would a north korea look like? how would we know, you know, if we began to see a north creep leadership moving -- north korean leadership moving in that direction, and could it succeed? >> guest: yeah. well, you know, scott, i mean, you know, i have many friends that are china scholars, and when i talk to those friends, they are always on the mystic about north -- optimistic about north korea and the prospects. i never understood why. when you asked them say they it's very clear why they are optimistic because they studied china, and they have seen china come from where it came in the culture revolution and the great leap forward to being a country it is today, and think -- they think if a country like china can do that, certainly north korea can do that. again, two big differences here. the first is that china had ping. he was a charismatic leader, a larger than life figure. there is no ping in north korea. there's an inexperienced 29-year-old who is running the country now. he's no ping. that's the first problem.

has related to north korea's nuclear program? >> undeniably, and when we look at the situation, south korea is more important than any policy we have towards north korea south korea is a key ally for the united states today. it is a major partner in a lot of international issues around the world. they are a trading partner, all of these things make south korea extremely important to the united states in terms of position in asia. and i think there has always been a tension in the u.s. south korean relationship when it comes to north korea because we have different governments and a democracy in south korea. some of it tends to be more progressive. we see some that tend to be more conservative, which are willing to follow a tougher path with regard to the north. for the united states, you know, it is a question of sinking of whichever government is there at the time as they deal with the latest north korean crisis. for example, when i was in government during the bush administration, we have a progressive government in south korea

he is not in north korea. it's an inexperienced 29-year-old running the country now it's that is the first problem. the second problem is the chinese said to get rich and glorious and making money was okay even if it meant giving up a degree of political control, and for the current leadership at least for the foreseeable future there is nothing more important right now than political control and that looks to be the case for the last leadership and it looks to be the case of the current leadership. i think there are hopes that this young fellow and the new leader of north korea would spend part of his life in switzerland and secondary school but that he was hopeful that he might be, but again, given the recent crisis and the missile test and the field a deal that the obama administration tried to reach i don't think there is a lot of hope right now that he shows signs of being. maybe there's a military general somewhere in north korea that is unhappy with the current situation that is unhappy with a young lea

lee criticized north korea for denying involvement in the bombing and in the sinking of a south korean naval vessel in 2010. accusations of fraud were made against opposition lawmakers close to the north during a preliminary election that took place last month. analysts say lee apparently hopes to eliminate any influence on the part of the north in a presidential election to take place in south korea in december. >>> china's ruling communist party has expelled a former railway minister. the party's disciplinary watch dog found him guilty of corruption. the state run xinhua news agency said monday the party's central commission for discipline inspection will refer liu zhijun to prosecutors. the commission said he abused his power and received large sums of money as bribes. he oversaw investment in china's booming railway sector over the last decade. he was removed from his ministerial post in february of last year. the ministry came under harsh criticism after a fatal high speed rail crash last july raised questions about corruption in railway development projects. a government panel co

the government of myanmar at the time blamed the attack on north korea. president lee's historic visit comes as other countries, including japan and european nations also try to strengthen ties with myanmar. he wants to secure a foothold for south korea in this promising market, as it emerges after decades of isolation. >>> indonesia welcomed north korea's second-most senior official to jakarta on tuesday. indonesia is one of an increasingly small number of countries to maintain friendly relations with north korea. the meeting took place as international pressure against the north intensifies with speculation it's preparing a nuclear test. nhk world has the report. >> reporter: indonesian president held talks on tuesday with kim. the president of north korea supreme people's assembly. they agreed to boost mutual exchanges by senior officials, and work to increase bilateral trade. indonesia and north korea have enjoyed close relations, since indonesia's commitment to the non-align movement in the 1960s. international pressure against the north has increased

