>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." the protest staged in manila on friday involves scarborough shoal in the south china sea. the territory is claimed by both china and the philippines. the demonstrations come one month after china deployed vessels in the area. nhk world's kathleen ocampo reports from manila. >> china! >> back off! >> china! >> back off! >> reporter: nearly 150 demonstrators gathered outside the chinese embassy in manila, voicing their criticism of recent actions by the chinese government. >> to take away something without even taking consideration your neighbors, i guess that is not a proper way. >> reporter: the latest row began april 10th when chinese marine survey ships prevented a philippine navy vessel from seizing chinese fishing boats near the shoal. as the standoff continued china instructed authorities on may 2nd to step up checks on bananas and other food grown in the philippines. there's speculation the move is effectively a countermeasure on china's part. china accuses the philippine govern

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." u.n. officials say some countries are using china as a gateway to send goods to north korea. that would violate security council sanctions. some of the exports include luxury items and parts that could be used to make missiles. a u.n. panel of experts recently compiled a report on how the sanctions against north korea are working. they noted some in the north are importing pianos from japan and plan to buy yachts from europe. they also cited cases in which items that could be converted for use in ballistic missiles have made it into the reclusive nation. the report promises to investigate allegations that transport and launch vehicle for what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile was purchased from china. members of the military displayed the hardware last month in a parade in pyongyang. this report points to cases of forged documents and other illegal practices in the port city of dalian, where elicit trade deals are often arranged. it urged u.n. member states to be more th

. >>> 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

nhk world, shanghai. >>> tok residts are popping up their umbrellas this morning. rachel join us with the world weather forecast. good morning. it's looking pretty gloomy out there. >> good morning. it's about to get a lot worse. we have a very potent low impacting much of japan, particularly along the pacific side here. and we're looking at rainfall totals in the next 48 hours. upwards of 120 millimeters anywhere you're seeing in the deep shades of red. actually locally we could even see as much as 250 millimeters just in the space of 24 hours. so heavy rain. now the system is very slow moving which means it will be impacting western and central japan today and then center up to northern japan into thursday. so that prolonged, heavy rain could lead to flooding as well as landslides. there will also be thunder and lightning to come with this storm and very strong winds. sustained winds of up to 72 kilometers an hour along the pacific edge. that's certainly going to be leading to very rough seas and high waves, too. so plenty to look forward to into thursday. hope t

welcome to nhk world "newsline." the raids may never let up. syrian government forces are continuing their attacks on civilians. the forces launched fresh attacks in the past two days on the central town of houla where more than 100 people, mostly women and children, were massacred last week. a human rights group in the country says the troops loyal to president bashar al assad shelled the city killing seven people and wounding many others. a local activist told nhk government troops fired shells for half an hour in houla thursday morning. the government forces also attacked other places across the country killing more than 40 people on wednesday alone. the free syrian army, comprising soldiers who fled assad's military, has given the government a deadline of friday noon for ending assaults on civilians. they warn they will begin to retaliate if the deadline is not met. most members of the u.n. security council are calling for additional sanctions against syrian. >> i think with the massacre in houla, we have reached a low point in this conflic

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." the protest stage in manila on friday involves scarborough shoal in the south china sea. the territory is claimed by both china and the philippines. the demonstrations come one month after china deployed vessels in the area. nhk world's kathleen ocampo reports from manila. >> china! >> back off! >> reporter: nearly 150 demonstrators gathered outside the chinese embassy in manila, voicing their criticism of recent actions by the chinese government. >> to take away something without even taking consideration your neighbors, i guess that is not a proper way. >> reporter: the latest role began april 10th when chinese marine survey ships prevented a philippine navy vessel from seizing chinese fishing boats near the shoal. as the standoff continued china instructed authorities on may 2nd to step up checks on bananas and other food grown in the philippines. there's speculation the move is effectively a countermeasure on china's part. china accuses the philippine government of being behind th

