thank you for joining us on this edition of nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan in tokyo. >>> newly released data shows u.s. economic growth slowed in the last quarter of 2016. gross domestic product grew at a annualized rate of just 1.9% in the october to december quarter. the commerce department released its preliminary gdp figure on friday. the u.s. economy has seen moderate expansion from an increase in jobs an higher wages, but the pace was slower than market expectations. consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of gdp, rose 2.5%. corporate investment on equipment was also up 2.4% and housing construction gained 10.2%. but exports shrank 4.3%. its first contraction in three quarters. for the 2016 calendar year, the economy grew 1.6%. that's down from 2.6% in 2015. president donald trump says his administration will try to achieve 4% annual growth through tax cuts, deregulation and infrastructure spending. >>> russian president vladimir putin and u.s. president trump are expected to hold their first talks by telephone on saturday. put

only on nhk "newsline." >>> outgoing u.s. ambassador to japan, caroline kennedy was shown how a traditional card game was played. it was one of her last engagements as she prepares to leave her post next week. 60 high school students took part in the game on friday at the ambassador's residence in tokyo. it features an anthology of poems and included are poems written by emperors and aristocrats from around the 17th through 13th centuries. the poems are translated into english to introduce the game to people outside of japan. only the second part of the poem is written on cards placed on the floor in random order. a reader recites the first half and others compete in grabbing the card that has the second half. >> one of the priorities that i've had as ambassador is to learn as much as i can about the japanese poetic tradition. i hope all of you come to america and teach americans how to play this game. >> kennedy served as ambassador for over three years. u.s. president-elect trump will choose a replacement after he's inaugur

nhk world, beijing. >> that's the latest in business. it's back to catherine now. >> thank you, ai. >>> french authorities are looking into the relationship between a missing japanese woman and her ex-boyfriend suspected of killing her. a month has passed since the 21-year-old went missing in eastern france. french prosecutors say they were searching everywhere and they suspect the chilean man may have killed her after some kind of trouble in their relationship. they have put him on an international wanted list on suspicion of murder. prosecutors told reporters on tuesday that the two first met at a university in japan. they added the pair broke up only recently. they have clues reporting to foul play on the night she went missing. they believe her ex visited her dormitory. the suspect has since returned to his home country. >>> police in india have detained six men in connection with alleged sexual assaults on women who were out celebrating the new year. warning, the following footage is graphic. the women were in a busy district of the

>>> a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline" broadcasting to viewers around the globe. it's 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. >>> a key figure in the u.s. incoming administration of president trump says the united states remains committed to its allies around the world. michael flynn will be trump's national security advisor. he says america's alliances with other countries are one of the greatest tools the country has. >> we will keep in mind the sacrifices and deep commitments that many of our allies and partners have made on behalf of our security and our prosperity. >> former director of the u.s. defense intelligence agency said the primary mission of the trump administration will be the safety of the american people. flynn said the u.s. will examine and rethink america's relationships around the globe. trump raised eyebrows when he said his countries allies should pay more to host american forces. >>> the cost of the planned deployment has been scrutinized by president-elect trump. the marine corps said ten aircrafts on their way to western japan from arizona. the airc

you're watching nhk "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. >>> the scandal that led to the impeachment of south korea's president is widening. the daughter in a key figure is under arrest in denmark. they have requested she be extradited. the woman under arrest is the daughter of president park's close friend. nhk has decided not to identify her. she's accused of meddling in state affairs and gaining access to official documents with park's help. she was arrested on charges of staying in the country illegally. they suspect the university gave her favorable treatment regarding admission and grade. other allegations sent on the purchase of a host spy who compete in equestrian events. she and her mother set up a firm in germany that received $2.7 million from samsung electronics. it's believed those funds were used to buy the horse. police intend to confirm the official request and then comply. >>> turkish police have detained eight people. the islamic state group claimed responsibility for an attack that left 39 dea

look for nhk world and business wrap. that's a look at business news. i'm going to leave you with markets. >>> a court in seoul says it will allow an arrest warrant for the head of samsung. it doesn't see the need right now. the court spent all night trying to decide whether to approve the warrant. it was requested by a special prosecutor. a judge heard from him for about four hours on wednesday. in the court's decision it says there's room for legal debate about the allegations. he isuspected of bribing the president't's cononfidant that accused of iluencing president park. it's all part of the corruption scandal that lead to president park being suspended. a spokesperson says they're really disappointed by the court's decisision. >> we will prepare necessary measures to continue our investigation. we're determined to keep going. >> prosecutors believe there's government support for a merger between two samsung afail yachts. they believe that helped him submit power to take over from his ailing father. police in japan have new data that underscores the

