>>> hello there, and welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, may 22nd, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. international forces invaded afghanistan more than a decade ago to target the taliban and al qaeda. now nato leaders are preparing for the end of the war that has claimed thousands of lives. soldiers, militants and civilians. they've reconfirmed their plan to wrap up their troops' combat role by the end of 2014. the leaders ended up a two-day summit monday in chicago. u.s. president barack obama says afghan forces will take the lead in combat operations across the country in 2013. >> there is real improvement in those areas where we've had a significant presence. you can see the taliban not having a foothold, that there is genuine improvement in the performance of afghan national security forces. >> obama and the other leaders decided to temporarily increase the number of afghan security personnel to 350,000. the size of the force will eventually be cut back to 230,000. nato members will continue to offer financial assistance to afghanistan after their troops

. >>> welcome to nhk "newsline." >> u.s. soldiers have been fighting in afghanistan for more than a decade now. their commander in chief made a surprise visit to the country to talk about his plans to bring them home. president obama promised 23,000 soldiers will withdraw by the end of the summer, and he also solidified a u.s. roll in afghanistan one all combat troops go home. >> today i signed a historic agreement between the united states and afghanistan that defines a new kind of relationship between our countries. a future in which afghans are responsible for the security of their nation, and we build an equal partnership between two sovereign states. >> obama and afghan president karzai signed a strategic partnership agreement. it cements of u.s. commitment to afghanistan after american combat troops leave in 2014. it will be effective until 2024. the deal allows u.s. forces to train afghan soldiers and engage in sweep operations against al qaeda. >> our goal is to destroy al qaeda, and we are on a path to do exactly th

>>> hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's monday, may 21st, 8:00 a.m. in toke wroe. i'm catherine kobayashi. millions of people from the u.s. to china made sure they were in the right place at the right time over the past hour. they used telescopes, protective glasses or pinhole camera to watch a rare celestial phenomenon. an annular solar eclipse. these are images of the eclipse played back at 260 speed. it began in much of japan around 7:30 a.m. it lasted from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on where viewers were. an annular solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and earth are in perfect alignment. the moon appears smaller than the sun so a bright ring forms around the moon. people living in these parts of the planet were able to see the ellipse and for the first time in history, the majority of residents in japan had the opportunity to watch this phenomenon. clouds obscured the view in some areas so some people had to struggle to see the ring. very beautiful, indeed. >>> a group of chinese tourists visited fukushima prefecture on sunday. it's the first

>>> glad to have you with us on this edition of "newsline." it's tuesday may 1st, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo, i'm catherine kobayashi. the leaders of japan and the united states are trying to show solidarity in the face of common challenges and common threats. prime minister yoshihiko noda and president barack obama met in washington and emphasized the importance of their country's decades-old alliance on maint n maintaining security in the asia pacific region. the leaders issued a joint statement monday following their talks. they titled it "a shared vision for the future." the document says the japan/u.s. alliance is peace, security and stability in the region. >> translator: the asia pacific region is at the center of the world's development, but at the same time, there are so unstable factors such as fears over north korea and the buildup of armaments over maritime disputes. we will realize the realignment of u.s. forces to strengthen the security of the region. >> obama calls the asia-pacific region strategically important and stresses the u.s. military presence there will be g

japan time here on "newsline." >>> an elderly woman who has survived a pair of tsunami have been telling other people how they can save their lives too. to get her message across, the woman relies on an old fashioned technique. she works from a picture story painted illustrations that say company her narration. >> reporter: 87-year-old yoshi tabata presents her picture in her city. tabata lost her family to the tsunami. she was eight years old at the t time. she plays the main role in her story. she has been telling her story for over 30 years to warn people about the danger of tsunamis. >> reporter: this is the area of miyako city, tabata's hometown. >> translator: this is where my house used to stand. >> reporter: 78 years after the first tsunami, tabata was threatened by another large one. the water swept her house away. but it didn't touch her. she had managed to reach safety at her younger sister's house on a hill. tabata says she was able to survive two major tsunamis thanks to the advice of her grandfather who also survived one. >> translator: he always told us if an earthquake hi

