday. thursday should be staying mostly dry. the same goes for japan. a holiday coming in tomorrow and it should be fairly settled across much of the country with temperatures a bit above average as well. shanghai region seeing a few showers. taiwan also going to be seeing those showers. heavier rain though is going to continue across parts of luzon here in the philippines.

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. let's go straight to ai uchida who has been following this story and has the details. >> greece is back. greek lawmakers are chrisicizing the prime minister george papandreou for calling for a national referendum on the eu plan to bail out the debt-ridden country. papandreou announced on monday he would hold a referendum on the eu debt deal after holding a vote of confidence on his cabinet and parliament on friday. the leader of the opposition new democratic party samaras, criticized papandreou for bringing greece and its future into crisis. samaras demanded the entire cabinet resign and called for a general election. some members of the ruling party are also demanding the prime minister's resignation saying it's irresponsible to hold a referendum after concluding an agreement with other nations. now there is a possibility that the bailout deal will be rejected in the greek referendum due to strong public opposition. this is spreading concern throughout europe. >> translator: the gree

. >>> welcome to "newsline". i'm michio kijima in tokyo. tonight barack obama outlined his nation's new security and cooperation strategy. the u.s. president spoke before the australia parliament. his message, the united states is a pacific power that's here to stay. >> as the world's fastest growing region and home to more than half the global economy, the asia pacific is critical to achieving my highest priority, and that's creating jobs and opportunity for the american people. >> obama said the u.s. is moving out of a long period of conflict in iraq and afghanistan. the policy shift is aimed at keeping china in check. the chinese government is building up its armed forces. its number one objective is said to be developing the capability to defend itself against the u.s. military. the country is believed to have strengthened its submarine forces and deployed missiles that could attack u.s. military staging points. it's also said to be working on the world's first ballistic missile capable of sinking an aircraft carrier. china's military a

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the japanese and u.s. governments are changing how they deal with crimes involving civilian employees working for the u.s. military in japan. they're modifying the status of forces agreement to allow japan to exercise jurisdiction over crimes that lead to death. as a result, prosecutors in okinawa decided to indict a u.s. forces civilian employee in connection with a car accident that killed a japanese man. the case involves a 24-year-old american man. prosecutors say he was on the way home from his job at a supermarket on a u.s. basin january when his car struck the victim. they couldn't diet the suspect because he was deemed to have been on duty at the time of the accident. the status of forces agreement gives the united states primary jurisdiction in cases involving civilian employees on bases who cause accidents or commit crimes when they are considered to be on duty. people in okinawa repeatedly expressed anger over the agreement. the u.s. justice system says in five years, there were 62 cases involvi

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. yemen's president, ali abdullah saleh signed a deal proposed by neighboring countries to transfer his power to the vice president. saleh signed the agreement on wednesday while seated beside saudi arabia's king abdullah in the saudi capital riyadh. saleh said he hopes the people of yemen will unite in order to overcome the country's troubles. the deal calls for the ruling party and anti-government forces to set up a provisional government and for an election to choose a new president to be held within three months. anti-government demonstrations have continued in yemen since january, demanding that president saleh step down after more than 20 years in power. following the arab spring upridings in tunisia, egypt, and libya, it appears that yemen's autocratic administration is likely to be forced out as well. however, some people in yemen doubt that the president will give up power. armed clashes continue between troops led by president saleh's family and anti-government forces with no

welcome to "newsline," i'm michio kijima in tokyo. the japanese and u.s. governments are changing how they deal with crimes involving american military personnel or civilian employees. they're modifying the status of forces agreement to allow japan to exercise jurisdiction over crimes that lead to death. as a result, public prosecutors in okinawa decided to indict a u.s. forces civilian employee in connection with a car accident that killed a japanese man. the case involves a 24-year-old american man. prosecutors say he was on his way home from his job at a supermarket on a u.s. base in january when his car struck the victim. they could not indict the suspect, because he was deemed to have been on duty at the time of the accident. the status of forces agreement gives the united states primary jurisdiction. in cases involving soldiers or civilian employees on bases who cause accidents on commit crimes when they are considered to be on duty. people in okinawa have repeatedly expressed anger over the agreement. the justice ministry says in the five years thro

