>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> members of soccer's world governing body fifa have re-elected sepp blatter as their president. they voted in the midst of a scandal over corruption that blatter's opponent had wanted to tackle. fifa members cast ballots in a presidential election they hold every four years. blatter had held the top job since 1988. he faced a challenge from jordan's prince ali bin al hussein. the vote was inconclusive. then prince ali withdrew. he had wanted to tackle corruption. u.s. authorities indicted nine fifa officials this week for allegedly taking kickbacks from media firms. blatter has come under fire for not cleaning up the organization's culture. >>> a volcano on an island in southern japan has erupted. officials with the meteorological agency described the explosion on kuchinoerabu island as powerful. they've issued the highest level warning and evacuated all the residents. nhk world's ayaka hatta has more. >> reporter: mount kuchinerabu erupted a little before

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> international rescue teams in nepal are gradually reaching isolated villages cut off by last saturday's massive earthquake. more than 6,200 have been confirmed dead in nepal. over 100 more in countries nearby. more than 13,000 people were injured. nhk world's yuichi tabata has details. >> reporter: about 2.8 million people are living in tents or temporary structures, anything to protect them from the elements. many are struggling with the physical or mental health problems. medical teams from japan's self-defense force has been examining survivors at the square in central kathmandu. the square has become a makeshift campsite. six days after the earthquake, many survivors are still too scared to stay indoors. people lined up to receive medical treatments. >> translator: it's been impossible to take my child to hospitals since the quake. but finally we saw a doctor. and i'm happy. >> translator: we're just the initial responders, so what we can do is limite

more to come here on nhk world, so stay with us. counterattack against islamic state militants in ramadi the city captured over the weekend. the u.n. says thousands of people were forced to flee as a result. election watch -- yingluck shinawatra in court, police not guilty. burundi's army deployed on the streets. the president sacked several officials but failed to calm her test -- protests

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline". i'm ross mihara in tokyo. taiwanese officials say they are checking food from japan much more closely. the japanese agricultural minister says they had no scientific grounds. taiwanese authorities banned food from parts of japan in 2011 because of the fukushima nuclear accident. but produce from those areas showed up a couple of months ago. that prompted consumer groups to call for tighter restrictions. all food imports from japan now have to carry certificates of origin. some have to be checked for radiation. japanese agriculture minister called the new rules extremely regrettable. >> translator: taiwan acted unilaterally without any scientific grounds. >> he said he'll urge the taiwanese to retract their new restrictions. he said he may file a complaint with the world trade organization unless they act. >>> chinese authorities have punished another citizen who called for more democracy. prosecutors indicted a prominent human rights lawyer they'd been holding for more than a year. they charged him with provok

and from all of us at nhk world thanks for watching. x michaela: in the end, less than 30 survived. it took the deaths of some 800 migrants during the sinking of one ship for the european union to once again start paying attention to the mass deaths of migrants in the mediterranean. overnight funding for sea rescue has been tripled. italy had organised its own rescue mission before. mare nostrum came in response to an earlier disaster, but when that ran out of funding last october, the eu's focus was firmly back on protecting its borders with no migration policy in sight. hello and welcome to our special programme on the growing crisis on the mediterranean. here's what we've got coming up. why people risk everything to

tomoko kamata, nhk world. >>> friday marked the first anniversary of thailand's military coup. the interim prime minister is working to restore civilian rule. but the rift between two key political groups which triggered the coup still exists. it's far fro time soon. patchari raksawong in bangkok is following the story. >> reporter: i'm near the prime minister's office. this area was a site of frequent anti-government rallies especially after november 2013 when the political turmoil intensified. but as you can see it's clear that things have now returned to normal. anti-government demonstrations demanding the resignation of former prime minister yingluck shinawatra was supported by thailand's elite including members of the military and bureaucracy. this group has long been the country's mainstay. yingluck was the figure at the center of the storm. she won a considerable number of votes by promising to increase the incomes of farmers in rural villages, including the densely populated northeast, an area that was left behind as thais enjoyed the benefits of economic growth. her po

