welcome to nhk world "newsline." the people in china who report the news are making it instead, a newspaper publisher says he will quit because of the meddling by communist party people. this recent tug of war has been playing out since last week when journalists at another paper said they had been censored. we have more from beijing. >> reporter: these protesters are angry and not backing down. hundreds gathered for a third straight day of demonstrations in front of the headquarters of the -- they are upset because communist party officials forced them to change an editorial, calling for greater democracy and the freedom of speech. the issue of censorship has flared up across china. another newspaper, one affiliated with the communist party, ran an editorial monday, calling for calm. it says anyone showing open opposition to the government will be considered a loser. associates say chinese authorities ordered other newspapers to publish the article. many did on news. "the beijing news" did not. the daily eventually

>>> welcome to nhk "newsline." algerian forces continue to search for islamist militants that could be hiding at a gas plant in the east of the country. the militants have been holed up at the complex in the city of in amenas with hostages from several countries. the bodies of five persons bearing japanese tags have been brought to the hospital. japan's delegation is there. they're trying to determine the fate of 10 japanese employees of engineering firm jgc corporation. the company confirmed friday that seven other japanese employees are alive. >>> during the standoff, an algerian tv station aired audio recordings of communications between the country's security forces and the militants. >>> the algerian government is under fire for failing to release updates on the hostages since confirming the deaths of 23 on saturday. officials say prime minister abdelmalek sellal will disclose more details at a news conference later on monday. dozens of hostages are still missing. >>> japanese and u.s. regulators are investiga

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." japanese government is following through on its promises to give the economy a shot in the arm. government leaders have agreed on a stimulus package worth $115 billion. they hope to boost growth by 2%. the government will allocate the funds to three areas. more than $40 billion will go to rebuilding after the earthquake and tsunami and to disaster prevention. workers will use the funds repairing infrastructure such as tunnels and bridges. about $35 billion will be spent on measures to ensure security and revitalized communities. and about $35 billion will be spent on driving growth. some of that will support business ventures. other funds will go into promoting joint research projects between universities and companies. stimulus package plus spending by local governments and the private sector will add up to $230 billion. >> translator: governments under the democratic party focused only on redistribution. they didn't make enough effort to increase incomes and expand the economy. i'm

nhk world, washington. authority official expressed readiness to hear opinions on the matter from other experts and the plant's operator. japan atomic power company. he said input from others would be helpful in compiling a report. government guidelines prohibit building key nuclear facilities directly above active faults. japanese and u.s. authorities are now investigating battery monitoring devices for boeing 787 dream liners. this is the latest stage in a probe stemming from the problems with lithium-ion batteries in the dreamliner. two of the batteries caught fire. one of the batteries was found charred after a dreamliner made an emergency landing during a domestic flight in japan. inspectors in japan and the u.s. have been picking through the remains of the batteries. they haven't determined conclusively what caused the equipment to overheat. >>> more u.s. beef is expected to hit store shelves in japan beginning next month. the country's health ministry officially decided on monday to allow imports of

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." >>> islamic militants in my year gentleman went after workers in a gas production field in the north african country them kidnapped a number of foreign nationals and are reportedly holding them on site. a japanese engineering firm says at least three is citizens from japan are among the detainees. irish government confirms one of its citizens is also being held captive. a spokesperson for jgc corporation says the nationals worked for their operations in algeria. the company is building three natural gas plants there a representative at a local jgc office told nhk he received a phone call from an employee stationed at a site about 1,000 kilometers south of the capital, algiers. he said the employee told him that gunshots had been heard in the distance over a period of about 20 minutes. the representative then said he lost contact with the employee. algerian news agency dna has reported that an armed group attacked a boarding house for staff working at an oil-related facility about 1500 kilometers south of algiers. it says the militants are holding t

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." >>> the leaders of britain and france say a rescue operation is ongoing at a natural gas plant in eastern algeria. the country's security forces moved in thursday to free workers who have been held hostage by islamist militants. the total number of captives is unknown. >> they're still pursuing hostages in other areas of the site. >> the militants kidnapped the workers on wednesday. the hostages include japanese, french, and american citizens. an escapee said that militants were holding hostages in a residential section of the facility. algerian military air strikes caused panic and 400 to 600 captives rushed to emergency exits, ignoring orders by the militants to stop. an irish hostage told reuters that the algerian army carried out an air strike on five jeeps with captives inside. his vehicle was its only one that wasn't blown up. spokes persons for the japanese engineering firm jgc corporation says they have been in contact with the captives. the fate of the remaining 10 hostages is unknown. they expressed their determine togs continue fighting