nhk world, shanghai. >>> tokyo residents a popping up their umbrellas this morning. rachel uit the world weather forecast good morning it's looking pretty gloomy out >> good mornin we have a vy pen la lot worse. impacting much of japan, particularly along the pacific side here. and we're looking at rainfall totals in the next 48 hours.wass anywhere you're seeingn e ephas of red. actually, locally we could even seasucas0 millimeters just in the space of 24 hours. so heavy rain. no t system is very slow moving, whichea i wl impacting western and central japan today and then center u to northern japan into thursday. so that prolonged, heavy rn cod ado flooding,s as landslides. there will also be thunder and lightning toomwi this storm and very strong winds. sustained winds of up to2 kilometers an hour along the pacific edge. that's certaly goi to be leading to very rough seas and high waves, too. so pnttooo forward to in thursday. hope there's not too many problems with that. the worst of the rain is over in the korean peninsula. a few showers lt ov. thtail end of that

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." chinese leaders are unhappy japanese officials allowed the head of an ethnic minority into japan. uygurs are meeting in tokyo and accuse the chinese of oppression. nhk world reports. >> reporter: these people have a rare chance to discuss face to face. uygurs who live in exile only gather every three years. this is the first time they met in asia. uygurs came from 20 countries. they are here to discuss how to achieve their goals in china. rebiya kadeer heads the organization. she says chinese government officials are making life harder and harder for uygurs. >> translator: the chinese government must stop oppressing ethnic groups and move ahead with democratic reform. >> reporter: the minority uygurs and the majority people have fought for years in the xinjiang uygur autonomous region. the uygurs say they're fed up with being dominated politically and economically. the uygurs frustration came to a head in rioting three years ago. they attacked han people in the regional capital. chine

welcome to nhk world "newsline." an annular solar eclipse only comes around once in a lifetime depending where you live. that's why people from the united states to china to japan stopped hours ago to stare at the sky. they used telescopes, protective glasses or pinhole cameras to see the moon pass in front of the sun and create a ring of fire. these are images of the eclipse sped up 260 times. 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. here's the path of the eclipse across the pacific ocean. millions of people around the world caught the view. people also saw a rare phenomenon called baily's beads. the surface of the moon has mountains and valleys. when the sun back lit the moon forms like sparkling beads dotted the ring's edge. many commuters in tokyo caught the eclipse on their way in to work. some stopped wherever

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." egyptians gave up so much to be able to do something so simple, mark an "x" on the ballot. the presidential election they fought for and died for is now under way. they are choosing a leader to replace hosni mubarak. demonstrations forced him to step down last year after 30 years in power. the two-day vote started wednesday, it pitted islamists against supporters of the mubarak regime. >> translator: i'm feeling a sense of freedom to be able to choose the best leader for my country. >> translator: i hope things will stabilize in this country. we also want democracy and security. >> frontrunners include mohamed morsi. of the muslim brotherhood, a fundamentalist group. abdelmonen abol fotoh abdel ises this is also in the race. he's a moderate islamist who left the brotherhood. other strong contenders are ahmed shafik and amre moussa. he's a former foreign minister and arab league secretary-general. egyptians voted in parliamentary elections between last november and january. islamic par

nhk world, sydney. >>> all right. now let's take a look at the market figures. >>> sayaka mori joins us now with the world weather forecast. sayaka, it was a warm day yesterday, but this morning it's feeling a little chilly. what's behind that? >> good morning, catherine. it's going to be cool and wet today because a strong low-pressure system is approaching us, dragging cold and moist air from the northeast. the system is expected to move along the pacific coast. northern japan will see dreary conditions today. tomorrow is a different story. it's going to be sunny and warm. back behind it, dry across the korean peninsula and much of eastern portions of china. heavy rain in central portions of southern china is expected. more than 100 millimeters of rain is on the cards over the next 24 hours. the ground is already very well saturated, so any additional rain could trigger flooding as well as landslides. down toward southeast asia, scattered thundershowers, again, particularly wet in northern vietnam, as well as northe