look for nhk world and business wrap, that's a look at business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets. >>> in sumo, newly promoted yokozuna champion kisenosato performed his first ring-opening ceremony before throngs of fans. 20,000 people were on hand at meiji shrine in tokyo to watch the ceremony. kisenosato is the first japanese-born wrestler in 19 years to reach the sport's highest rank. he wore a braided white rope around his waist. a symbol of grand champions. kisenosato perfoformed in the style that's said to represent sumo offense and defense. spectators cheered as he stomped the ground. >> tokyo police are investigating whether an international jewel theft network is targeting japan. they've arrested two more chinese nationals they believe are members of a gang known as pink panda. investigators suspect the two stole at least one diamond at a trade fair held this month. the suspects deny the allegation. police have already arrested three others they believe belong to the same group. they showed up at the event this year and last, when p

every day through march 5th. >>> that's all we have for now on nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. thanks for watching and have a good day. >> this week, global 3000 heads to senegal, where winning a wrestling match can mean a ticket out of poverty. in jordan, it's hard enough to find a job as it is, let alone for syrian refugees. what's the solution? but first, we go to argentina, where violence and discrimination against women are part of daily life. but the tide is turning. life for females can be a risky business. for that reason, in recent months, women have been taking to the streets in chile, in peru, in mexico, to protest against repression and violence, against a culture where they are denied the same rights as men. every year, around 60,000 women are murdered in latin america, often by their own husbands

>>> glad you can join us for nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. people in the united states and the world have witnessed an historic transition of power. donald trump has been sworn in as the country's 45th president. he's now greeting the crowds on his inaugural parade route. >>> the new president went down pennsylvania avenue in a motorcade from the capitol to the white house. a roughly 2 1/2 kilometer stretch. at some point he made it more personal getting out of the car with the first lady melania and his son walking parts of the way. security was tight along the route with secret service surrounding the president and security guards forming a human barricade at the sidewalk. in his inaugural address trump pledged to put america first and restore its promise to the people. >> congratulations, mr. president. ♪ ♪ >> we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or one party to another, but we are transferring power from washington, d.c., and giving it back to you, the people. we are one nation and their pain is our pain

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the latest from tokyo. >>> a court in seoul will not allow an arrest warrant for the de facto head of the country's biggest conglomerate samsung. it doesn't see the need for an arrest right now. the court spent all night considering whether to approve the warrant for lee jae-yong is suspected of bribing a friend of park geun hye. it's part of the influence peddling scandal that led to park geun-hye being suspended. prosecutors believe the bribes yae gave helped him cement power inside samsung in a bid to take over for his ailing father. what will you hearing over there, kim chan-ju? >> reporter: it's a huge blow for the special prosecutor, even as they have been accelerating the investigation. they say this could not only put the brakes on any efforts to question other conglomerates accused of handing over funds but also slowed an investigation into the president herself. many citizens are angry. some say samsung is above law and declaring justice is dead in this

>>> glad you could join us here on nhk "newsline." i'm james tengan in tokyo. here are the stories we're following this hour. >>> no advice needed. european leaders are brushing off donald trump's latest comments of the eu and brexit. >>> the long good-bye. prime minister theresa may is due to lay out plans for britain's exit from the eu in a speech later today. >>> and struggling together. japanese and british companies have been sharing their expertise on fukushima daiichi. we asked for their thoughts. >>> european leaders have brushed off the latest comments made by u.s. president-elect donald trump on europe and nato. in an interview published on sunday in "the times of london" and a german daily "bild," trump says britain's decision to leave the eu would end up being a great thing. he said he believes other countries will follow. >> translator: europe needs no advice from outsider to be told what it has to do. >> hollande spoke on monday during a ceremony to honor the outgoing u.s. ambassador to france. german chancellor angela merkel also dismissed trump'