welcome to "newsline." >> now his grandson is accused of jeopardizing the company's future. the people running the japanese paper maker have filed a criminal complaint. to the tune of about $113 million. tokyo prosecutors are going to launch an investigation for allegedly causing huge financial damage to the company. between last year and this year. prosecutors have began on a volunteer basis. he admitted he borrowed the money for personal use. sources close to the case say he spent most of the money in casi casinos. >> many are unhappy with the military rulers and unhappy with the pace of change. they've returned to the streets just like they did earlier this year when they helped end the three-year reign of hosni mubarak. so far at least 20 people have died since the protests broke out on friday. 1,800 others have been hurt. the demonstrators are mostly young people. they're gathering in major urban centers including the egyptian capital and the country's second largest city, alexandria. this is a staging point for protests. police officers are using rubber bullets and tea

>>> welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, november 1st. i'm catherine kobayashi. parts of bangkok were inundated with flood water on monday as the water surged on the out skirts of the city. the flooding came within two kilometers after surging parts of don muang airport. the city has been using drainage canals. the water is spreading to the western and eastern suburbs. the runoff is approaching the bangchan estate where many foreign factories are located. >> translator: i'm not sure how much water will come. i'm worried if we can keep operating. >> thailand's relief headquarters says the situation is under control and the flooding in central thailand will not occur elsewhere in the country. >>> the japanese government will give a grant of $12.8 million to thailand to assist in flood recovery efforts. the government says thailand urgently needs the aid as the flooding is spreading. japan has sent experts to help flood the drain waters from y r urban areas. the government has allowed thai workers to work in japan. the government says it will offer further support t

. >>> "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> the people who run japan's equivalent of the new york yankees are embroiled in high-profile dispute over the until nation of the club's new coach. the general manager of the yomiri giants has publicly denounced the chairman. watanabe's control over the newspaper group makes him one of the most powerful and influential figures in japan. the general manager says the club's chairman tried to interfere with his choice of a new coach. he harshly criticized watanabe, saying the chairman had no authority over personal matters. >> translator: the leadership must not break the company's internal control and compliance rules. i want the chairman to reconsider his

. >>> welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. the former head of olympus says it's time for the company to move on from its financial scandal. he says the only way to do that is for the board of directors to step down, michael woodford. the optical equipment-maker is in trouble for covering up huge investment losses for years. woodford attended his first board meeting since october 14th, the day he was fired. he fell out of favor because he questioned accounting irregularities. although he is no longer ceo, he is still a board member. >> and i'm not at liberty to discuss the detailed content. we had a constructive and honest exchange. >> woodford's brief successor as ceo, tsuyoshi kikukawa and two other figures did not go to friday's meeting. they resigned from the board of directors on thursday. the trio is suspected of having a hand in the cover-up they inflated the purchase prices on acquisitions among other thing. current ceo takayama is dismissing the suggestion that the board resign and be replaced by a new management team.

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. >>> welcome to "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. the former head of olympus says it's time for the company to move on from its financial scandal. he says the only way to do that is for the board of directors to step down, michael woodford. the optical equipment-maker is in trouble for covering up huge investment losses for years. woodford attended his first board meeting since october 14th, the day he was fired. he fell out of favor because he questioned accounting irregularities. although he is no longer ceo, he is still a board member. >> and i'm not at liberty to discuss the detailed content. we had a constructive and honest exchange. >> woodford's brief successor as ceo, tsuyoshi kikukawa and two other figures did not go to friday's meeting. they resigned from the board of directors on thursday.y. is sus a hand in the losses. they inflated the purchase prices on acquisitions among other thing. current ceo takayama is dismissing the suggestion that the board resign and be replaced by a new management team. he doubts that would he