here on "newsline." >>> now we go straight to rachel ferguson who has the world weather forecast. >> heavy rain has been hitting okinawa for the last couple of days if not the last week or so. a stalled out front coming down from a low to the northeast. now it has pulled away from japan, the low is but the front is still passing through southern okinawa and hitting taiwan and southern coastal china. maybe much as 12 millimeters of rain in the next 24 hours. taiwan and southern parts of okinawa seeing the risk of flooding and land slides on that saturated land. japan is seeing another fine day as we head into the beginning of thursday. however, a low coming across which is an upper level low bringing frigid air to the upper levels. as it comes across it will be colliding with the very hot air we have. the temperatures have been reaching the mid-20s. yesterday, with record-breaking temperatures. here in tokyo, that will cause some nasty thunderstorms which will last until friday evening. things are looking dry across much of mongolia and northern china. temperatures are starting to imp

>>> hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's tuesday, may 15th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. in a last-ditch bid to avoid an election rerun, greece's president proposed forming a government of private sector technocrats. karolos papoulias. an ultra right party rejected the idea. the other leaders agreed to continue discussion. former finance minister, leader of the third place pasok said the negotiations would not be easy, but he wants to fulfill his responsibilities. the second place radical left coalition reiterated it will not join any government that pushes austerity measures. the ministers from 17 euro nations on monday urged greece to swiftly form a government that can implement austerity measures. the measures are a prerequisite for receiving new bailout funds. the political impasse in greece is casting growing uncertainty over the belt tightening program. >>> those uncertainties, of course, have worried investors over the last week. let's see how the markets are doing now. >>> people in okinawa are looking back and forward. residents of japan'

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." china's foreign ministry says it may allow human rights activist chen guangcheng to leave the country in a possible step towards settling the diplomatic row over the dissident. a foreign ministry spokesperson says if chen wants to leave china and study abroad, he can file an application. >> translator: chen can apply through normal channels to relevant departments, just like other chinese citizens do. >> chen escaped from house arrest and sought help at the u.s. embassy in beijing. he was transferred to a hospital on wednesday following negotiations between the chinese and u.s. governments. the u.s. said chen had agreed to move to a safe place of his own choice in china with his family, but the blind activist later said he wanted to go to the united states with his family, forcing the two governments to resume negotiations over his fate. chen earlier asked for a meeting with u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton. testifying by telephone before a u.s. congressional commission, he sai

>>> welcome to "newsline." it is monday, may 14th. 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the leaders of china, south korea and japan say they will not tolerate further prove indications from north korea. they met in beijing to find ways to strengthen trade. they were distracted by fears that officials in pee on-going yang will have another test. he said the most urgent tas i can is to prevent further tension on the korean peninsula. they worry north korean scientists will follow through on a third test of nuclear technology. chinese leaders are trying to persuade their allies not to follow through. the president hu jintao met were them last month. the former leader visited earlier this month. a former chinese diplomat says they will be challenged to get the north koreans to stop. >> reporter: north korea has a number of issues that make another test unavoidable. >> he says they will focus on getting north koreans to slow down the pace of the nuclear program. >>> noda reilt rated the islands in the east china sea belong to japan and rejected china's claim of sovereignty ov

>>> hello there, welcome to "newsline." it's friday may 4th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the united states is renegotiating with c china over the fate of the chinese human rights activist chen quangcheng, who was transferred to a beijing hospital from the u.s. embassy there wednesday. the u.s. government announced chen would be moved to a safe location within the country reflecting his choice. the move was based on an agreement with china. on thursday, chen revealed his concerns to nhk in a telephone interview. >> he also said chinese authoritiy ies have set up seve new surveillance cameras at his home where his mother still lives. chen says the reassurances he got before leaving the embassy have not been kept and his rights are being violated. u.s. state department spokesperson victoria nuland said chen had a change of mind after half a day in the hospital. she added the u.s. government is rethinking its agreement with china and negotiating the possibility of chen and his family abroad. chinese government is trying to avoid a lengthy dispute that