welcome to nhk world "newsline." since the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeastern japan last year, concerns are rising that another major quake could hit the country. experts predict such an earthquake could strike in central or western regions and even in tokyo. scholars and other experts gathered at a symposium in the capital on thursday to discuss how to best prepare for such a temblor. 29 academic societies in such fields as earthquake engineering, construction and urban planning took part in establishing disaster preparedness measures. in an effort to assure safety, disaster preparedness efforts. attendees discussed the need to move some residential areas to higher ground and to develop construction technologies able to resist tsunami. they also proposed the establishment of a database. that can identify locations vulnerable to earthquakes. >> translator: i want to learn how to prepare for a possible major earthquake in tokyo and what to do if one strikes. >> translator: we should prepare for the nex

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

thank you for joining us on nhk world. .

welcome to nhk world "newsline." china refused to renew a visa for al jazeera's beijing correspondent who has now been forced to leave the country. nhk world has more from beijing. >> reporter: the qatar-based satellite broadcaster said chinese authorities refused to renew melissa chan's visa. al jazeera says it's closed its chinese bureau for its english language channel because authorities also refused to issue a visa for her replacement. chan is a u.s. citizen and had been reporting from china for al jazeera's english channel since 2007. she has covered social problems including what goes on at facilities that temporarily detain people who try to lodge petitions with the government. the foreign correspondents club of china has denounced the incident. it says that this is the most extreme example of a recent pattern of china's government using visas to censor and intimidate journalists from abroad. in 1998, china expelled a japanese generalist. chinese spokesperson hong lei said they must obey by chinese laws and r

welcome to nhk world "newsline." people in greece will vote in a few weeks to pick who they want to lead them in this time of economic crisis. it would be their second parliamentary election in less than two months. some political experts are calling it a referendum on the debt-ridden country's membership in europe's single currency bloc. the big question is whether greece will stay and implement strict austerity measures or go it alone. party leaders have started talks to set up a caretaker government for the weeks leading up to the election. the poll will take place as early as next month. greeks voted ten days ago, but politicians failed to form a coalition. opposition parties are calling for the withdrawal of pledges on spending cuts and other measures to reduce the national debt. the austerity package is a precondition for bailout funds from the european union and the international monetary fund. representatives of greece's former ruling parties say giving up the austerity policies could force the country to lea

nhk world, kabul. >>> turning to laos now. the land locked country economic development has left behind neighbors like vietnam and taiwan. it relies on assistance but wants to supplement that with investment. private/public from japan is offering an example of how that cooperation could work. nhk world's akiko ichihara has the story. >> reporter: in saravan province, laos, a pharmaceutical company has been running this farm for two years. this is one medical tree, cinnamon. it is used as a medicine for cough or ache of throat. the farm is used to grow medicinal herbs used in traditional medicine that originated in china. dozens of types of herbs grow over 200 hectares of land. the company chose laos because of the quality of its land. the soil has been kept relatively free from contamination. >> translator: we tested many countries, but laos performed best. it's also relatively easy to acquire land here. >> reporter: he works on the farm with 200 other workers. he started out as a day laborer but worked hard and earned himself

welcome to nhk world "newsline." hina rabbani khar has plenty to say about the strained relations between pakistan and the united states. the foreign minister spoke about the sore spot in an exclusive interview with nhk. 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 other's laws and respect our expectations of each other and our realistic expectations and i think the realistic expectations of 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 an

nhk world managed to go behind the scenes of one protest. he filed this report. >> reporter: night falls in the shia district of manama. the security forces are everywhere. shortly after 8:00 p.m., young people gather in the street. they set up barricades around their neighborhood to keep the security forces out. within the hour, the riot police arrive. skirmishes break out. this time, the clashes continue until 2:00 in the morning. >> translator: the regime is oppressing us. we are just defending ourselves. >> reporter: the number is growing. this man was shot by the authorities while taking part in anti-government demonstrations. his family say that security forces burst into hospital and interrupted his treatment and this led to his death. >> translator: we weren't even allowed to talk to the doctors. we don't even have the right to life. >> reporter: in the effort to restore calm, the authorities announced a pack only aftage of reforms. it admitted the crackdown has been too hour a. the police were accused of torturing detainees. to prev