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." family and friends of a group of hostages being held captive in algeria are anxiously waiting for word their loved ones are safe. islamist militants kidnapped the group on wednesday at a natural gas plant in the desert. little was known about what's happening at the facility but al jazeera aired an interview with some of the hostages including a japanese man who says he was injured when all jeeran security forces fired on the militants. at least three japanese are being held at the remote plant 1,000 kilometers from the nation's capitol. >> i was shot. my condition is not so bad. >> he and the other hostages were apparently speaking under the close watch of their captors. a man said to be the kidnappers' leader said they will kill the hostages unless the security forces stop firing. the militant group attacked the facility operated by the british burm bp and others in eastern algeria on friday. jjc corporation says at least three of its 17 japanese employees at the plant are among tho

hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. >>> thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for disposal, vast tracks of land waiting to be restored. overcoming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy but people are moving forward. >>> people visit public bath houses in japan to soak in hot water and relax. some also soak in their surroundings. walls usually feature large murals depicting beautiful scenes to help bathers unwind. morio nakajima is one of only two artists in japan still painting these murals. the 67-year-old has started using his skills to let people know about the beauty of his home town. nhk world's ichigo kataoka has the story. >> reporter: an entire wall three meters high and ten meters long. for more than 49 years morio nakajima has specialized in bath house murals. his paintings have decorated about 5,000 bath houses around the country, and almost all of them have included mount fuji, the iconic symbol of japan. but recently nakajima has turned to painting scenes of his home town, itate village in fukushima prefecture

from all of us here at nhk world, thanks for joining us.

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." japanese government is following through on its promises to give the economy a shot in the arm. government leaders have agreed on a stimulus package worth $115 billion. they hope to boost growth by 2%. the government will allocate the funds to three areas. more than $40 billion will go to rebuilding after the earthquake and tsunami and to disaster prevention. workers will use the funds repairing infrastructure such as tunnels and bridges. about $35 billion will be spent on measures to ensure security and revitalized communities. and about $35 billion will be spent on driving growth. some of that will support business ventures. other funds will go into promoting joint research projects between universities and companies. stimulus package plus spending by local governments and the private sector will add up to $230 billion. >> translator: governments under the democratic party focused only on redistribution. they didn't make enough effort to increase incomes and expand the economy. i'm

>>> welcome to nhk world >>> "newsline."hk world >>> the leaders of britain and france say a rescue operation is ongoing at a natural gas plant the country's security forces t moved in thursday to free workers who have been held hostage by islamist militants. some of the captain captives have escaped. >> they're still pursuing hostages in other areas of the site. >> the militants kidnapped the workers on wednesday. the hostages include japanese, french, and american citizens. an escapee said that militants were holding hostages in a residential section of the facility. algerian military air strikes caused panic and 400 to 600 captives rushed to emergency exits, ignoring orders by the militants to stop. an irish hostage told reuters that the algerian army carried out an air strike on five jeeps with captives inside. his vehicle was its only one that wasn't blown up. spokes persons for the japanese engineering firm jgc corporation say they have been in contact with the captives. the fate of the remaining 10 hostages is unknown

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." authorities in north korea say they plan to carry out what they call a nuclear test of a higher level. they add that they plan to launch more long-range rockets. officials with the country's national defense ministry issued a statement warning of all-out action to defend north korea's sovereignty. >> translator: a series of satellite and long-range rocket launchers by the dprk and a higher level nuclear test are parts of an all-out action. this is a new phase in the anti-u.s. struggle that has lasted for centuries. we do not hide that the target of these actions is the united states, the sworn enemy of the korean people. >> the country's space agency launched a rocket last month. authorities claimed it was to orbit a satellite but other countries say north koreans were testing long-range ballistic missile technology. scientists in the north half carried out two previous nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. experts have been suggesting for weeks that they could be preparing for a third. the

from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us.a great day, wherever you are.