that's all for this edition of "newsline." do stay with us. [drum & synth fanfare] (jane joyce) yellowstone national park is one of the best places in the modern world to observe the complex processes that shape natural ecosystems, and how one change can trigger many unexpected ones. in the early 1900's, because yellowstone's wolves were considered a menace by humans; the animals were deliberately killed to reduce their population. once the wolves, yellowstone's top predator, had been eliminated, the elk population surged and devoured sprouting aspen and cottonwood trees in yellowstone's northern range. in 1995, in an effort to control the elk population "naturally," gray wolves were reintroduced from canada into yellowstone national park. as expected, the wolves preyed on the elk herds, by now, cutting their numbers in half. but unexpected changes occurred as well. as a consequence, aspen and cottonwood trees are again growing tall. their regrowth has allowed the beaver population to increase. small beaver dams have reappeared, and the ponds

here's your extended forecast. >>> that's all for now, this edition of "newsline." thanks very much for joining us. tonight, in conversation with professor and author jonathan haidt. he is out with a new book about why americans are divided on issues like politics and li

japan time here on "newsline." >> the tallest structure in japan opens in three weeks. officials in charge of the tokyo sky tree are getting ready to welcome tens of thousands of visitors. they are prepared to keep all the people safe. police and firefighters and self defense force members and tokyo residents took part in a drill to prepare for a chemical attack. 2,000 people participated in all. a man sprayed what was meant to be a chemical agent on the tower's 350 meter high observatory deck. they slumped to the floor. authorities in protective gear took them away. they carried out checks on the sprayed substance. workers practiced leading participants. officials set up another scenario at ground level. authorities led people away from the sky tree's commercial complex after a man carrying explosives was spotted nearby. a police dog jumped the suspect and then officers pinned him down. >> translator: the exercise was very meaningful because holding on a large scale is possible only before the tower opens. >> officials will address any problems found in the drill befor

welcome to nhk world "newsline." french voters gave a clear no on sunday to the austerity measures put in place to tackle the country's debt burdens. they handed victory to francois hollande over nicolas sarkozy in a runoff election. hollande says he will adopt a different approach. the socialist party leader indicated in a victory speech that he will revise the country's deficit cutting policies. >> translator: the french people have been wounded over the past few years. i will be easing that pain over my five-year term as well as carrying out restructuring. >> sarkozy has cooperated with germany to undertake extensive measures to ease the continent-wide credit crisis. steps have included raising taxes and reducing social security spending, but the economic pain that this has inflicted has led to widespread frustration. unemployment is over 10%. hollande aims to balance the budget by 2017. he says he wants to focus on economic growth, but plans to hire another 60,000 government workers. some economists say such move

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." millions of households and businesses in japan are getting ready for a hot summer. and that means they're getting ready to cut back on their power consumption. no nuclear reactor are running right now. and more than a year after the fukushima daiichi accident changed safety standards, that hasn't happened in 42 years, that is. and that's why government leaders are asking people to save energy. cabinet members set voluntary saving targets. they based their standards on electricity demand in 2010 when japan's summer was unusually hot. people living in the cities of osaka and kyoto are expecting to face the most serious short fall. kansai electric power serves the region. it relies heavily on nuclear energy. customers will be asked to reduce their usage by 15% or more. customers further south in kyushu will be asked to reduce their usage by at least 10%. utilities in neighboring areas will be urged to save 5% or more so energy can be diverted to kansai and kyushu. shikoku and hokkaido el

that's all for this edition of "newsline".." do stay with us.

japan time here on "newsline." >>> people living on japan's northeast coast has been wary of the sea ever since it rose up and ravaged towns and villages after last year. now a new poll suggests the majority of municipal representatives are planning to rebuild residential areas away from the pacific ocean's reach. they surveyed 200 communities in iwate, miyagi, and fukushima prefectures. 12% hope to build up ground levels and heighten levees in areas that were flooded and move there. 18% hope to construct or strengthening levees where homes used to stand. the survey suggests people live in areas that could be hit by waver higher than two meters raise it. those hit by smaller waves hope to stay where they are. >>> it started with a ship and then a couple of sports bowls. now more is sucked out to sea by japan's tsunami are making their way across the pacific and washing ashore in north america. a man in candidate found a motion from the northeast. >>> peter mark came across the moto bike in mid-april. it was a storage container that washed up on a beach in british columbia. it was reg