nhk world's tomoko kanada spoke with him about his disappointments and his hopes. >> reporter: now 86 years old, ota served as the okinawa governor from 1990 to 1998. after surviving the war, he devoted himself to studies at universities in okinawa, tokyo, and the united states, to try and understand why his islands had to make such a great sacrifice. during his tenure as governor, the okinawan people's anti-u.s. sentiment exploded after the rape of a teenage girl by three u.s. marine soldiers. in 1996, after a series of negotiations with the pentagon and tokyo, ota won a concession. the u.s. agreed to withdraw from bases from okinawa, including the notorious futenma marine air station. however, after the governor retired from the politics, the base issue became deadlocked over where to relocate it. >> people question so strongly that that the okinawa military bases should be cut down similar amount to the mainland japan. but this was not done. now there's great disappointment and anger toward the central government. local people here feel they are betrayed by the current central gove

hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. >>> all right.e on to weather now with rachel ferguson. >> it's been cloudy across much of central japan. tomorrow, though, there's going to be the potential once again for pop-up thunderstorms. seeing some cold air move in aloft. and that's when we can get those sudden showers and storms. there's not just central japan. also the beijing area and also western mongolia out towards the north seeing areas of cold air aloft, moving in and so there will be the potential for those pop-up storms. however, more persistent rain is occurring down towards the south. a front moving across taiwan into the southwestern japanese islands. so heavy rain here. also a low just sitting east of the philippines. you can barely see the philippines underneath all of that rain. i promise you it's there. this low is really helping to enhance all of the moisture coming in across the country so you'll be seeing heavy downpours into the weekend. and there's even potential to see this tropical low develop. we'll be keeping an ey

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." it takes money, creativity, and a solid sporting reputation to host the olympics. three cities have proven they have what it takes. they made the short list to put on the summer games in 2020. >> the following cities can continue to the next phase and become candidates for 2020. in the order of drawing lots, istanbul, tokyo and madrid. >> members of the international olympic committee executive board screened candidates on a number of factors. transportation, accommodations and their track record in hosting sporting events. they rejected two cities for a second time running, baku, azerbaijan, and doha, qatar. ioc executives will announce the winning city at a meeting in buenos aires in september next year. >>> it takes a number of people to craft a successful olympics bid. japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda says he'll do his part to bring the 2020 summer games to tokyo. noda says hosting the olympics is not just a chance to promote international friendship in athletics. he says it

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

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

nhk world has the story. >> reporter: she is the eldest daughter in a farming family. they live in a mountain village. when she was a small child, susu's father lost his eyesight. her older brother left to work in the city after graduating from junior high. between helping with the family and household chores, susu managed to finish senior high. about two years ago, her mother became ill and died. since then, the family has found it harder to make ends meet. susu wanted to study at university to become a doctor. she passed the entrance exam for the university she most wanted to attend. but su srks but su srkusu wasn't able to pu her studies. >> translator: my family would have had to borrow money for my tuition. i didn't want them to do that. >> translator: i blame myself for not making it possible for my daughs s study at university. >> reporter: more than 5 million residents of guizhou province live in property. the region have the lowest per capita gdp in all of china. last year, a private college opened in the mountain community. it was about 50 kilometers south of