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline". the head of the chinese communist party want leaders from his country and japan to sit down and talk. xi jinping says he's seriously considering the possibility of high level dialogue but before it can happen he says the right environment needs to be established. japan/china relations have been strained since last fall because of a territorial dispute. xi made the comments after meeting with a senior japanese politician. natsuo yamaguchi leads the new komeito party. he delivered a letter from prime minister shinzo abe. natsuo yamaguchi told xi his visit marks the first step in improving relations. he says it's important to continue dialogue leading to a bilateral summit. xi jinping said he respects abe. he said abe was active in strengthening ties the last time he was prime minister and he said he hopes abe will continue with that work. >> translator: i hope this meeting will improve japan/china relations. it reflects china's desire to improves ties. >>> xi referred to the dispute ove

nhk world explains. >> reporter: senegal, western africa. for years, a japanese government agency called the japan international cooperation agency, has provided aid to the country. last year in this village, japan installed a system to purify water. the program helped. the system uses water. even though this is a project, a private company does the filtering free of charge. >> tasty. >> translator: now we don't get sick after drinking water. >> reporter: at the moment, the group is working on the aid project with private companies. until recently, the agency planned the projects. then it commissioned private companies to carry them out. but the japanese government pays the bill. under the new system, it's the company that does all the planning. jica pays up to $560,000 in research fees. the other company pace the costs. they want to make sure it remains the same. what prompted this new aid strategy was competition from china. in recent years, it agrees to aid. this stadium is going up in zambia. china is financing it. the costs are $94 mill

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline". the head of the chinese communist party want leaders from his country and japan to sit down and talk. xi jinping says he's seriously considering the possibility of high level dialogue but before it can happen he says the right environment needs to be established. japan/china relations have been strained since last fall because of a territorial dispute. xi made the comments after meeting with a senior japanese politician. natsuo yamaguchi leads the new komeito party. he delivered a letter from prime minister shinzo abe. natsuo yamaguchi told xi his visit marks the first step in improving relations. he says it's important to continue dialogue leading to a bilateral summit. xi jinping said he respects abe. he said abe was active in strengthening ties the last time he was prime minister and he said he hopes abe will continue with that work. >> translator: i hope this meeting will improve japan/china relations. it reflects china's desire to improves ties. >>> xi referred to the dispute ove

soichi tsukamoto, nhk world, seoul. >>> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has urged north koa to give up on the idea of conducting another nuclear test. she made the appeal during a question and answer session with citizens and reporters around the world. she'll leave office on friday. clinton said she has been watching how kim jong un has developed as a leader. >> we expected him to focus on improving the lives of the north korean people, not just the elite but everyone, to have more education, more openness, more opportunity. and instead he has engaged in very provocative rhetoric and behavior. >> clinton said u.s. officials will work together with their allies to try to change that behavior. she underscored the importance of north korea's closest ally. >> we want to see a rising power like china join the international community as a responsible stakehold er, continue its extraordinary efforts to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, create a strong vital middle class, have respectful relations with its nei

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." a rescue operation is under who. the army has been trying to free the captives. various reports say some hostages escaped and some have died in the rescue operation. the militants attacked the plant on wednesday. 1,000 kilometers of the capital algiers. they kidnapped an unconfirmed number of people and were in a standoff with the algerian army. the governments of norway, france and japan say the citizens are among the captives. reuters news agency is reporting 25 foreign nationals escaped. it says two japanese citizens among them. algerian tv station says 40 algerians are also free. a news agency has also been reporting the militants said algerian army helicopters launched attacks. the militants had been threatening to kill the hostages if the army intensified its assault. they demanded france end the military campaign in neighboring mali. the french government has yet to issue an official response. the algerian government says it will not negotiate with the hostage takers. the british firm bp and other foreign comp

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." people in australia are dealing with a severe heat wave. temperatures in many areas have topped 40 degrees celsius. the high temperatures have sparked raging wildfires. nhk world's reporter reports from sydney. >> reporter: the heat wave that hit southern australia has moved eastward. people in sydney are contending with some vicious temperatures. temperature on the display shows above 40 degrees celsius. it is extremely hot in sydney. there are many wildfires throughout australia. most people in eastern australia experienced temperatures above the 40-degree benchmark. the high in sydney reached 42.3 degrees later in the afternoon. is there anything that you are aware of when it's very hot? >> drink a lot of water and stay out of the sun. >> reporter: the searing heat and dry air triggered wildfires in the southern state of tasmania. the flames are still flaring, and officials are trying to reach people who may be trapped. but the fires have spread to eastern australia. more than 100 have been reported, mainly in the state of new south wale