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

north korea posted a second vice leader is in north korea on an official visit. he is the ceremonial head of state. the trip comes after north korea oppose the controversial rocket launched -- north korea's controversial rocket launch. now this report from jakarta. >> this is kim, the second-in- command in no korea's isolated and autocratic regime. the north korean official was giving a state welcomed in indonesia in recognition of his importance. this visit was also about cementing economic and political ties. but officials were tight-lipped about the details of the talks between the indonesian president and the north korean leader. one theory is that north korea is reaching out to indonesia for its expertise on how to extract potentially lucrative mineral resources and that in return indonesia wants to play a more decisive role in helping north korea to engage with the world. but it has been challenging for indonesia to explain why it is pulling out the red carpet for north korea, a country that has been condemned by the international community for its human-ri

of illegal exports are finding their way to north korea. u.n. officials say a number of countries have been exporting luxury goods and potential missile parts to north korea. in violation of security council sanctions. it also says the deals are being made through china. a u.n. panel of experts recently compiled a report on how the sanctions against north korea are being implemented. the report notes north korea imported pianos from japan and planned to buy yachts from europe. it also cites cases in which items that could be converted for use in ballistic missiles had been exported to the country. the report promises to investigate allegations that the transport and launch vehicle for what appear to be a north korean intercontinental ballistic missile was purchased from china. the vehicle was displayed in last month's military parade. it also points to cases of forged documents and other illegal practices in the chinese port city of talian where the

air forces holds regular drills twice a year to prepare for the possible aift confrontation with north korea or attacks on the south's military bases. during one exercise, f-15 and f-16 jet fighters took off from south korea's air base. the pilots performed role play exercises taking the parts of ally or enemy. guided bombs were displayed at the air base. the weapons can be loaded on fighter jets to attack enemy aircraft or ships. >> and when we train together, we know that there's no force that can beat us. >> translator: any power that threatens peace on the korean peninsula will be thoroughly defeated. >>> the japanese economy posted an increase for a third straight quarter. the cabinet office said on thursday the japan's gross domestic product grew 1% in the january to march period compared to the previous quarter. that translates into an annual growth of 4.1%. personal spending rose 1.1% due to higher auto sales. this boost was supported by government subsidies for ecofriendly cars. public investment rose 5.4% as reconstruction in areas hit by last year's disaster boosted demand. and ex

at north korea. he spoke of unmistakable counter measures if north korea carries out the recent threats. north korean officials vow to launch special actions against nir neighbor. any say the aattacks will sh harsher thanle deadly shelling of the island in 2010. >> translator: we won't allow any provocations against us. we will retaliate with unmist e unmistakable countermeasures. >> he referred to the popular movements in arab countries that toppled long-term dictatorship. he said no kwone can deter this trend. he said north korea's new leadership under kim jong-un has a chance to change the country a's course. he called on north korea to abandon the military first policy since a failed missile launch in april, but the north has only hardened its stance. >>> japan and the u.s. have also agreed to step up collaboration in nuclear energy and natural resources. their governments released statements after a summit meeting in washington on monday. they say the two nations will set up a vice ministerial p

what are we defending against here north korea. the missiles that may or may deal with north korea, wherever they may be targeted. that could be east coast, midwest, or the west coast, as are the missiles in van denberg. they are mid range missiles. that is midair, halfway here. wherever they may be going. so we've got a missile system that's $5 billion. it's not necessary to defend against a nonexistent threat. let me also say that the russian missions are highly sophisticated and this system does not work against the highly sophisticated missile. so, why are we spending the money? i'll let those of you that vote for this answer that question. i think we ought to be concerned about the deficit. and we ought not unnecessarily spend defense money. with that i yield back the the time that was kindly given to me. >> gentleman yields back his time. chair now yields to mr. lanborne, the gentleman from colorado for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i could not disagree more with mr. garamendi. heard some of the same briefings, al