>>> welcome to "newsline" line. the united states has released figures on its struggling economy. the economy did grow but at a slower pace than expected. the country's gross domestic product increased by a rate of 2% in the third quarter. that is down half a percentage point from a figure released late last month. that is 0.1 off the estimate. >>> there are growing fears in egypt that the political turmoil triggered by protests against the country's military rulers could delay preliminary elections scheduled for next week. clashes between pro-democracy demonstrators and security forces left at least 24 people dead and more than 1,900 others injured since friday. several thousand demonstrators continue to occupy tahir square in central cairo. new protests erupted in other cities as well. all of the cabinet led by essam sharaf tendered their resignation. it's unclear whether they will accept the resignations. calling on all political forces to join in dialogue but protesters are scheduled to hold another protest on tuesday. the elections will be the first since former president hos

. >>> welcome to "newsline". britain is evacuating part of its troops. they're angry over iran's nuclear program. nhk world reports from tehran. >> reporter: about 1,000 protesters gathered at the british embassy on tuesday afternoon. later, the rally turned violent. dozens of students broke into the embassy chanting, "death to britain." they threw documents outside and burned the british flag. riot police clashed with these students. iran's state-run tv reports that young iranians also stormed another british embassy in tehran where they briefly held six embassy staff members captive. these people were soon released and handed over to the relative authorities. motabash sanati, nhk world, tehran. >>> british prime minister david cameron calmed the attack outrageous and indefensible. china, united states and russia are criticizing iran for how it handled the incident. >> the united states condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms. it is an affront not only to the british people but also to the international community. >> translator: the attack

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japan is planning to strengthen measures on power plants. a panel met to discuss ways to respond to international threats. it made some counter terrorism proposals such as compelling operators to secure emergency power sources and seawater pumps use to cool reactors. the panel called to increase the number of police and to stock up on protected clothing to step up security. it also said computer systems controlling nuclear plants should be separate from outside networks to protect them from cyber attacks. chief cabinet secretary told the panel that the crisis at the plant could have been triggered by terrorist attacks and not just natural disasters. an electric company in western japan has submitted to the government the results of the safety tests on a reactor at the nuclear power plant, but there is debate over the significance of the tests. the electric power company handed the safety agency the results of a so-called stress test on the plant. they claim tests on the number three r

. >>> "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11th.have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis. and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> next, we go to bangkok to find out what's going on in the region. >> reporter: the death toll from thailand's flood crisis has topped 500 in bangkok there's no let-up in the situation. waters continue ih cse to the center of the capital, mang daily life increasingly hard. floodwaters advanced about five kilometers from central bangkok on monday. many roadsav been submerged and traffic is bked up acrs the city. >> translator: an intersection over there is flooded. i want to direct traffic, but there are too many cars. and nobody is listening to what i say. >> the latest map from the bangkok metropolitan administration shows 12 districts colored in red that ha

"nuclear "the road "newsline." have plant and gd shut will belean up the a created. ese aren't just own ex trying to learn from people that through crises. researchers wer american experts studied lear ac after processing and all federal and state ong time, about 15 yearserts say the task of fukushimai accident will bedifficult.evels are high on s. >> takefully, sure there's 100% certaintylence in the and then schedule i >> people trying to move forward by a gro prefecture chernobyl at thebeginning of november. went >> translator: the roofsed and fell on the raft radiation is the for >> this villanaround 30 kilom the same this a radiation chernobyl device is village res radiation levels people bring in their readings. steps toves from e situation shockedges of people ce the population it wa accident. are provided with neces information. bor past nine months and population increasing. hopes the village hisizens tor: people have been village forars, and they children well. to take areturn. i am so intot we have l. is nowand already informed his citizens of what learned

. >>> good evening, i'm michio kijima in tokyo, this is "newsline". japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda is doing a delicate political dance over a divisive issue. he spoke today about whether japan will join negotiations on a massive free trade agreement known as the trans-pacific partnership, or tpp. >> translator: i've decided japan will start discussions with other tpp-related countries about joining the tpp talks. this will happen on the weekend at the asia-pacific economic cooperation summit in honolulu. i'm fully aware of the benefits as well as the concerns pointed out over the matter. through the discussions with other countries we'll strive to collect information on what they expect from japan and by carrying out thorough public debate on the matter with national interest as the top priority in my mind i'll seek to reach a conclusion on the tpp. >> the tpp will eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers among member countries in the asia-pacific region. big business is for it. farmers, fishermen and co-ops are against it. prime minister no