. >>> welcome to nhk "newsline." central bank policy makers have agreed to give shinzo abe what he wants, a 2% inflation target. it's part of abe's plan to tackle deflation with bolder, monetary easing measures. bank of japan and eight others agreed on it saying they. boj officials have previously made it a goal to bring 1% inflation within reach but the new, clearer target requires some bold steps. the document also addresses the role of the government in revitalizing japan's economy. it describes how politicians should promote growth and restore fiscal health. along with drafting the joint statement, boj officials have agreed to introduce open-ended asset purchasing. under a new program from january 2014 the central bank will purchase a certain amount of financial assets every month. no termination date is being set for the scheme. the new measure will expand the total size of the asset purchase program, or app, by about 10 trillion yen, or $110 billion, in 2014. the program is expected to be maintained in the futu

nhk world, beijing. >>> wildfires have broking o brn 130 places in australia. the southern island of tasmania has been hardest hit. flames burned down 250 buildings and policere still trying to locate dozens of missing people. >> reporter: the fires have covered tasmania in shrouds of smoke. the temperature in the state capital hit a record, 131 degrees celsius. a heat wave, dry air and strong winds made for a disastrous combination. >> we didn't know it was going to be so sudden. it was horrendous. it was just unbelievable. just all totally devastated now. >> reporter: the fires have destroyed hundreds of buildings, a police station, a school, homes. police say thousands of people have been stranded. prime minister julia gillard saw the devastation firsthand when she visited a township. she met with the people in charge of fighting the fire. she said the government would be there to help those who need it. >>> came to tasmania to say that the nation is standing with them at this very, very difficult time. we'll be standing with them in every way. >> reporter:

nhk world, tasmania. >>> the worst winter storm in years hit tokyo on monday. robert spetta is here with where the storm is now and what to expect next. robert? >> gene, the good news is that storm is now well out over in the northern pacific. you see that cloud cover continuing to rush off. off towards the north, that sea effect snow machine is turning right back on and we are seeing a weak disturbance and as that pushes off, about 20 to 40 centimeters of snow going throughout wednesday as that continues to push overhead. what's pushing this towards the east is the strong high pressure and bringing us very cold temperatures and clear skies. the result of that is going to be not just the cold temperatures, but widespread fog across much of central and eastern china. extending all the way down towards hong kong. if you have a flight, you want to watch closely and delays are likely. not just the factor of that, but the high pressure will be putting on a cap over many of the cities. in the air with the small area across eastern china. that factor will be weighed i

. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." experts following the move buys north korea are watching the clock. they say it's only a matter of time before the country carries out another nuclear test. north korean leaders promised to boost their military power in reaction to a u.n. security council resolution condemning their recent rocket launch. security council members passed the resolution unanimously. it expands existing sanctions, adding four individuals and six organizations, including the space agency. assets will be frozen and the individuals will also face a travel ban. officials in pyongyang are showing defiance. >> this suggests north korean authorities are prepared to conduct a third nuclear tests following ones in 2006 and 2009. they also declared they will no longer recognize a joint statement in 2005 from the six party talks on their nuclear development. that includes plans for the country to abandon all nuclear weapons and programs. officials from the u.s., china and other countries are urging north korean lead

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." the man at the center of a sports scandal in japan has apologized publicly for his win at all costs attitude. he is the head coach of the country's olympic medal winner female judo team. he's admitted to physically abusing top wrestlers in practice and expressed his intention to resign. 15 female wrestlers sent a written complaint to the japanese olympic committee saying soloda and another coach slapped them in the face and p abuse and power harassment. >> translator: i think it is difficult for me to continue teaching judo. i'm going to submit a document to the all-japan judo federation asking whether or not i should resign. >> he went on to say he never thought what he did would constitute violence. he revealed he just wanted the wrestlers to go the extra mile. officials with the all-japan judo federation say he was involved in a total of five violent incidents from august 2010 to february 2012. they say he admitted to hitting athletes who failed to follow his instructions and jammi

hiroki yamada, nhk world. >>> thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for disposal. vast tracts of land waiting to be restored. overcoming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy. but step by step people are moving forward. find out how on the road ahead. every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time right here on "newsline." >>> people have responded to japan's disaster and its aftermath in many ways. media report on it. academics study it. artists base works on it. one filmmaker picked up his camera soon after last year's earthquake and tsunami and headed to the northeast. he wanted to forge ties with survivors. so he called his documentary "katawara," which means on your side in japanese. nhk world's jun yotsumoto has the story. >> reporter: "katawara" has no narration and no dramatic story development. the camera just travels through japan's northeast and documents the aftermath of the disaster. shows people going about their daily lives, capturing the changing of the seasons. shinichi ise directed the film. he spent d