mitsuko nishikawa, nhk world. >> thanks for that update. >>> u.n. officials are appealing for more aid to help people in nepal still living outdoors after last month's massive earthquake. around 700,000 homes were damaged, and they say many need support before the rainy season begins. more than 8700 people in nepal and neighboring countries were killed. >> translator: we still have aftershocks. we don't know what to do. >> reporter: u.n. officials say over 450 health facilities were destroyed. they also say about 870,000 school children may not be able to resume their classes later this month because of the damage. u.n. resident coordinator for nepal told nhk on sunday reconstruction efforts are still a long way off. >> we hope the international community strongly supports us in terms of what time we have available and what we need to do to get the populations in those areas supported with the bare minimum, which would be shelter material and food stuffs. >> reporter: mcgoldrick says they're racing against the clock before the monsoon season begins

nhk world, karachi. >> that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. >>> researchers in japan have detected more seismic activity coming from a popular tourist spot near tokyo. their instruments picked up 100 plus minor tremors on friday alone in the mount hakone region. a group of exports shot this video and say the volcanic gas contains more carbon dioxide than before the recent seismic activity began late last month. that suggests an increased flow of hot gas underground close to the surface. officials with the japan meteorological agency are warning of a possible minor eruption that could affect the surrounding area. they're telling people not to approach the crater. the agency is keeping the volcanic alert for mount hakone at two on a scale of five. hakone attracts millions of visitors from japan and abroad. nearly 170,000 foreign tourists go there each year, and the number is on the rise. this ropeway has been out of service because it goes over the restricted area. >> i have no idea about the volcano. >> it's a

yasuhiro kobayashi, nhk world. >>> let's get a check on the weather. many people in tokyo are enjoying a warm and sunny morning. mai shoji joins us with more in world weather. >> yes, i really like this weather, too. it's not too hot during the night hours, so, we actually get a good sleep, too, but it's going to get, again -- the mercury's setting up to the 30s again today. so, this consecutive heat could lead to some heat stroke, so we should watch out for that. we have some images coming up from yesterday, what people were dealing with. tokyo and many parts of japan are getting ready for another round of warm temperatures today with the mercury expected to climb in the 30s for the second day in a row. in tokyo, it is expected to be the warmest day of 2015 today. japan meteorological agency is advising people to be aware of heat stroke, and especially since they're not accustomed to the heat just yet across the whole country. yesterday the temperatures actually reached the 30s in parts of kanto region. that's warmer than parts of the south. tokyo at

yu uozumi, nhk world. >>> people in tokyo are seeing sunny skies this morning. meteorologist robert speta joins us with what's happening here and elsewhere in world weather. >> high pressure hassle moved in across most of japan. we do have a few thunderstorms in northern portions of the country around hokkaido a passing low, but seeing decent weather on friday and saturday in the tokyo area. i only say friday and saturday because the weekend, by the end of it, some passing showers move their way in by sunday and what's causing that was an area of low pressure back here toward the west. we have a stationary bound re. the rainy season front is going to continue to bring showers there. it is going to develop and move its way off to the northeast but it's already causing problems. let's go to some video we have coming out of southern china. take a look at this. a building collapse resulted after days of heavy rainfall on tuesday. at least one person died. 15 people were are still missing in this nine-story apartment. residents in nearby buildings were also evacuated

akiko okamoto, nhk world, tokyo. >>> that's it for business on this hour. the nikkei is a bit choppy this morning. i'll leave you with a check on markets. >>> officials from the japanese association of zoos and aquariums say they will monitor how member aquariums obtain dolphins. the association decided on may 20th to ban the purchase of dolphins caught through the method known as drive hunting. jaza members are meeting for two days in western japan. chairman kazutoshi arai emerged from a closed door session and spoke to reporters. >> translator: we have facilities that breed dolphins. we would like to hold discussions with their staff to decide how we will proceed on the matter. >> arai said his organization received an e-mail from the world body asking how jaza will oversee its members. he said officials want to know how the purchase of dolphins will be monitored and what will be done if they turn out to be from a drive hunt. arai said jaza will examine new rules on the capture method by autumn, when the drive hunting season starts. the world association