lee mum back has criticized people who support north korea. called on them to change their way of thinking. >> translator: the north is problematic, but pro north korea groups in this country to blindly follow the north are a greater problem. >> the president made the criticism during an address on his visit earlier this month to myanmar. he said he visited a site in yangon to mourn for the south korean victims of a 1983 terrorist bombing. the attack targeted then south korean president. he survived but 21 south koreans were killed including cabinet ministers. president lee criticized north korea for denying involvement in the bombing and in the sinking of a south korean naval vessel in 2010. oppositi oppositi opposition lawmakers were accused of fraud during a political election last month. lee wants to eliminate any influence on the presidential election in december. >>> u.n. arab lead kofi anan returned to syria to try to salvage a u.n. mediated cease fire. he's back in the country after government forces attacked near the central city of h

but after that, maybe north korea will move fast. because of the u.s., has a presidential election so very much hard to do, but north korea has two options. on the other hand, so they can launch another missile. they have two options but at the moment we don't know which options they will take. >> we'll have to wait and see what happens there. thank you very much, professor. >>> people in japan's northeast are focused on overcoming the challenges of the 2011 disaster. but it won't be easy. they have to rebuild homes, businesses, entire communities. we'll show you their struggles and their successes on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. japan time here on "newsline." >>> japanese scientists say cooling water may be look leaking from another reactor at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. they say the water level of the reactor's containment vessel far shallower than they previously thought. researchers at the government-backed japan nuclear energy safety organization analyzed the internal pressure and other data from the nu

e has called on north korea to abandon the military first policy since a failed launch in mid-april. the north has only hardened the stats. high unemployment and inflated deficit and now confirmation of a recession. things are not getting any better for spain. we are at the business desk with more. >> the picture is not looking so bright and spain had high unemployment. that could put more pressure on the country's bonds. spain's economy showed a second quarter of contraction that indicates they have entered a recession. the national statistics institute said on monday that from january through march was 0.3% from the previous quarter. the country is the fourth largest economy in the euro zone struggling to reduce the deficit, however as the country has now gone into a recession, they may be more difficult. meanwhile on monday, the u.s. agency standard and poor's downgraded on spain's 11 commercial banks by one or two notches. they include the two-notch downgrade on the sovereign rating and s&p said another downgrade is possible depending on the economic situation. now let's get a che

south korean defense authorities want to buy more military hardware to protect against threats from north korea. they're planning on spend inging several million dollars. the money will pay for the deployment of hundreds of new cruise and ballistic missiles. south korea unveiled the new cruise missile last month. the weapon has a top range of 1,500 kilometers. the decision to buy more hardware follows north korea's failed launch last month of what the regime designed as a rocket designed to carry a satellite. most countries considered it a missile. south korean military leaders have set a range limit for ballistic missiles of 300 kilometers in an agrment with the uned stes. some people in the country want that reach to be extended. >>> a major ratings agency has downgraded japanese bonds. stock markets have just opened here in tokyo. how are investors reacting to the news? >> catherine, japan is no stranger to downgrades. the latest may be shrugged off by stock investors. adding to the wait-and-see attitude may be wall street's performance overnight. american stocks retreated by the close. and

does north korea have one that works? no, they don't either. does iran have a warhead that would present a threat to us? no, they don't. this president has been very, very clear, they will not, and i would assume that should he not be president next year, the next president would also say the same thing. no, they will not have one. >> reclaiming my time, mr. garamendi. >> don't make it personal, sir. this is not about the west coast, but expenditure of american money. >> closure of the missile defense site that is within 300 miles of your district. i similarly think the people on the east coast believe that we should have a robust protection as we look to iran and the emerging threat. i certainly hope the people will vote to defeat the garamendi amendment, and not support the president's perhaps secret deal to diminish our missile defense capability. thank you. >> the gentleman yields back, the chair now recognizes the gentle lady from california, mr. sanchez for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to ask my colleagues to sup