>>> hello and welcome back to nhk world "newsline." it's tuesday, january 1, 2013. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> legislators in the u.s. have filed to meet the year end deadline to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. members of the senate agreed to extend tax cuts for middle income earners and raise taxes on the wealthy but the house of representatives decided not to vote on the bill on new year's eve. the house is expected to resume talks quickly in the new year to avert a serious impact from tax hikes. president barack obama gave a c year's eve. >> now today it appears that an agreement to prevent this new year's tax hike is within sight. but it's not done. there are still issues left to resolve, but we're hopeful that congress can get it done. >> senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said the two parties had reached an agreement on taxes. they are believed to have agreed to extend tax cuts for middle income earners. people earning more than $450,000 per year will see their taxes go up. that's far higher than obama's original proposal. they have yet to ag

>>> hello and welcome back to nhk world "newsline." it's tuesday, january 1, 2013. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. >>> legislators in the u.s. have filed to meet the year end deadline to avert the so-called fiscal cliff. members of the senate agreed to extend tax cuts for middle income earners and raise taxes on the wealthy but the house of representatives decided not to vote on the bill on new year's eve. the house is expected to resume talks quickly in the new year to avert a serious impact from tax hikes. president barack obama gave a conference earlier on new year's eve. he said he was optimistic that senators could reach a compromise. >> now today it appears that an agreement to prevent this new year's tax hike is within sight. but it's not done. there are still issues left to resolve, but we're hopeful that congress can get it done. >> senate republican leader mitch mcconnell said the two parties had reached an agreement on taxes. they are believed to have agreed to extend tax cuts for middle income earners. people earning more than $450,000 per year will se

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." japanese prime minister shinzo abe is starting off the new year facing a long to-do list, and as he sorts through it all, he's firming up his priorities. abe held his first news conference of the year on friday and he underscored his dedication to strengthening the japanese economy. the prime minister says he plans to decide on a fiscal 2013 draft budget within this month. he also confirmed he will submit a large scale supplementary budget to the diet for quick enactment. abe says he wants the two budgets to finance spending seamlessly over the next 15 months to restore a strong economy. he also says the bank of japan should adopt bold monetary policies in close coordination with his government. >> translator: the bank of japan's monetary policy is critically important in terms of foreign exchange rates and in achieving a 2% inflation target. i strongly expect the central bank to act responsibly. >> prime minister abe also spoke about nuclear power. he indicated his government will co

>>> welcome back to nhk world "newsline". japanese prime minister shinzo abe is starting off the new year facing a long to-do list, and as he sorts through it all, he's firming up his priorities. abe held his first news conference the year on friday and he underscored his dedication to strengthening the japanese economy. the prime minister says he plans to decide on a fiscal 2013 draft budget within this month. he also confirmed he will submit a large scale supplementary budget to the diet for quick enactment. abe says he wants the two budgets to finance spending seamlessly over the next 15 months to restore a strong economy. he also says the bank of japan should adopt bold monetary policies in close coordination with his government. >> translator: the bank of japan's monetary policy is critically important in terms of foreign exchange rates and in achieving a 2% inflation target. i strongly expect the central bank to act responsibly. >> prime minister abe also spoke about nuclear power. he indicated his government will consi

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." islamist militants in mali may be reviewing battle plans in face of greater resistance on the ground. french soldiers have pushed them out of two key cities in the north. the president of france says coalition forces are winning the fight. francois hollande says french troops will retake key towns in the north and hand over operations to africa. he says it would be up to the africans to restore the territorial integrity of mali. coalition forces recaptured the rebel stronghold of gau and sealed off the city of timbuktu. french cities won control of the major airports and roads in the area. analyst warn militants could still mount guerrilla-style attacks from hideouts in the deserts and mountains. >>> in ethiopia, african union leaders have met to discuss the situation in mali. they're vowing to do more to help with the fight against islamist militants. representatives of the union's 54 members gathered in the ethiopian capital, pledging $50 million to support troops from france and fr