nhk world. >>> fierce fighting continues in iraq. government forces there are making headway to retain ramadi. islamic state militants seized the city. the troops and shia militia men are ten kilometers east of ramadi. iraqi forces have launched an attack on the northern city of baiji, a militant stronghold. they have fought with suicide attacks, driving explosive laid envehicles into government troops. joe biden has called haider al abadi to praise his force's fight against the militants and biden told abadi that the u.s. pledges its full support in iraq's efforts to liberate territory. >>> chinese officials have protests to the united states over its military reconnaissance activities in the south china sea. >> the u.s. reconnaissance activity is very dangerous and irresponsible. it could cause unexpected incidents at sea or in the air. >> the chinese foreign ministry spokesperson says that the chinese government opposed provocative acts by the united states military. hua has urged the u.s. to remain rational. china has been carryi

rie tamiya nhk world, yamaguchi. >>> people in tokyo are seeing gray skies this morning. meteorologist robert speta joins us with the latest in world weather. robert, good morning. it was raining when i was coming in to work this morning. the rain has stopped, but where's the sun? >> oh, it's not quite there yet, catherine. by the afternoon, though, some good news if you are in tokyo, if you're traveling and visiting the sun will return. it's not going to stick around too long as far as these cloudy skies are concerned. the culprit is this front we have been seeing pushing over head. it has been bringing some widespread showers across parts of western japan, even extending off here toward the east during the overnight hours. the front will continue to drift off there towards the east. also good news with it, we have our typhoon just here toward the south. see it on the satellite picture. it's going to kick it off there toward the northeast. not really worried about this impacting much of honshu. the ogasawara islands will be impacted. could be seeing winds out there, 180

chie tanaka, nhk world. >>> and that is the latest in business news for this hour. i'll leave you with a check on markets. >>> officials at the japan meteorological agency have raised the warning level for a volcano near tokyo. mount hakone is a popular tourist destination. seismic activity has been increasing, and that's hitting local businesses hard. nhk world's keiko yamamoto has the details. >> reporter: officials at the meteorological agency say they've recorded many earthquakes near the surface of the mountain in the past two weeks. >> translator: the pressure of gas from underneath has become slightly stronger. >> reporter: the officials have raised the alert level for the volcano from one to two. a level two warning says people shouldn't approach the crater. >> translator: based on the level of seismic activity and the movement of the crust, we don't expect a major eruption. i don't believe local hot spring facilities will be affected. >> reporter: officials say a minor eruption could take place in the mountains of owakudani valley. authorities banned entry

tomoko kamata nhk world. >>> u.s. defense department officials have announced their plan to deploy a special operations squadron of aircraft in western tokyo. they'll station cv-22 osprey at the yokota air base in 2017. it will be the first deployment of the tilt rotor aircraft in the country outside of okinawa. the first three will arrive in the second half of 2017. and an additional seven are scheduled to be on base by 2021. 24 ospreys are currently deployed at the futenma air station in okinawa. american leaders say the new deployment will increase the capability of u.s. special operations forces to respond quickly to crises and contingencies in japan and the asia-pacific region. the u.s. air force at first proposed sending the aircraft to the air base in okinawa, but the plan was reportedly scrapped in favor of yokota due to strong opposition from the public in the southern prefecture. there has been mixed reactions to the u.s. announcement. officials in japan's central government have welcomed the news of the dep

there's more to come here on nhk world. ' ines.e iraqi army launches an operation to take back ramadi from the islamic state. the first hearing in the spy trial of "washington post" correspondent jason rezaian opens and closes in iraq today. an indian prime minister modi marks his first year in office. amid criticism that his government caters to the wealthy. mexican taxi drivers become the latest to protest against the rise of car-hailing app uber.