. >>> now to other stories we're following here on "newsline." afghan security forces are taking the lead in more and more parts of their country. the government will be responsible for 17% of afghans by the end of the year. residents say they've seen few signs of stability. nhk world reports from kabul. >> translator: anti-afghanistan groups will continue to pose a threat but we will keep our pee-budingffor. >> reporter: afghanistan on sunday announced a plan to transfer security responsibility from nato-led forces to afghan troops. the first and second stages are already in place and give afghanistan control of its provinces in some other areas. in total, covering about half the country's population. it will see that expanded to another three provinces as well as all 34 provincial capitals. the afghan government has been ramping up calls for swift handover of security control, following recent scandals involving u.s. troops that have pure anti-u.s. sentiment including the burning of copies of the koran. support for a quick withdrawal of nato-le

japan time here on "newsline." >>> u.n. investigators are looking into how radiation has affected the health of people cleaning up fukushima daiichi. they say the deaths of six of them were not caused by radiation. the team from the u.n. scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation is study thegs effects of emissions after the disaster. more than 20,000 workers have taken part in the operation. six of them have died. at least two are known to have had a heart attack. one was diagnosed with acute leukemia. >> we don't have any indication that their death was related to radioactivity and exposure. >> the researchers said eight workers had been exposed to enough radiation to put them at risk of developing cancer. >>> police who work in northeast japan have had a host of new challenges to deal with over the past year. officials at the national police agency say many of them might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. researchers surveyed more than 10,000 officers based in the region. more than 4% of respo

japan time here on "newsline." >>> most members of the u.n. security council are urging additional sanctions against syria for its continued crackdown on civilians. but they face opposition from russia which has close ties with the government of president bashar al assad. the united nations says the civilian death toll in syria has now topped 10,000. troops supporting assad killed more than a hundred people last week in houla. the bodiesf 13 men were found earlier this week in the eastern town wh their hands tied behind their backs. u.s. and european members of the security council are calling for tougher actions against the assad government. but the russian ambassador remains weary of the western approach. he said dialogue and sanctions will not work at the same time. an nhk crew visiting the capital damascus on wednesday saw many government troops deployed in the central district. government troops routinely accompany the u.n. officials sent to monitor the cease-fire ark parentally to curb their activities. food prices have nearly doubled in

japan time here on "newsline." >>> japan's former prime minister is defending how he led his country through one of its most challenging times in history. naoto kan was in charge on march 11th, 201, when an earthquake shook the nation, triggered devastating tsunami and sparked meltdowns at fukushima daiichi. he gave his side of the story when he testified before a government panel investigating the stent accident at the nucle plant. >> translator: the government must bear responsibility for promoting its nuclear power policy and failing to prevent the accident at the nuclear plant. as the head of the government at that time, i'd like to apologize again for this failing. >> kan also added the government didn't receive enough information about the accident from japan's nuclear safety agency and other sources. he said he feared the situation could get out of control. the day after the accident, kan flew to fukushima daiichi. >> translator: i decided to go to the site, because i thought i might be able to grasp what was happening in i spoke to the relevant person. >> the former prime min

. >>> welcome to "nhk world newsline." >>> u.s. president barack obama and japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda are trying to build on progress between nations on the countries they lead. obama welcomed noda to the white house for the first time in three years. they came out with new tactics for defense, ones that many believe are aimed at countering the strength of china. >> translator: we recognize china as a major partner in the region and in our exchange of views, both of us, in fact, confirmed that viewpoint. china's development is an opportunity for the international community and for japan and for the asia-pacific. >> we have developed a very important, strategic and economic dialogue with china. we think what they've accomplished in terms of lifting millions of people out of poverty is good for its own sake and it's also potentially good for the world and for the region. >> japan's self defense forces and the u.s. military will jointly use training centers on the pacific island of guam and personnel from both countries wi

here's your extended forecast. >>> and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. thank you very much for watching.