> welcome to nhk world "newsline." the man at the center of a sports scandal in japan has apologized publicly for his win at all costs attitude. he is the head coach of the country's olympic medal winner female judo team. he's admitted to physically abusing top wrestlers in practice and expressed his intention to resign. 15 female wrestlers sent a written complaint to the japanese olympic committee saying soloda and another coach slapped them in the face and used other forms of physical abuse and power harassment. >> translator: i think it is difficult for me to continue teaching judo. i'm going to submit a document to the all-japan judo federation asking whether or not i should resign. >> he went on to say he never thought what he did would constitute violence. he revealed he just wanted the wrestlers to go the extra mile. officials with the all-japan judo federation say he was involved in a total of five violent incidents from august 2010 to february 2012. they say he admitted to hitting athletes who failed to follow

welcome to nhk world "newsline." journalists at "nanfang zhoumo" aren't backing down in their very public dispute with chinese government officials. they say they were censored earlier this month and so they have used their latest edition to take a jab at the ruling communist party. >>> here's more from beijing. >> reporter: they published their second edition of the year on thursday. it's the first time it hit newsstands since the censorship allegations surfaced. >> translator: i came to buy the newspaper to know what's happening here and to know the truth. >> translator: media restrictions are getting tighter. the government's propaganda division should be disbanded. >> reporter: editors did not run a story detailing their complaint that communist party officials forced them to change a new year editorial calling for freedom and democracy and they did not mention the anti-censorship demonstrations that have been happening this week. instead, editors wrote that even though the party has the right to control the medi

nhk world, taipetaipei. >> nhk senior media analyst explains. >> taiwan has the kind of free media or independent media compared with mainland china because they have the system of democracy and china does not. the problem is china is pressuring taiwanese businessman, especially the taiwanese media owner. that not to criticize china. for example, not to talk about independence of tibet, inner mongolia and also human rights. taiwan is businessman wants to earn money from mainland china. and in order to make money, maybe they have to listen to chinese governments. for several years chinese pressure to taiwan's media is growing and growing. it's maybe because of the chinese government's policy. if the chinese pressure does not decrease, maybe the people who are against this kind of trend and demonstrate and say something, if they know this thailand media is influenced by china, they are going not to reason, but there are some other new media, for example, internet, which is comparatively independent from china's inference, so maybe more and more people will look for this kind of media. >

of nhk world. you very much for coming today. >> thank you too. >> komei kobayashi made his debut in 2009. he won a spot as a regular team driver the following year. his fans admire his bold and aggressive overtalking. 2012 was a banner year. he finished third at the japanese grand prix, becoming only the third japanese to stand on the f-1 podium. >> how did it feel to be on the winner's podium for the first time in your career? >> we had a lot of support from japanese fan. in the home grand prix, that's an amazing feeling. and on the podium, like kamuiko, even other drivers say that's fantastic, many experienced driver and nobody here in this kind of -- so i think that was a great feeling for me. this is the helmet. a used suzuka 2012. as you see i think a little bit dirty because i didn't clean it after the race as well. but i think this is one of my best memory at the moment. yeah. i like this helmet. i was keeping this helmet all my life, i think. >> out on the racing circuit when you are drivi

. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." >>> lawmakers in the u.s. house of representatives have passed legislation to resolve the fiscal cliff. economists had warned about the simultaneous arrival of tax increases and spending cuts. in the end, republicans listened to those warnings and approved a bill to raise taxes on wealthy americans. >> on this vote the yeas are 257, the nays are 167. the motion is adopted. without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> the senate approved the bill then passed it to the republican-dominated lower house. the legislation maintains tax cuts for the middle class and it raises taxes with people of annual incomes of $400,000 or more. and couples with incomes of $450,000 or more. the bill also postpones by two months major spending cuts that were scheduled to take effect during the day. some house republicans wanted to rework the bill. they complained it did not contain enough cuts, especially on social security. economists have warned for months that if lawmakers did not reach a deal, the economy