nhk world, bangkok. >>> u.n. secretary-general, moon moon -- ban ki-moon says an invitation for him to visit an industrial site in north korea has been withdrawn. he is currently visiting south korea. he was scheduled to visit the interkorean industrial park on thursday. north korean officials told him that permission for the visit had been rescinded. >> this decision by pyongyang is deeply regrettable. however, i as the secretary general of the united nations will not spare inport to encourage the dprk to work with the international community for peace and stability on the korean peninsula. >> ban said he has not been given any explanation about why the visit was cancelled. north korean media have also not given a reason for the move. >>> north korean officials say they're developing submarine launched ballistic missiles. to boost the country's self-defense capability and they're warning japan, the united states and south korea that they're always ready to strike. the state run korean news agency on wednesday qu

nhk world has the story. >> reporter: here is a town in central myanmar. this orphanage cares for some 230 children. the children cover their faces with a traditional type of sunscreen. most of them are from ethnic minorities. the founder is a buddhist nun. shocked by the plight of the orphans, she resolved to care for them herself. >> translator: it was heart break when i first saw them. they arrived without anything. they were dirty and messy. seeing these children speaking a different language and staring hopelessly at the ground made me terribly sad. >> reporter: today's lunch is curry. every meal is funded by donations. meat and fish are luxuries. without the sound of gunfire, everything tastes good. >> translator: when we lit the wood to start cooking the children would ask when will this village be burned down? i felt retched hearing that. i decided i would raise them myself no matter what. >> translator: this girl comes from the kempen ethnic group. she remembers how she used to hide in the woods to escape the fighting. >> translator: i'm grown up

rie tamiya nhk world, yamaguchi. >>> that's the latest in business news in this hour. i'll leave you with a check on numbers. >>> russian opposition activists have published a report that says the russian government is deeply involved in the war in ukraine. the report includes evidence compiled by the murdered opposition leader, boris nemtsov. opposition members announced the publication at a news conference on tuesday in moscow. nemtsov collected evidence for the report before he was shot dead in central moscow in february. he was a vocal critic of president vladimir putin. the document says at least 220 russian soldiers were killed in fighting in eastern ukraine last summer and earlier this year. the death toll is based on the number of coffins transported to russia and interviews with relatives of those who died. the report says russians who joined the armed separatists in eastern ukraine were paid up to $1,700 a month. it includes photos of russian tanks and anti-aircraft missiles that are believed to have been taken in eastern ukraine. opposition members say the m

nhk world. >>> thanks for that update. a u.s. air force official says 400 special operations troops will be stationed in western tokyo. force will be operating osprey aircraft starting in 2017. u.s. military officials announced on monday the first deployment of ospreys in japan outside of the prefecture of okinawa. three will be deployed in 2017 and additional seven are scheduled to be there by 2021. the air force official says the troops will take command from a special operations group at the base in okinawa. the construction of aircraft maintenance facilities will begin as early as next year and be completed before 2020. the u.s. military already operates a fleet of ospreys in okinawa. officials initially considered deploying more to the prefecture but gave up on the plan due to local opposition. authorities of local municipalities around the base are against the deployments of the ospreys. >>> disabled people in japan are fining it easier to get work. record number of mentally and physically challenged people are being employ

kyoko fujita nhk world. >>> so with gdp figures better than analysts had expected let's see how tokyo markets are reacting. we go to ramin mellegard for that, he's standing by at the tokyo stock exchange. what are you seeing so far this morning? >> very good morning to you. a bit of a mixed ending in the u.s. markets, but pretty positive all around here in tokyo. let's have a look at the opening levels for the nikkei and the topix. 20,195, up 0.8% for the nikkei the broader topix up 0.75%. just a reminder overnight the dow jones industrial average posted an awe-time high inching up 0.07%. the tech-heavy nasdaq did fall. investors were cheered by the u.s. april housing starts that were the highest since 2007. that pushed bond yields higher and the dollar higher. and a solid recovery in the u.s. may just be on the cards. now, in sharp contrast and a point investors will be concerned about was the opposite in eurozone. you're looking at german bonds there. investor confidence data showed a sharp fall for may in germany which caused a sell-off in the euro and bond yields falling as well.