they want to prepare for the possibility of a confrontation with north korea or attacks on military bases in south korea. the pilots say if those things happen, they want to be ready. nhk world, seoul. >> the time is short. iran must act with the seriousness and a sense of urgency that this demands. >>> the u.s. and allies are trying to force iran's leaders to abandon their nuclear program. they're using sanctions that include an oil embargo and bans on transactions with the iranian central bank. the obama administration has also started targeting small and midsized firms that do business with iran. the sanctions are having an impact. but some iranian companies are finding ways to get around them. nhk world shows us how. >> reporter: one of the largest oil exhibitions in middle east was held in tehran in april. despite eminent new sanctions, iran remains bullish, as eager as ever to promote its abundant oil reserves. >> translator: iran has one of the world's largest reserves of oil and natural gas. we are ready to sign contracts with many foreign firms at the event. >> reporter: but move

but north korea at least has two options. one, to a much more positive way, meaning to take moratorium on the nuclear ability. and also, they can launch another missile. so they have two options. but at the moment we don't know which options they will take. >> we'll have to wait to see what happens. thank you very much there, professor. >> yeah. >>> moving abroad to pursue a relationship can bring much happiness, and for some, much frustration. women born elsewhere who married japanese men and moved to the northeast have lived through those ups and downs. many face language barriers. many lack qualifications and they're having an even more difficult time since the earthquake and tsunami hit last year. nhk world has their story. ♪ >> reporter: this woman started working at this nursing care center last december. the people who live here include elderly people with physical disabilities. christina got the job after 20 workers quit. the tsunami destroyed their homes and they had to move. >> translator: it was really hard during

north korea. region agreement a concession to discover some reason to not make concessions it's better between washington and. the pacific. do you see a very clear shift in the service of the military. and it's curious at the same time we have hillary clinton. now saying that the china relationship is the most important in the world. make up their mind war news. right former australian diplomat gregory quark live with us on the line from tokyo we have broadband thank you. now the fate being forecast for another so-called rogue state iran is the topic of our exclusive interview coming up in about fifteen minutes we'll speak to israel's deputy prime minister about the ongoing furor golfing tehran's nuclear program here's a look at what's to come there are things that are against syrian nuclear capabilities by all players. from the west and other countries probably is on the table for it under the table thing for going or not everything should be made public but i think that the theory is better. it'

north korea says she died several years later. but they have not provided evidence to support the claim. >> to -- members of the european parliament should put in a strong message and signal to the north koreans. >> seven eu members have embassies in pyongyang. japan and the united states have no diplomat tic ties with north korea. concerns about the country's human rights are growing. the european parliament adopted a resolution in 2010 to urge north korea to improve its human rights situation. >>> yongung egyptians have protested against a veteran of the country's old regime. protesters are calling for nationwide demonstrations as several hundred people gathered at thahrir square. >> translator: it wouldn't be right if he becomes the president. i strongly oppose him. >> on monday, protesters set fire to the campaign office in cairo after the election commission announced that he would head into the run-off. muslim brotherhood candidate finished on top in the first round. >>> myanmar's opposition leader aun sang sue chi areferred

have read they've been used in north korea before so. i looked at some other web sites and according to the website of the diplomat the general neal told me he was misquoted by his publisher here of a reconnaissance on a reconnaissance office in north korea and he was he in that the web site mentions that he was referring to future war plans rather than current operations and i mean that has really made the situation any better and i think i think it indicates we've come to a really dark place with the obama administration and its foreign policy of you know news of the u.s. conducting a completely of the legion operation i mean it's a total suicide mission by the way you know a lot of people think well maybe that's pretty feasible maybe they are doing it i'm not quite sure i have my doubts because i think just to kind of operation would be too risky and i think the pentagon's plan is really diverting away from troops on the ground in special forces but you know i can't say for sure i'm good they're doing in pakistan and yemen as well so

north korea and iran would also develop various responses to the u.s. theater and national defenses by the time that they would flight test their missiles.