>>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." the very public standoff between journalists and a liberal newspaper china and government officials is grabbing more attention and making more headlines. staff at the nonfonjomo say they were censored and accuse the latest addition to taking a jab at the communist party. the weekly published second edition was out on thursday, the first time hitting newsstands since the allegations surfaced. >> translator: i came to buy the newspaper to know what's happening here and to know the truth. >> translator: media restrictions are getting tighter. the government's propaganda division should be disbanded. >> editors did not run a story detailing their allegations that communist party officials forced them to change new year editorials counting for freedom and democracy and they did not mention the anti-september sore ship demonstrations happening this week. instead, editors wrote that even though the party has the right to control the media, it should change with the times. no demonstrators ga

she spoke with nhk world's rita nakano. >> reporter: in a place where the line between life and death is often blurred, numika saya found her calling. >> ieed to do something for that. >> reporter: and do something she has. in her career, she's worked to disarm soldiers in africa and the middle east, helped to dissolve ethnic tensions in the balkans and worked on demining projects in asia, all in hopes of achieving some sort of peace. >> 50 or 60 years ago, the war was mainly between the states, but after late 1980s, it became inside the states. and what's happening right now is the expansion of terrorism. it's completely changing the dynamics of the conflict. >> seya has adapted to that change through her work, with the japan center for conflict prevention. she doesn't just mediate talks between states, it focuses on smaller groups or individuals that remain threatened. seya's mission began with the goal of disarming former child soldiers, but she realized that simply taking away weapons was just the beginning. >> finding the piece of code itself did not provide any peace. we would l

toshiyuki terrazawa, nhk world, bangkok. >>> dry conditions persist across much of australia.he northwestern coast of the country may get some relief. mai shoji from our weather desk explains. >> yes, a significant heat wave has been dominating australia d relating to this hea we have a developed tropical cyclone north of western australia. it is named narel. now moving in a southwesterly direction toward the coastal regions. it is not going to be directly affecting the region within the next 48 hours. but gale-force winds will be on the watch in the coastal regions soon. this is a category 2 as of now, but it's going to become category 4 hurricane -- excuse me, tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours as it approaches th region. it's not directly affecting the region, as i mentioned, but indirectly it is going to be exacerbating the tropical moisture and dumping some thundershowers across the region in and around port headland. now, let me show you the temperatures. this has been the trend. 38 in port headland. very hot there. darwin at 32. finally, due to that cold front passin

welcome to nhk world "newsline." authorities in north korea say they plan to carry out what they call a nuclear test of a higher level. they add that they plan to launch more long-range rockets. officials with the country's national defense ministry issued a statement warning of all-out action to defend north korea's sovereignty. >> translator: a series of satellite and long-range rocket launchers by the dprk and a higher nuclear level test are parts of an all-out action. this is a new phase in the anti-u.s. struggle that has lasts for centuries. we do not hide that the target of these actions is the united states, the sworn enemy of the korean people. >> the country's space agency launched a rocket last month. authorities claimed it was to orbit a satellite but other countries say north koreans were testing long-range ballistic missile technology. scientists in the north half carried out two previous nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. experts have been suggesting for weeks that they could be preparing for a third. the

nhk world's apishek dulia reports from new delhi. >> we want -- >> justice!reporter: public outrage has erupted across india since the new delhi gang rape incident came to light. anger is directed not only against rapists but also the government and police. people are demanding stricter punishment for sexual offenders. government officials have vowed to take action. they say they will consider revising the law to strengthen penalties against rapists. indian home affairs minister has ordered police chiefs around the country to investigate sexual assaults more thoroughly. >> such modifications required in our laws and procedures and the methodology of investigation. >> reporter: but women and even girls continue to be brutalized. this month a 32-year-old woman in the eastern state of behar was found hanging from a tree after she was gang-raped. and a 9-year-old girl was raped and killed in the western state of maharastra. women in new delhi are signing up for martial arts classes. they say they can't rely on the police. >> translator: i have to defend myself th

nhk world has more. >> filling the streets with a soft yellow light.he design is typical of the 19th century. the earliest models are nearly 200 years old. more than 40,000 units are still in use. >> the atmosphere is fantastic. >> it gives me peace. >> in the days of the cold war, west berlin was surrounded by east germany, updating the city's infrastructure was no easy task. the old gas lamps survived. >> the tear down of the lanterns has begun. last year, authorities began replacing the gas lights with electric models. one of them is an effort to cut costs. the aging lamps are also prone to staying lit during the day. city officials say the switchover will slash costs by up to 90% for land and reduce carbon emissions. >> gas lights are clearly outdated. technically speaking, they are relics of the past. the decision sparked public protests. >> removal work must be stopped. >> working as a radiology technician, he organized one of the demonstrations. people formed a human chain around one of the removal sites when the work began, protesters tried to