>>> 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 nhk world "newsline." the southern okinawa islands have been at the heart of japan/u.s.elations for decades from world war ii to the u.s. handover on may 15th, 1972, to now 40 years after the transition. a time when american military bases still take up large parts of the main island. residents and leaders came together against that backdrop to commemorate the anniversary and look ahead. about 1,200 people attended a ceremony at the okinawa convention center. among them japanese prime minister yoshihiko noda, okinawan governor hirokazu nakaima, u.s. ambassador to japan, john roos, and local representatives. noda used his speech to stress his government's efforts to strengthen okinawa's economy and said he's committed to change. >> translator: i'm fully aware of the heavy burden u.s. military facilities are imposing on people in okinawa. i reiterate my determination to reduce the burden on the prefecture quickly, visibly, and specifically while maintaining the deterrents. >> the remarks by u.s. ambassador to japan john roos touched on the impact the military presence has

rina nakano, nhk world, ebina, japan. >> and i have my viewing glasses ready. pinhole and professional telescopes are a couple of ways to see the solar eclipse. here's another. you can stand under a tree and look at the shadows that are created by the leaves and branches. sunlight will seep throughhe leaves and make shapes. if you're in the right spot at the right time, you'll be able to see a crescent turn into a ring. f people in tokyo will be able to see the annular solar eclipse monday at around 7:30 a.m. local time. >>> now let's take a look at the world weather forecast with sayaka mori. >> today we're mainly unstable across much of central and northern japan. thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail, as well as tornadoes are possible across this area but western japan will see clear conditions under the influence of the big high pressure system. similarly dry across the korean peninsula as well as northern china, but to the south, a seasonal rain ban is still affecting much of southeastern china as well as taiwan. particularly wet in taiwan. more than 100 mil

nhk has obtained amateur video that gives us a glimpse. the images show us how people in the capital pyongyang live. our reporter hiroki yajima has been following north korean issues. hiroki, who took these pictures and what do they mean? >> the video was given to us by a graduate student who went to pyongyang as part of a citizens exchange program. it shows everyday scenes in the capital, nothing dramatic but it does give us some clues about the new leadership and its plans for the country. starting with the downtown, banners with slogans with the nation's founder and his son, kim jong-il are always displayed across but now we see there's new banner with the leader kim jong-un. this one read let's award one of the highest honors for our leader, kim jong-un. now here we can see another one that says let us move forward to final victory. the slogan is familiar to experts of north korea, because they are the final laws used by kim jong-un during his first speech in public. such displays of kim jong-un's name across the capital seem to indica

nhk world's desy tanjung, delhi. >> that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. >>> it's ruled economic blockade can make life difficult for palestinians in the gaza strip. local athlete competing in this summer's olympic games is lifting people's spirits. nhk world's basan shahada reports. >> reporter: 19-year-old bahaa al farra will run the 400 meter sprint. it won't be the first time he has competed internationally. at last year's in south korea he set a new record for palestine. now he is again giving the long-suffering people of gaza something to hope for. >> translator: i don't think anyone imagined that a boy from gaza would compete on the world stage. even if he doesn't win, he will make us proud. >> reporter: but gaza's training facilities don't meet olympic standards. the track that he practices on is rough. people are everywhere. hamas, the islamic movement allows farra to use the track only 90 minutes a day. hamas does not encourage sports and the palestinian authority does not help him much either. al farra goes thr

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

opposition told nhk that many voters responded to their call to boycott the vote. critics say the multi-party elections are an effort to convince t world that the assad government is pursuing democratic reforms, but activists say 25 people were killed in the latest round of violence. a u.n. spokesperson said only a comprehensive and inclusive political dialogue can lead to a genuine democratic future in syria. he said the elections are not taking place within such a framework. >>> putin has begun his third term as russia's president. he's returning to the post after four years as prime minister. putin took the oath of office in a ceremony at the kremlin following his election victory in march. >> translator: i pledge to guarantee the people's rights in executing the duties as president. >> putin said he would protect russia's national interests and security and the well-being of its citizens. the 59-year-old putin served as president for two four-year terms from 2000 to 28. he then became prime minister under his successor, medvedev. the constitution bans a preside