we'll be back with the latest at the top of the hour so do stay with us on nhk. xnóx >> hello, and welcome to "global 3000." ever heard it said that variety is the spice of life? well, in reality, it's much much more than that. species variety, or biodiversity, is fundamental to both human survival and the future of the planet. find out just how that works on this week's show, where we also have these stories coming up. there one minute, gone the next. sinkholes and their terrifying impact makossa, anyone? young musicians look for their lucky break in cameroon.

yuji osawa, nhk world. >>> children in japan are getting some hard lessons in a fun way. they're learning life-saving skills about how to react to earthquakes and avalanches. and their teacher is part expert, part superhero. >> translator: i'm a scientist. in fact, i have a ph.d.. you don't believe me? >> translator: this character will make you a believer. he goes by the name dr. notarranger which means dr. avalanche ranger. he's a superhero who teaches kids about natural disasters. his powers include simulating an avalanche using a plastic bag. scary enough to remember. the doctor hopes children will recognize the dangers while having fun. notarranger's alter ego is noguchi, a specialist in snow disasters who's been with japan's national research institute for more than three decades. about 20 years ago, he started holding workshops on natural disasters. he donned the costume to attract kids' attention. since then he's presided over more than 2,000 sessions around the country. >> translator: if a funny-looking man says something, you want to challenge him, right? that d

the deputy governor spoke to nhk on the phone. >> translator: the militant group placed many soldiers in ramadi. they not only carry out cruel acts including destroying houses but also plant bombs in urban districts and take family members of iraqi military personnel as hostages. they're preparing for attacks by the government troops. we have succeeded in blocking almost all the major supply routes for the militants. this is the first step in isolating them. >> the united nations reports nearly 70,000 people have fled ramadi for baghdad and other city, but over 20,000 displaced people are waiting to cross a bridge over the euphrates river. government officials are taking time to screen them as militants might be mingled with them. the bridge is on the only safe route to baghdad. >> translator: we've suffered a lot. all of our property and animals have been destroyed. we don't know the fate of our family members. >> u.n. officials say they're setting up about 250 tents near the bridge, but intense heat has reportedly caused some deaths. >>> chinese government officials have begun a con

brandon with nhk tokyo. >> thank you for that report. >>> it was a sunny and hazy day here. here with more on the weather is sayaka. >> i cannot believe that it's may. over the past couple of days the temperatures are extremely high. the mercury hit nearly 28 degrees today and some saw over 30 degrees, and making it the hottest day so far this year. warm weather will continue for the next couple of days in tokyo and rainy day on monday. so spring weather should come back next week. now naha sun nir weather for the next couple of day. skipping the raining season and the season rain band is affecting the south of china as well and we have report of 260 millimeters of rain and more rain is expected into the next couple of days and some of the rain is moving into central japan and tokyo. now, down to the south we have been watching a typhoon and it's impacting the islands and right now qualm is experiencing systems. the center will likely intense and likely get very -- get a very strong system status within the next several hours and then move up to the north to the islands and

thanks for watching nhk world. ants reportedly sees the last government controlled order crossing between syria and iraq, after taking over the ancient city of palmyra. ireland has a referendum on gay marriage. those in favor say it is a vote for a quality. opponents say it threatens family values. an eu eastern partnership summit wraps up in latvia. some countries walk away disappointed. also coming up, a silicon

hinako fujita, nhk world, sendai. is >> that's it for business news. i'll leave you with the markets. >>> a decision by zoos and aquariums in japan to change the way they acquire dolphins is causing ripples across the nation. the japanese association of zoos and aquariums decided on wednesday they would no longer purchase dolphins caught in dry hunts. . >>> the decision came after the world association of zoo as and aquariums suspended japan's membership a month ago. the international body said the hundred is inhumane. some audiences at dolphin shows fear they may not be able to see the animals for much longer. >> translator: this is one of the main attractions here. we would miss fit we couldn't see it any more. >> translator: children love the dolphin shows. i don't want to see them abandoned. >> reporter: waza released an online statement about the decision calling it a welcomed break through. the japanese body made the decision through a vote. the majority chose to stay in the international alliance because they consider it indispensable to retaini