continues to stress that the system is not against russia like i said that it's against iran and north korea but russell just isn't convinced oh let's not forget that hot mike that we heard in south korea where obama told medvedev hang in there i'll be ready to compromise after the election and of course it's an election year in a lot of countries across the globe in twenty twelve and officials certainly understand matt so what we're going to hear most likely as this two day summit wraps up is baby steps we're ready for dialogue but how far both sides are willing to comp. you know it's still very unclear. let's go to the czech republic now one of the european states which was lined up to host parts of the u.s. led system but later scrapped the plan young tomas is there he's an activist from the humanist movement the international peace and nondiscrimination organization young thanks for being with us now why are the eastern european states such as poland and romania eager to holes parts of the american defensive system isn't there a worry of being a possible target if there is an escalation

south korea says it deployed cruise missiles that can strike any part of the north after north korea's failed attempt to launch a long-range missile last month. the north claims it was a rocket carrying a satellite. >>> north korea's second highest ranking official is scheduled to visit its close ally indonesia next week. na they're likely it to seek backing for their country as the north is further isolated internationally after the launch of what it called a rocket. the indonesian president's office said the president of the supreme people's assembly will make an official visit from sunday to wednesday. it will be kim's first visit to the country in seven years. he plans to meet the indonesian president on tuesday. the u.n. security council adopted a presidential statement condemning the launch for using ballistic missile technology. north korea and indonesia have enjoyed a strong relationship as part of the nonaligned movement. >>> sri lanka's government is trying to nurture a new generation of skilled workers. they're needed to rebuild the country's economy. sri lanka's 20-year-lon

a spokesperson at north korea's telecommunications ministry issued a denial calling the allegations an attempt to fabricate charges against the north. the telecommunications ministry cited the sinking of a south korean vessel in march 2010 as another example of fabrication. an international investigation blamed the north korean military for the incident which killed more than 40 crew members. >>> a crowded bus plunged into a river in central vietnam killing at least 34 people and leavings donees injured. the bus was traveling from dak lak province to the country's commercial hub ho chi minh city when it crashed through a bridge railing and fell about 18 meters. police say the accident occurred as the driver tried to overtake a motorbike. they say the bus was crowded with students and people traveling to ho chi minh city to look for work. overnight bus travel is one of the main forms of transportation in vietnam. authorities have been urged to take steps to make buses safer. >>> the head of a chinese trading firm has been sentenced to life in prison in connection with one of the country

south korea's president lee myung-bak warned of unmistakable counter measures if north korea carries out its recent threats. north korean military officials vowed to launch what they call special actions against their neighbor. they say the aingttacks will be harsher than their deadly shells of an island in 2010. >> translator: we won't allow any provocations against us. we will retaliate with unmistake bl countermeasures. >> lee referred to the popular movements in arab countries that have toppled long-term deck tatorships. he says no one can deter or reverse this global trend even with powerful weapons. he also said north korea's new leadership under kim jong-un has a chance to change the country's course. lee has repeatedly called on north korea to abandon its military-first policy since a failed missile launch in mid-april. but the north has only hardened its stance. >>> myanmar on decision leader aung san suu kyi and other members of her party have decided to end their boycott of parliament. they plan to swear an oath to safeguard the country's pro-military constitution. aung sa

defense system is against iran and north korea now after the crash of the north korean rocket it seems that. can be excluded so it's now about iran but i've heard today that under circle to. the of state of the u.s. . allegedly according to my to my sources the information told today in moscow the u.s. is ready to offer of the gun. about this deployment system in the sense that it's not going to be against russia so we are interested in such reaching by this agreement seems like it's taken quite a long time i mean washington still has and you said this came out today they still haven't given that cast iron a written guarantee that it won't breach its national security and so very interesting now moscow you refer to iran and north korea it does say that the idea that iran and north korea can pose a nuclear threat to europe that it's fiction do you think that is. a scholar professor but i'm not the expert dean in the military aspect or once we heard the system vote on this. has been deployed in kaliningrad area and there is a likely that. they scanned that in science. the nuclear warhead