angela merkel spoke to nhk world during an interview. >> translator: i would like to see greece remain in the eurozone. i heard that 80% of people in greece want their country to remain a member nation. in order to achieve that goal, the eu needs to express a solidarity with greece but at the same time austerity measur which were agreed upon must be i amentmplemented. >> she met with president hollande this week. however, they admitted to differences on how to boost the economy. during the interview, she pointed out the differences that germany and france must play with the eurozone issues. she wil crdine vie with a summit in late june indicating that could get over their differences. >>> let's see how investors are feeling about this. ai has the latest with the market moves. ai we just heard merkel giving her opinion on greece and the eurozone. >> they are worried the attempts will not be enough. they are worried about greece leaving the eurozone. the dow jones industrial average closed lower for the frth straight day on the concerns. the nasdaq and s&p fell on the same day. let's see

nhk world's yuko akutani reports. >> reporter: four years after the earthquake, the government sponsored memorial services across the province. yingxiu is the nearest town the quake's epicenter. the powerful jolt flattened all the houses. 6,000 people died, about half the town's population. i visited a junior high school that used to stand in the town center. the remains of several students are still buried under the wreckage. officials are preserving what is left of the building as a quake memorial. they say with the parents' consent. china's government is quickly restoring the destroyed areas. because the region has become widely known as the one closest to the epicenter, authorities are making it a tourist spot. the government has spent about $270 million on restoration projects such as building apartment blocks, souvenir shops occupy the first floor. a four-star hotel now stands near the school debris. the government is encouraging local residents to open inns. >> translator: i want to run a high-end hotel. in just four years, yingxiu has undergone 30 years worth of development. >> r

nhk wod, tean. snices the. >> we're finallynge nice weather, ou aies here in tokyo. >> good g,ieicnd sunny mornings here in tokyo. so a couple of degrees highe than average. the rest ofslso experiencing dry conditions, but this low is min into norther japan this afternoon, so tha will create some showers here. meanwhi meanwhile, light showers are affecting across the southern half of e b that should dissipate tomorrow more raire affecting china ss. there's a new low pressure utrnhi producing heavyos rain up to 100 millimeters is ex i t next 24 hours in someareas. for southeast asia, scattered thunrs aevg here, and like yesterday northerniland is laos will sehe heaviest rain. tuted, so any additionalry well rain is not good news here. as for the highs, 33eges in th plenty of sunshine he. i shanghai, and reaching 30 degrees ineing a22 degrees in seoul. a little bit cooler than yesterday. movingvetohe americas, it's mostly dry across the west, but very unstlen the east. a low pressure system and the fr

nhk world, jakarta. >>> turning to singapore, where this week is all about fashion. young designers from across asia are competing to make a name for themselves. and singapore also hopes to establish a reputation as asia's capital of style. mark ho reports. >> reporter: models are strutting down the runways as part of a series of events in a launch into a leading fashion club. singapore fashion exchange is an annual event designed to turn the city into a cutting-edge industry. on monday, 12 promising designers from out of east asian countries, japan and south korea presented their collections. the event could also help boost tourism. new middle-class consumers from across the region flocked to singapore to shop for global fashion brands. >> it takes time to develop ourselves as the fashion hub. but i think we're slowly but surely getting that. we have all these events, and the rest of asia look to singapore. >> reporter: through events like these, singapore is trying to attract more apparel companies and nurture a new generation of home-grown designers. mark ho, nhk

rina nakano nhk world, tokyo. >>> a beautiful sight there. lots of enthusiasm. thousands of people are expected to visit the tower today on its second day open. and it sms theeaer wl be cooperatg. we're joined now with the world weather forecast. >> that's right. we are expecting very warm and clear skies here in tokyo. the reason is this low pressure system is starting to pull away from the region. but still impacting northern japan. in fact storm warnings are still posted across the miyagi prefecture, and that will continue throughout this morning. rain should remain in parts of hokkaido and the northern islands of japan into tomorrow. out toward the west another lovely day for you across the korean peninsula, in northeastern china down to the south. weather is extending into the shanghai area. wet conditions remain -- will remain here for the next several days. and to the south, similarly wet in southern china, and northern portions of the indochina peninsula. in hanoi, about 17 millimeters of rain has fallen. however, more rain will be coming down so that co