nhk has decided not to identify her. choi is accused of meddling in state affairs and gaining access to officialocuments w with park's help. her daughter was arrested sunday with charges of staying in the country illegally. a south korean indepependent prosecutor obtained an arrest warrant and asked interpol to add her name to the wanted list. other allegations center on the purchase of a horse who competes in equestrian events. she and her mother set up a firm in germany that received roughly $2.7 million from samsung electronics. it is believed those funds were used to buy the horse. south korean media reported the police in denmark intend to confirm the official extradition request and then comply. >>> at least 56 inmates have died in a prison riot in brazil and more than 100 others have escaped and are now on the run. local authorities say the revolt in the city of manaus lasted 17 hours from sunday afternoon to monday morning. footage shows relatives asking about the safety of their loved ones. the authorities later

look for nhk world and business wrap. i'm going to leave you with the markets. >>> south koreans have been seriously considering their country's future. massive protests virtually pushed their president to be suspended from office due to a growing scandal. and now there are calls to change the whole presidential system. nhk reports. >> reporter: in one of the country's largest super stores, sales in a certain section have boomed. since december, books on political reform and amending the constitution have sold well. the scandal has more people engaged in politics and awakened a desire for change. >> translator: i want to think more about how to make our country head in the right direction. >> reporter: for decades, south koreans have seen presidential scandals. two of them went to jail on multiple charges, incluluding bribery. the constitution allows the president to not only exert enormous power on his or her administration but also the legislative and judicial arms of government. some people see that system behind the c

a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline," broadcasting to viewers around the globe. it is 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. u.s. president our top story this hour -- u.s. donald trump lashed out. he's set to continue the measure despite protest and criticism from inside and outside the united states. the order temporarily bans people from seven countries in the middle east and aftercarica well as all refugees from entering the u.s. >> we had a very good day yesterday in terms of homeland security. some day we had to make the move and we decided to make the move. >> some travelers were detained at airports across the country after they were denied entry. on monday trump played down the number. he said a computer outage as well as protesters were causing problems. he said all is going well. the senate democratic leader condemned trump's action calling them mean spirit and un-american. trump criticized him for appearing to cry and called his tears fake. a spokesperson for barack obama says he supports be ongoing protests across the country. he disagrees with the notion of di

nhk world, seoul. >>> shifting gears now for a check of the weather.eople across japan are dealing with temperatures well below average. robert speta joins us now to look at the forecast. >> the good news is that if you do not like the cold weather, things are going to start to warm up as we go into the latter part of this week into the weekend. there are several factors for this. one of the main reasons is that we are starting to see the northwesterly winds. high pressure is coming in, but look here towards the west. there's t cloud cover making its way into the picture. that's another low. with that, we had strong southerly winds coming out of that. that's going to invekt our warm air in. unfortunately, that leads to the threat of river flooding, something we want to watch out for. but if we look at the four-day outlook, tokyo, about 15. even again on sunday. osaka, similar and if you want to go somewhere where it feels summer like, how about naha. up to about 25 to wrap up your weekend once this low pushes by. a look at the bigger picture, it's stay

it told nhk the drills will happen off okinawa, but didn't provide details on when. friday morning, multiple aircraft and an air tanker were seen taking off from u.s. bases in okinawa. but it's unclear whether refueling training happened. drills were suspended after an osprey crash-landed last month off the coast of the prefecture. it was during an aerial refueling drill. the u.s. military resumed flights of the aircraft less than a week later. japan's defense ministry believes americans are taking proper safety measures. however, okinawa's governor onaga said he's disappointed the training is resuming. he said people have not been given sufficient information on the aircraft's safety. >>> senior diplomats from japan, u.s. and south korea say their countries will keep working together to deal with threats from north korea. the meeting comes days after north korea's leader declared his country is in the final stages of preparing a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. it's also at a time when the world is preparing for a donald trump inauguration as th

>>> nhk "newsline" comes to you live from tokyo where it's 7:00 p.m. on a friday. relations between the u.s. and china have cooled in the lead-up to next week's inauguration of president-elect donald trump. but what's in store for the relationship once he's in office? our first story takes a look. >> reporter: chinese state television issuing a strong message to th u.s. a abo the region. the country senent out warships includuding its first aircraft carrier on military exercises in late december. the ship's route included waters around the taiwan strait, and the disputed south china sea. the reaction from the taiwanese? >> reporter: some of the drills coincided with taiwan president's tsai ing-wen's meeting with republican lawmakers in the united states. tensions started to rise back in december. president-elect donald trump took a phone call from prededent tsai after his election win. it was the first such phone call since 1979, the year the u.s. switched diplomatic recognition from taiwan to china and started to follow the one-china principle. it acknowledges tai