japan time here on "newsline." >>> japanese scientists say radiation from the march 11th disaster took just 40 days to spread around the world. researchers from fukushima university measured the concentration of airborne radioactive substances near the daiichi plant. they took daily readings starting about two months after the disaster. they say the measurements rose and fell in 40-day cycles. the density had declined by about 85% by march this year. professor watanabe directed the research. >> translator: the research will enable to measure what influence the radioactive materials from fukushima has on the planet. >> watanabe says the results of the study can be applied to any other country or region. >>> researchers in the u.s. believe migratory fish carry radioactive substances across the pacific ocean. they found a trace amount of cesium in tuna caught off the coast of california five months after the accident. researchers from stanford university and elsewhere tested 15 bluefin tuna they caught last august off san diego. they found the fish contained elevated levels of cesium 134.

>> hello and welcome to "newsline." it's 9:00 in tokyo and i'm catherine kobayashi. united nations observers in syria have seen the perils of life firsthand. a bomb exploded near their convoy and they escaped without injury. they wounded the soldier who is were guarding them. the observers were traveling through the southern province. a roadside bomb hit the trucks that carried the guards after they passed by. the norwegian major general is leading the mission. he said they live with such things every day and remain focused on their work and it's not clear whether the bomb targeted the observers or the military and it raised doubts about the ability to work effectively. the government and opposition forces are fighting despite an agreement to ceasefire. the secretary general condemned the attack. >> this attack is unacceptable. i know they join me in condemning it without reservation. he said the mission is the only way to achieve peace in syria. leaders are sending more observers and hope to have 300 on the ground by the end of the month. the u.s. state department s

jap time here on "newsline." >>> a u.n. agency says the deaths of six workers at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant were not linked to radiation. the u.n. scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation released a preliminary report at its headquarters in vienna on thursday. its study began last may based on data provided by the japanese government. >> we don't have any indication that their death was related to radioactivity and exposure. >> on the other hand, the committee confirmed that eight of the roughly 20,000 workers who had been involved in operations at the plant until late january were exposed to more than 100 millisieverts of radiation. anyone with that dose is said to have an increased risk of cancer. the researchers plan to compile a final report and submit it to the u.n. by the end of next year. >>> police who work in northeast japan have had a host of new challenges to deal with over the past year officials at the national police agency say many of them are suffering from post-traumatic str

welcome to nhk world "newsline." investigators in tokyo are accusing a diplomat and former member of china's intelligence services of running a business while on assignment in the japanese capital. they say he illegally obtained an alien registration card to do that. an international treaty bans diplomats from carrying out private work. police are preparing to charge the 45-year-old man. the suspect was the first secretary at the chinese embassy in japan. investigators say he applied for a foreign residence card in 2008 at a tokyo ward office, and that he didn't disclose his status as a diplomat. police asked him earlier this month to come in for questioning but he rejected the request and returned to china. investigators say the diplomat may have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from japanese companies for what he described as investment in the farming business in china. some of the money was reportedly transferred to a bank account he opened with the illegally obtained alien registration card. he allegedl

japan time here on "newsline." >>> the agency that oversees japan's nuclear industry says it pressured the country's nuclear watchdog to not tell the truth about aging plants. their revelation comes as japanese officials tried to increase transparency in the industry. >> translator: we apologize. we must remain neutral to ensure the country's nuclear power plants are safe. >> the commission toughened up its earthquake resistance guidelines for nuclear power plants six years ago, but the agency pressured the commission to state that nuclear plants build under old guidelines were safe against earthquakes. the agency was afraid that their decision to keep the older nuclear plant in operation would be criticized and they'd be end in lawsuits and plants would be forced to shut down. >>> u.s. lawmakers are urging government leaders to do something about debrew floating across the pacific from japan. the disaster in march of last year left tons of wreckage in the ocean. >> the tsunami unleashed debris on an unprecedented scale. some 5 million tons were swept out to sea. while most quickly san

welcome to nhk world "newsline." the united nations security council is trying to get all its member states to enforce the rules when it comes to north korea. a new report says goods that are subject to a trade embargo are managing to make their way into the reclusive nation. the security council met behind closed doors to review the work of a panel of experts. they monitored the implementation of u.n. sanctions. sources say their report reveals some countries are exporting materials that could be converted for use in missiles. and some are sending out luxury items, too. european nations and japan are included in the list of those breaking u.n. sanctions. the report suggests much of the trade is passing through the chinese port of dalian. delegates of western nations are asking the u.n. to release the findings as soon as possible. they want member countries to strengthen their checks on exports to north korea. japan's ambassador to the united nations wants member states to do a better job at following the rules. >> t

he's currently campaigning for re-election in november. >>> and that wraps up this edition of "newsline i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.