welcome to "newsline." japan is planning to strengthen measures against terror attacks on nuclear power plants. a government panel met on monday to discuss ways to respond to international threats. it made some counterterrorism proposals such as compelling operators to secure emergency power sources and seawater pumps used to cool reactors. it called on utilities to increase the number of police and to stock up on protective clothing at plants in order to step up security. it also says computer systems controlling nuclear plants should be separate from outside networks to protect them from cyber attacks. the chief cabinet secretary told the panel that the crisis at the fukushima plant could have been triggered by terrorist attacks, not just by natural disasters. >>> an electric company in western japan has submitted to the government the results of safety tests on a reactor at its nuclear power plant, but there's some debate over the significance of the tests. the electric power company on monday handed the

thanks for tuning in to this edition of "newsline." i'm james tengan in tokyo. thailand's floods have had an enormous impact on the country's economy. now there are concerns things could get even worse. patchari raksawong is in the thai capital with the latest on the crisis. >>> two more important economic zones have been advised to prepare for possible flooding. water continues to descend on the capital from the north. many residents are beginning to feel like they're fighting a losing battle. flood waters came within ten kilometers of central bangkok on wednesday. people living in the affected areas are doing everything they can to cope. some even poured garbage out of clogged drains to let the water flow. >> translator: our life has been seriously floodwater. we're in trouble. but i have no choice but wait until the water recedes. everybody has to just put up with the situation. >> two more major industrial zones have been placed on alert. they include the estate in eastern bangkok. the threat woes after they decided to open a critical new gate. they say thei

. >>> "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan, post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. nuclear watch brings insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and the road ahead examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." >>> eu finance ministers are trying to scrounge up more money to keep the eurozone afloat. what are officials doing to deal with the credit crisis? >> they are meeting to find ways to work on the european bailout fund. high on the agenda how to use measures compiled at the last summit. the meeting is currently under way in brussels. the ministers are working up plans for beefing up the fund called the european financial stability facility. they seek to increase it to 1 billion euros. discussions include guaranteeing government bonds issued by debt strapped countries, that is to make them more attractive to investors. another option involves setting up a special fram

>>> wrum to "newsline." the national transitional council had elected engineer and a former university professor as its interim prime minister in late october. the 24 member cabinet includes the military commander of the town. the new government plans to launch a democratic administration next year. egypt's supreme military council has pledged to hold a presidential election by june next year to pave the way for democracy. but protesters are calling on the military to hand over power immediately. egyptians dissatisfied with military rule have been clashing with security forces since last week and at least 28 people have died and more than 2,000 have been injured over the past four days. he added that a parliamentary election will be held next monday as originally scheduled. thousands of protesters have gathered in tahrir square in central cairo. the demonstrators say they plan to continue holding rallies to call for an immediate transfer of power. iraqi prime minister nuri al malaki is visiting japan and ask

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. the british government is promising to take action following an attack on its embassy in the iranian capital. students broke into the compound, smashing windows, burning flags and bringing it to international concern. the protesters are angry about britain's new economic sanctions over iran's nuclear program. the report from tehran. >> reporter: about 1,000 protesters gathered at the afternoon. later the rally turned violent. doe dozens of students broke into the embassy chanting death to britain. they burned the british flag. police clashed with these students. iran's state run tv reports that young iranians also stormed another british embassy in tehran. where they held six members captive. these people were soon released and handed over to authorities. iran has been confrontational towards britain since the new sanctions were imposed. on sunday, the iranian parliament approved a bill that limits bilateral economic exchanges. it also called for the government to expel the british am

you're watching nhk "newsline." i'm shery ahn. a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit two weeks after a massive trembler struck the region. media say three people are confirmed dead. the u.s. geological survey says the earthquake struck around 9:20 p.m. on the wednesday local time and the epicenter was underground in eastern turkey. state run tv says 18 buildings, including two hotels collapsed and at least three people are confirmed dead with dozens more trapped under debris. footage from the province near the focus shows concrete buildings completely flattened and streets covered in debris. it shows people scrambling searching for survivors. region was hit by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on october 23rd. the hardest hit province, more than 2200 buildings were destroyed killing at least 600 people and injuring more than 4,000. we spoke with a member of a turkish search and rescue operation. they worked after the earthquake in van last month. >> we have information from the region as well as the capital, where they have the emergency manage