♪ >>> a very warm welcome to nhk "newsline" broadcasting to viewers around the globe.t's 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. >>> the back and forth between the united states and mexico over president trump's planned border wall continues. on thursday, the white house said it wants to make mexico pay for the wall through import taxes. the white house says it's proposing a 20% tax be imposed on all imports from its southern neighbor. the announcement is another hit to relations between the two countries. earlier on thursday, mexican president enrique pena nieto tweeted he would skip a summit with trump which had been scheduled for next week. pena nieto was responding to a tweet from trump saying it would be better to cancel the meeting if mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall. the wall was one of trump's main election pledges. it would span the more than 3,000-kilometer border. estimated construction costs would be in the billions of dollars. over 10 million people from mexico and elsewhere are estimated to be in the u.s. illegally. trump is also

>>> a very very well back to nhk "newsline." and broadcasting to viewers around the globe. it is 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. heavy snowfall that started on monday has caused more than 240 vehicles to be stuck on highways. transportation officials say about 60 cars were stuck on a section of road. some people have been sitting in their vehicles for more than 18 hours. an nhk employee described the scene. >> translator: a huge tow truck is pulling the bigger cars out of snow. they're now working on a car in front of the bus i'm on. >> emergency response workers say a handful of people were taken to hospital for observation. a local governor asked the self-defense force to dispatch a relief team to deliver gas and blankets. the wintry weather not unusual for this time of year. robert speta joins us now. give us the latest. >> let's go ahead and talk about this where we have been seeing this heavy snow really dominating much of central and western japan. if you remember back over the course of the past several weeks, you've had this winter weather pattern real

thanks for joining us on nhk world. reyes: a pesticide sprayed on plantations in nicaragua for decades continues to cause controversy and alleged illness. did it poison people? i'm elaine reyes in washington, dc, and this is "americas now." first up, northern nicaragua was once abundant with agricultural wealth, but locals say that changed when a pesticide was sprayed on fields and adversely affected workers' health. solis: [speaking spanish] interpreter: look at this. every banana plantatation worker has it. i have it. my partner has it. look at our skin. it is stained. this is what the poison did to us. reyes: correspondent grace gonzalez reports on the toxin nemagon and tells us about the legal steps former workers are taking to try and get compensation.

nhk world's hiro morita introduces us to ishiura. >> hello. nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you, too. >> congratulations on your fantastic top division debut. >> thank you. hello. i am ishiura. >> 26-year-old ishiura stands at 173 centimeters and tips the scales at 114 kilograms. that may sound like a lot, but among sumo rikishi, he's on the smaller side. the bigger guys found out not to underestimate him in the november tournament. he won match after match with speed rather than braun. he was deep into his opponent's belt at the outset going for a quick victory. it worked. despite being a rookie in the top division, he won 10 out of 15 matches in november and received a fighting spirit prize. he's now been boosted to complete at a much higher rank in the upcoming new year's contest. let's talk about the last tournament. what was it like for you? >> translator: looking back on it, it seems too good to be true. i can't believe i won that many matches. >> translator: don't the bigger opponents scare you? >> translator: it is scary. >> ishiura

>>> welcome to nhk newsline. we start off with stories we're following. refuelling drills. it will once again conduct midair refuelling exercises less than a month after an osprey aircraft crash landed during one of them. new year, old location. tokyo's main food market holds the first fish auction of the year because safety concerns delayed relocation plans. and filling in the blanks. computer graphics seizing data from the latest research are giving a prehistoric beast a modern look. the u.s. military will resume midair refuelling training as early as friday. they were suspended after an accident involving an osprey aircraft taking part in the training. the aircraft made an emergency crash landing last month in shallow waters. less than a week later the u.s. forces restarted flights. it was retriggered hitting the osprey's propeller and there was no problem with the aircraft itself. american forces conducted an on the ground simulation and informed crews on possible effects of turbulence. in a statement the defense minister says her ministry has confirmed that the safety