japan time here on "newsline." >>> japanese scientists say cooling water may be look leaking from another reactor at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they say the water level of the reactor's containment vessel far shallower than they previously thought. researchers at the government-backed japan nuclear energy safety organization analyzed the internal pressure and other data from the number one reactor. they say the water inside is about 40 centimeters deep. that's 160 centimeters shallower than officials at tokyo electric power company believed. the researchers say water may be leaking from a hole in a pipe. still, tepco spokespersons say nuclear fuel is being cooled sufficiently with water temperatures at about 30 degrees celsius. in march, workers found the water level inside another reactor had fallen to 60 centimeters. water appears to be leaking there, too. the leaks could make the task of decommissioning the plant more difficult. the operator hopes to fill the vessels with water in order to remove melted fuel within ten years. >>> western diplomats are hoping to break a stalem

>>> welcome back to "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. kofi annan is warning syria could descend into full civil war. the joint envoy for the u.n. and the arab league predict serious consequences if u.n. observers fail in their mission to stabilize the country. >> i believe that the u.n. supervision mission is possibly the only remaining chance to stabilize the country. >> annan briefed members of the u.n. security council via video link from geneva. he said the observers have had a calming effect in fighting between syrian government and opposition forces. still, he said, troops continue to violate the cease-fire. he said the levels of violence and abuse are unacceptable. u.n. observers moved in last month to monitor the situation. annan said he expects it will improve after all 300 observers are deployed by the end of this month. >>> u.s. media say a cia double agent foiled a plot to bomb an airliner. the informant reportedly infiltrated the terrorist group and volunteered for the suicide mission. the u.s. government said monday there h

japan time here on "newsline." >>> nato leaders are moving to repair strained relations with pakistan. they've invited the country's president to their summit on afghanistan. nato is trying to organize an orderly withdrawal of troops and pakistan's cooperaon is seen as critical. president asif ali zadari is expected to accept the invitation. pakistan is blocking supply routes for u.s. forces in afghanistan. the blockade started in november. it was imposed after an accident u.s. strike on pakistani posts on the afghan border. >> as a neighbor of afghanistan, pakistan does have an important role to play in supporting afghan security. we do want to see these land routes opened. we are continuing to work on it, but we thought it was important to have them at the summit in this partnership role. >> nuland hoped an agreement would be reached on reopening the border before the summit opens. >>> delegates from the international atomic energy agency and iran say they had positive talks on the country's nuclear program. but they did not announce any agreement. the two sides will meet again next

welcome to nhk world "newsline." the hottest tourist attraction in japan is also the highest, the tokyo sky tree, 634 meters tall, two observation decks and stunning panoramic views. thousands of people lined up to head up the tower on opening day and for those who didn't have a ticket, that didn't stop them from celebrating. nhk world's rina nakano has the story. >> reporter: these people already have reservations to go up the sky tree but that didn't stop them from lining up hours before the opening. their goal, to be the first of the first. >> translator: i never get to climb up that high. that's why i'm curious to see how it feels up there. >> we didn't go on our honeymoon last year because of the earthquake so we decided to make this. >> reporter: it took engineers nine years to build the tokyo sky tree from the blueprint phase to opening day. the tower has two observation decks, one at 350 meters and the other at 450 meters. people who climb it say despite the bad weather, it's still worth the wait. >> translat