more from nhk world's shinosuke kawamaske >> reporter: the island of palau is home to 7,000 people. last november, this man discovered an exploded bomb close to his house. >> like very big smoke. and the smell of smoke. it's bad. >> reporter: the palau government asked a british ngo for help. since 2009, the ngo has been retrieving unexploded bombs in palau. the bomb disposal experts have international experience clearing bombs and they shared their expertise with the locals. on this day, the team are working in the jungle that tourists sometimes pass through when visiting old battlegrounds. >> 37-millimeter, projectile heads, one, two, another one there, three, four. just as dangerous as they were the day they were made. >> reporter: the team found a meter-long unexploded bomb once dropped from a u.s. plane. the ngo has retrieved more than 35,000 explosive devices so far. the next day, the team received an emergency call from a local elementary school and rushed to the site. one of the pupils had brought an unexploded projectile into a classroom. luckily, it didn't explode. the tea

nhk world's -- shimizu has more. >> reporter: vietnam's largest garment manufacturer has its base in hoe chi minh city. it employs 35,000 people. the number one export destination is the united states. -- is the deputy chairman of the vietnam textile association. he says during the vietnam war, he fought against the united states. he help build the ho chi minh trail, a network of supply routes delivering weapons, food, and equipment from north vietnam to antigovernment forces in the south. he survived numerous u.s. air raids. >> translator: we disposed of bombs while single mindedly constructing the trail. back then, my mind was filled with nothing but hatred for america. >> reporter: after the war, having shed his military uniform, truong's anger gradually faded as he forged business partnerships with american firms. >> translator: the americans supported us in various ways, from management, to production control. after vietnam and the united states normalized diplomatic relations, we were no longer enemies. our relations have improved to those of friends, then partners. >> reporter

kimberly gale, nhk world, koyasan, wakayama. >>> it is time for a check of of the weather.eople in many areas of germany are trying to recover after a powerful storm caused widespread damage. mai shoji has the latest. >> yes, catherine, we have been talking about the ongoing storm systems that are sweeping across central parts of germany and central parts of europe, especially in germany and we have some images coming out from here because there was a tornado that touched down through here. it was a large tornado that swept through germany on thursday leaving several people injured and many homes damaged. no casualties are reported. two of the injuries reported were due to late thing strikes and not directly associated with the tornado. after conditions cleared, many residents were seen accompanied by emergency personnel patching up the holes left in their homes. a separate tornado f 3 intensity hit germany injuring nine people and leaving over 100 homes damaged. now, the system will be lingering further toward the east and affecting much of italy and in toward these areas

nhk world reports. >> reporter: a festive atmosphere, and people are getting excited. the event is wrestling, a sport thought to be more than 3,000 years old. there is one japanese face in the crowd. it belongs to kosuke a wrestler who placed fifth in the world championships. he came to sudan at the invitation of the sudanese government. sudan's civil war is over but there is still deep-seated hostility between various ethnic groups. one common interest for these divided people is wrestling. the government hopes to send a sudanese competitor to the tokyo olympics. >> translator: i think it would be good if instead of fighting the entire country would move in a positive direction by bonding through sports like wrestling. >> reporter: sunagawa has trained 20 hopeful athletes. one challenge he faces is the differences between nuba and olympic wrestling. in nuba the match is over when one of the wrestlers touches the ground with his shoulder backside or back. in nuba the two wrestlers get in close right from the start. in olympic wrestling, on the other hand, there is much

nhk world, tokyo. >> thank you for that report. members of japan's ruling democratic party are seeking ways to put pressure on north korea. they plan to form a, woing group to consider increasing sanctions over the country. north korea set up a special committee last july loo took into the fate of the missing japanese including those abducted. pyongyang has failed to report on their investigation. the lpd will operate under the task force party issue. the members will consider reenstating the restrictions between the countries that were put in place last year and they will discussion additional economic sanctions. they same to decide on the sanctions before the summer. the size of the task force said they will do all they can to put pressure on north korea so progress can be made in resolving the abduction issue. the japanese government says north korean agents kidnapped at least 70 japanese nationals in the 70s and 80s, 12 are still unaccounted for. >>> people are heading to the polls to cast their votes in england. david cameron