nhk world. >>> nhk "newsline" comes to you live from tokyo.arts of california were lashed by downpours and people in affected areas are bracing for more rainfall as sayaka mori jojoins us with a weather updat. >> nearly one meter of f snow fl and california has had three millimeters of rain since frididay. the m moisture has been poundin parts of the western united states. i want to show you some video coming out of the western united states. serious floods are forcing thousands of people to evacuate from the western u.s. on monday, residents of east of lalake tahoe in nevada along wi portions in northern california were told to leave after heavy rainfall swept through the area. storm knocked out power to 70,000 customers. trees fell because of the stormy conditions. take a look at this picture. this is a sequoia tree. it toppled because of the loose ground due to the heavy rainfall.. it shattered on impact. very sad newsws. unfortunately the atmospheric river will continue to cause heavy rainfall orr heavy snowfal inin the higher elevations.

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." on the eve of his inauguration, donald trump says he can bring about change. >> we're not going to let other countries take our jobs any longer. we're going to build up our great military. we're going to strengthen our borders. >> trump addressed thousands of supporters at a welcome concert on the steps of lincoln memorial. he said he wouldn't just work for them but all americans. earlier in the day trump and mike pence visited arlington national cemetery. 54% of the respondents do not view trump favorably. his approval rating is among the lowest of the presidents who have taken office in the past 40 years. he will take actions on trade deals. >> it will be done by executive order. i think you'll see those happen very shortly. >>> the new u.n. secretary general has spoken at the world economic forum to stress the importance of world leaders understanding each other and working together. >> sometimes people have the idea that if the world is multipower equalibrium will be generated. no

>>> a very warm welcome to nhk newsline broadcasting to viewers around the globe. it is 10:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. donald trump has held his first news conference since winning the u.s. presidential election. he blasted intelligence agencies and lashed out at media agencies and changed his mind on the hacking of the 2016 election but downplayed the significance. [ applause ] >> as far as hacking, i think it was russia, but i think we also get hacked by other countries and other people. and i can say that, you know, when we lost 22 million names and everything else that was hacked recently, they didn't make a big deal out of that. that was something that was extraordinary. that was probably china. >> trump addressed sensational reports that russia has compromising personal and financial information on him, claims he was briefed on last week by intelligence agencies. but he dismissed it all as fake news. he was also asked questions about allegations that his election team kol lewded with russia. >> on that intelligence report, the second part of the conclusion was

>>> welcome back to nhk "newsline." i'm kanako sachno. >>> denmark is the setting of the latest scene of south korea's ongoing political drama. police there have arrested the daughter of choi soon-sil. she's at the center of a scandal that has led to park's impeachment. south korean police say their danish counterparts arrested choi's daughter for allegedly overstaying her visa. she's expected to be extradited to south korea. an independent prosecutor had asked interpol to put choi's daughter on the wanted list. the prosecutor suspects a university in seoul gave choi's daughter favorable treatment regarding her admission and grades. the scandal has expanded to include a horse bought by the daughter who competes s in equeuestrian events. it's belieieved the money came from the money contributed by samsung elelectronics. to a firm set up in germany by the daughter. the arrest in denmark comes a day after park spoke about the scandal after a month of silence. she apologized but denied any involvement in the alleged corrupt

look for nhk world and business wrap. that's a look at business news. i'm going to leave you with the markets. >>> south carolina's former culture minister and two former officials in the country's on going political scandal. they're suspected of making a blacklist of thousands of artists deemed critical of president park's administration. they were arrested on multiple charges include ago bus of authority. the federal prosesecutors team cutoff goverernment subsidies f the artists. more than 9,000 people were on it including film directors, actors. they admitted that the list still exists but claims she has nothing to do with the case. the investigators were expected to look into whether president park herself was involved. a group of japanese lawmakers met leading figures from the national people's congress and discussed ways to improve the nations. it's the first meetiting of its kind in 27 yearars. it marks the first of diplomatic ties to the country. japan's diet members once developed a stratategic rerelationship that benefits bo coununtries. and l