that's all for this edition of "newsline." kathrine kobaji in toke you.athrine kobaji in toke you. thanks for joining us. play funky space-rock] ♪ ♪ (jane joyce) mountains are "water towers" of the world. at least half of the fresh water we consume comes from mountain ice and snow that melts into rivers and streams. but as earth's climate warms, changes occur in mountain ecosystems that alter both the amount and timing of available fresh water. research conducted at glacier national park documents the changes taking place across this vast mountain landscape. our snowpack, for instance, is heavier during the middle part of the winter but melting earlier. that sends a pulse down the streams earlier in the year, meaning that there's less of it for late in the summer when the stream flows are very low. and in some cases with those snowpacks disappearing so early, the only source of base flow for those streams is melting glaciers. (jane joyce) changes in the water cycle are not the only result of a warming climate. (dr. dan fagre) our tree lines are changing r

welcome to nhk world "newsline." hina rabbani khar has plenty to say about the relations between pack sustain and the united states. the foreign minister spoke about the sore spot. she says she supports a court decision to imprison a pakistani doctor who helped american intelligence authorities track down al qaeda leader osama bin laden. >> you have to respect the law of every country. and you have to respect our expectations of each other and realistic expectations and i think the expectation for any one country to go against the laws is not a realistic or healthy expectation. >> pakistani courts sentenced shakil afridi wednesday to 33 years in prison for treason. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton denounced the ruling as unjust. she says the obama administration will continue to pursue the issue with pakistani authorities. u.s./pakistan relations worsened after american special forces raided a compound near islamabad last may and killed bin laden. they took another hit after u.s. helicopters killed 24 pakistan

japan time here on "newsline." >>> japan's self-defense forces have rolled out a new radioactive-proof truck. the $9 million vehicle is designed for work in disaster zones, including nuclear accident sites. the air tight truck is equipped with an air filter to protect passengers from toxic gases and bacteria. a sensor on the outside can detect and collect data about radiation and other dangerous substances. operators can send the information straight from the truck to a command center. sdf personnel can then analyze the situation and plan ways to deal with it. the truck's designer modified an older model that was used during the nuclear accident in fukushima. sdf leaders have deployed three of the new vehicles. they plan to eventually use dozens throughout japan. >>> for now, we are seeing sunshine here in tokyo, but will it continue? let's turn now to rachel ferguson for the world weather forecast. >> yes, lovely weather right now, but it isn't going to continue. we're likely to see pretty nasty thunderstorms across central and northern parts of japan. temperatures have been soaring t

. >>> and that's all for this edition of "newsline."e'll say good-bye with a view of tokyo sky tree once again. standing at 634 meters, the world's tallest tower is now open to the public and the lucky 8,000 will be up in the clouds today. wonder what they'll see up there. thanks very much for joining us.

. >>> that's all for this edition of "newsline". i'm catherine kobayashi. thank you for joining us. if you're thinking about adding a new deck, or replacing an old one, you might want to consider this - you could have a deck that's longer- lasting, bug- resistant, and earth- friendly by choosing a recycled plastic lumber product. plastic lumber doesn't need sealing, staining, painting, or waterproofin g. it looks great and some companies offer a 50- year warranty on their products! these materials look and feel like real wood to us, but bugs aren't the least bit interested in chewing them. and even if you live in a damp climate, plastic lumber won't rot! although plastic lumber generally costs more, your deck will still be standing while ordinary wooden decks will be long- gone. now that makes sense!

we'll report on the actual ceremony later on in "newsline." james tengan, nhk world, ginowan city, okinawa. >> thanks very much there, james. >>> another okinawa related story. a u.s. state department official has suggested u.s. military leaders are prepared to hand back some facilities as planned. deputy assistant secretary of state says the measure would ease the prefecture's burden of hosting the bases. >> okinawa is very centrally located to many countries in the region, and i think our presence in okinawa serves as a deter tonight ensure peace and stability, not only for japan but also for neighboring countries in the region. >> zumult said he doesn't have a specific date in mind but he says he believes part of camp zuccaran and others can be returned soon. he said there is no obstacle to returning these areas. japanese and u.s. officials agreed last month to relocate about 9,000 marines from okinawa to places outside japan. the americans also agreed to return some land used by the u.s. military in okinawa. the two issues were linked from

. >>> and that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo.hanks for joining us. ñÑ?Ñ?oñ

. >>> welcome back to "newsline."

. >>> that's all for this edition of "newsline". i'm catherine kobayashi. thank you for joining us.