well to "newsline." the japanese prime minister plans to pledge assistance worth 2 trillion yen to asean to hel the regional bloc strengthen its unity. they aim to develop into an economic community by 2015. it's working to improve regional sbree integration through measures to enhance infrastructure and standardizing customs procedure. noda will announce the aid to ascene at a summit meeting on friday. he hopes it will expand infrastructure exports and investment in the he region. japan will participate in 33 projects. these include improving major roads and airports, introducing efficient customs procedures, and launching disaster prevention observation satellites. japan will engage in fund-raising efforts in cooperation with the asian development bank. aside from the aid plan, noda will back support for research on a road building project to link dawi to the thai border. the assistance is designed to encourage construction of roads crossing the region. through these measures the japanese government ho

this is "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. >>> japan's olympus corporation may have been manipulated its accounts for a decade. olympus was recently found to have covered up losses from investments during the economic bubble era. a third party panel investigating the wrongdoing is said to have found olympus started resorting to illegal accounting around 2001. 2001 is the year when a new set of accounting standards were introduced for japanese corporations. the new standards are known as the market value accounting. before the revision, the value of a company's stocks and other assets was recorded on the account settlement documents in terms of the price paid to acquire them. this is what's known as the book value. however, under the new standard, th value is given in terms of a market value at the time of the account settlement. take a case where stocks require for 100 million yen, but their market value has fallen to 60 million yen at the time of the account settlement. under the old system, the st

welcome to "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. japan took part in a solo intervention to weaken its curren currency. ai uchida, how successful exactly was that move? >> good question, catherine. we did see a big spike in the dollar/yen yesterday in tokyo trading hours but unfortunately we are seeing that trend weaken. the dollar lost some ground against the yen in new york on monday, despite the intervention by japanese authorities earlier in the day to stem the yen's historic rise. investors began selling the dollar to buy back the yen on speculation that the u.s. federal reserve board may further ease monetary policy. the dollar hovered in the 78 yen range in new york and here in tokyo this tuesday the greenback is changing hands at 78.31-34 yen. the dollar jumped nearly four yen at one point in the mid 79-yen range on the tokyo foreign exchange on monday, after japan intervened in the currency market to stem the yen's appreciation. >>> meanwhile u.s. treasury undersecretary leo brainard says unless there is extreme movement or

welcome to "newsline." >>> people working for japan's meteorological agency are discussing how to issue warnings about something called long period ground motion. the phenomenon often occurs during powerful earthquakes and causes high rises to shake violently. some experts say the warnings would help ensure building safety. others say it would create confusion among the public. long period ground motion caused towers in tokyo's district to sway slowly but forcefully on march 11th. the city is about 350 kilometers away from the epicenter. ceiling and wall panels fell in an prefectural office in osaka. now that city is about 8 00 kilometers from the epicenter. meteorological agency experts started a panel to talk about ways to prevent disasters immediately after earthquakes. they're trying to determine if the magnitude of long period ground motion should be made public right away. they released a draft proposal on monday. it calls for issues long period ground motion notices separately from the regular data of intense major earthquake. vibrations would be classified into several categorie

>>> live from tokyo, this is "newsline," i'm james tengan. >>> greek finance minister says the country has dropped its plan to hold a referendum on the european union's bailout package. in a statement on friday, vinezelos said he told the european commission economy and monetary affairs chief, of the decision in telephone calls. the announcement came ahead of a scheduled vote in confidence of the parliament of the cabinet george paben dray ewe later on friday. he said he told the european officials that the aim of the confidence vote is to form a government of unity. he said the government wants to obtain the largest consensus as possible. >>> attention is focused on italy. another eu member under pressure to stabilize its finances. the presidents of the european commission and the european union say italy is asking the international monetary fund to help monitor its economic and fiscal reforms, the european commission president, barroso says the executive commission will look at the situation. the country is under fierce pressure from financial markets to reform its finances. >>> next