>>> hello and welcome to nhk newsline. here's the top stories we're following this hour. controversial ban, u.s. president donald trump defended his immigration order and it does not target muslims. gunmen open fire at amos k in canada killing multiple people and injuring others. the operator of the crippled nuclear plant may have captured footage since the 2011 disaster. donald trump issued a statement clarifying an executive order on extreme vetting restrictions. and he's keeping the country safe. trump signed the order last week to temporarily ban them last week in the middle east and africa swelts all refugees from entering the united states. following many people with permanent residencies and visas and trying to detain at u.s. airports. some have been stopped from boarding flights heading to the united states. in sunday's statements trump responded to global criticism saying the policy is not a muslim ban. they're sure they reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days. trump's immigration order caused protests around the united states and

welcome to nhk news line. a special team of prosecutors in south korea has decided to arrest the leader of samsung group. they suggest he was involved in a corruption scandal. >> translator: our team has requested an arrest warrant against jae-yong, vice president of samsung electronics. the charges include bribery and embezzlement. >> the prosecutors put the vice chairman through 22 grueling hours of questioning last week. they accused samsung offering bribes of more than $32 million to two foundations. the foundations are under a long time friend of the president who expected of exerting inappropriate influence on her. the prosecutors say they can prove she shared some of the money with the president. investigators alleged that in return for the payment it is presidential office supported a merger between samsung group companies. in a hearing before lawmakers last month the vice chairman denied his company gave money to her and her family in return for favors. >>> tokyo and washington are making moves they h

welcome to this hour's nhk "newsline." >>> a u.s. consulting firm has released its annual list of the biggest threats facing the world. the report says the leading risk in 2017 is the u.s. led by donald trump. the global political risk firm eurasia says trump's fiscal policy is built on the value of independence. but it said for trump that's independence from responsibility to play a central role in affairs. might create global chaos, especially in europe. it said china sees the change in u.s. leadership as an opportunity to advance its interests in asia. it noted this may raise tensions between the two countries. the report added the second-largest risk for 2017 is china overreacting to external challenges. as president xi jinping tries to tighten his grip on power ra head of the communist party congress later this year he's likely to respond forcefully to foreign policy changes. north korea came in ninth on the list. the paper says the country is closer to mastering miniature warheads and intercontinental with stick missiles that c

the official told nhk the purpose would be to fortify between the u.s. and japan. mattis emphasized the u.s. alliances with other nations since he took office last friday. he told officials he will work to reenforce ties with allies. he also spoken by phone with counter parts in bring pain ata canada. trump said during his election campaign that japan should pay more to keep u.s. troops in the country. >>> u.s. president donald trump is calling for auto makers to invest and create jobs in his country. japan has unveiled the u.s. investment plans. we have details on that and other business headlines. executives at toyotas say it will to upgrade and create 400 more jobs. it is part of their plan to invest $10 billion in the country over the next five years. toyota officials say it is part of the strategy to build vehicles where they are sold. more than 400,000 vehicles rolled off the plant lines last year, the biggest number in 20 year history. donald trump criticized toyota's lan to build in mexico before his inauguration. the car maker executives stressed they are

nhk world. >> that's the latest in business for this hour. here is a check on markets. >>> onto other stories. a company agent through it into a cooking pan to extinguish the fire. participants hurled fire extinguisher into a burning shed to put out the flames. >> translator: the product is very user friendly. one or two of these can help a housewife extinguish a kitchen fire easily. >> translator: the response from locals was much more positive than i expected. >> every year nearly 2,000 people are said to die in building fires. many of which break out because of cooking or short circuits. >>> experts have tested the limits of a self-flying drone in northeastern japan. the mission was to deliver soup to people 12 kilometers away. the device took off and flew at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour. it can travel to a set target on its own without remote control. officials from the industry ministry say the delivery is the world's first by a self-driving or rather self-flying drone with rotors over a distance of more than ten kilometers. governm

takuma yoshioka, nhk world, hong kong. russia, turkey and iran say they've agreed to ensure that a cease-fire is observed in syria's civil war. the bloody conflict is in its sixth year. they issued a conference wrapping up two days of peace talks in the capital astana. >> to establish a trilateral mechanism to ensure full compliance with a cease-fire, prevent any provocations and determine all modalities of the cease-fire. >> the statement said a u.n. security council resolution should be used for negotiating a political settlement. russia and iran support the government that president bashar al assad while turkey backs the opposition forces. russia and turkey led the talks. the representatives of the syrian government and opposition forces were not present when the statement was released. the negotiations were aimed at consolidating the cease-fire that came into force in december. the syrian observatory for human rights says more than 300 civilians have been killed since the truce took effect. opposition forces accused th