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." a chinese activist at the center of a diplomatic fight has left the u.s. embassy in beijing. chen guangcheng spent a week in protective custody there after he escaped from house arrest. he's expected to be reunited with his family. a chinese ministry spokesperson says chen left the embassy of his own free will. a lawyer who supports the activist told nhk that embassy officials accompanied chen to a hospital for a check-up. the chen issue is threatening to overshadow high level and strategic economic talks between china and the u.s. they have been looking forward to the dialogue for a chance to push china on pressuring iran and north korea over their nuclear programs. assistant secretary of state kirk campbell had been in intensive discussions in beijing to strike a deal over chen before the arrival of secretary of state hillary clinton. the issue is making chinese officials furious. a foreign ministry spokesperson said they are extremely unhappy the u.s. embassy took chen into custody

nhk world's tomoko yamaguchi reports from cairo. >> reporter: support is growing for the muslim brotherhood. the group's leader muhammad morsi, is leading the presidential race. during campaigning, he advocated building a nation based on islam and repeatedly made remarks about restricting women's right s s. his remarks posted on the internet are also proving controversial. >> reporter: empowerment. islamist lawmakers are submitting bills about women. including one that would limit the rights. the secular policies adopted by the administration helped women to participate in society. egyptian women are now feeling a sense of crisis. and fear that an islamist president may sharply restrict their rights. a tv anchor and pro-democracy activist ran in the presidential election on a platform calling for a promotion of women's rights. she drew attention as the only female candidate. but she pulled out of the race after an islamist group threatened here and disrupted her campaign. she fears that resurrection against women in egypt have been getting stricter by the days since mubarak's fall. >> trans

yuko pufukuyama, nhk world. >>> japanese researchers are exploring how to satisfy the country's appetite for energy. now they are turning to an alternative source, wave power. japanese government officials plan to set up test sites as early as 2014 to experiment with marine power generation. this form of renewable energy harnesses the push and pull of ocean waves and tides to drive generators. researchers in other nations have been leading developments in the field. japanese officials want to see how it will help them. members of a government task force are expected to approve the test sites later in the day. they'll need to assess the impact of marine power generation on the environment and they'll have to address some rights issues with fishery unions. japan has the world's sixth longest coast line. researchers at a national institute estimate that marine technology could produce the same amount of electricity as ten nuclear plants. >>> some other japanese researchers have taken on an ambitious project. they used data obtained from the annular solar eclipse this past monday. they succe

. >>> 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

sources close to the discussions told nhk about the link with fiat.t's also affiliated with the u.s. automaker chrysler. their plan calls for mazda to supply its sports car sold as a roader? japan to fiat. they'd mark tet under their alfa romeo brand. the executives may also consider working together on eco-friendly technology. that could include improvements to fuel efficient engines developed by mazda. and managers at mazda are looking to expand sales overseas. an alliance with fiat would help. fiat was the world's seventh largest automaker by sales last year. >>> and that's all for now on this edition of "newsline." i'm yuko aotani in tokyo. we'll be back with more news at the top of the hour, so do join us then. thanks very much for watching.

nhk world's anna jung has the story. >> reporter: and now in a university classroom about an hour away from seoul. almostalf of the students here have come from overseas to study in south korea. the department of energy, science at the university graduate school is considered one of the best in the country. researchers here work to develop new energy sources like solar power and nanotechnology. about half of the 35 students in the program are foreigners. they come from india, vietnam and china. all classes are held in english. he came from india to study here in 2007. he was attracted by south korea's reputation for cutting edge technology. >> we must give high stress on the improvement or technology, new technology and new research interview. that is the main strong point and which is totally different than other growing countries. >> reporter: the population of foreign students in south korea is growing dramatically. in the past eight years, the number has increased sevenfold. last year, there were about 90,000 foreigners studying in the country. >> in the past, foreign students tend