but help north korea. and it is not reassuring that the person who led those talks in the clinton administration is leading the american delegation in these iran talks. because i believe we've never seen a real explanation of a kind of what i think went wrong from wendy herman, who is lead the talk. so as i look at the north korea example under clinton, bush and obama, it seems to me it's a kind of catalog of how talks can be used by a country that is developing a nuclear weapons program to continue the program year after year after year, rather than a model of successful diplomacy for us. >> one other thing. please go ahead. >> can i reply? yes, by all means. >> thank you. president bush and secretary rice authorized ambassador hill to meet the advice foreign minister on several occasions. and wendy sherman when she was in the clinton administration. here's the larger point i'm trying to make. if there is a reasonable prospect that the united states or israel might go to war withish awit withish iran and

continues to stress that the system is not against russia like i said that it's against iran and north korea but russia just isn't convinced oh let's not forget that hot mike that we heard in south korea where obama told medvedev hang in there i'll be ready to compromise after the election and of course it's an election year in a lot of countries across the globe in twenty twelve and officials certainly understand matt so what we're going to hear most likely as this two day summit wraps up is baby steps we're ready for dialogue but how far both sides are willing to compromise is still very unclear. let's now go to poland a country down to host parts of america's defense system there we're joined by the vice chairman of even ski. now mr vincent what consequences might russia face if it ever launched a preemptive strike against the u.s. a shield planned in europe. well first of all i don't personally being a scholar. as well as a politician we don't know all the details so know what is going on during that conference that started today in moscow and is going to be prolonged to morrow. polish r

policy on north korea really. really wasn't exacerbating the threat from some people more than anything else and the building of simultaneously building up the military occupation of the cells various ways as part of the u.s. policy pivot to asia i want to emphasize that the legal infrastructure is already in place at the moment to apply a very belligerent policy to north korea ensured that including foreign occupation of true occupation and preemptive nuclear strikes no that sounds a bit extreme but given a second here to back it up in two thousand and nine big chance on foreign relations released a policy paper and title preparing for sudden change in north korea advocated stationing four hundred and sixty thousand troops inside host regime north korea if the regime were to collapse for whatever reason to maintain security and to capture pyongyang's w m d's so this sounds like a recipe for disaster certainly and the same pretext i want to point out can be applied to you wrong and any other country which is basic

iran and north korea continue to gain capability that is going to reach the united states. we have to act now to respond to that. as we look to 2015 for the prospects of having that capability available, we will be glad that we did. i cannot imagine sitting in this committee and being a member of the committee, in 2015, looking at an icbm capable iran, icbm capable korea and say "i could have put something there to protect the united states but i decided not to because i thought they might not get there fast enough." we need to get there fast enough. we should owe pose the president secret deal with the russians, oppose this amendment, and support missile defense and the national security of our homeland. >> the gentleman yields back. the chair now yields to mr. andrews. the gentleman from new jersey. five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. we have two things i think going on here simultaneously. we have a diversionary political discussion and we have an important substantive question. the diversionary political discussion is this alleged secret deal the president has wit

is trying to destabilize north korea and if you north korea actually destabilizes that mess is going to fall in china's lap and they don't need that and they don't want that and very briefly now both sides are fundamentally and are interdependent economically we can say just how far can they afford to push each other. that's the big question and i think neither side would actually like to move to a point where there might be a good kegel war but the problem is if you have this military buildup sometimes mistakes happen and in this world where we're talking about nuclear power. you know nuclear weapons eccentric mistakes can be can be very major so this concerns me i want to be concerned about the arms buildup not just between china and the united states but other asian powers as well and the kind of growing feel that this looks a lot like the cold war of the one nine hundred fifty s. and the one nine hundred sixty s. with their sense of trying to kind of enclosed in contain china as the united states trying to contain russia all right dr kahn holland a columnist for the foreign polic

north korea? the missiles that may or may not work in alaska are as of agreed designed to deal with north korea wherever they may be targeted. it could be used coast, might cut -- midwest, or the west coast as are the missiles in vandenberg. it is not only to protect the west coast. they are midrange missiles, made air, half way here wherever they may be going. we have a missile system that is $5 billion and is not necessary to defend against a nonexistent threats that may or may not work. i also said that the russian missiles are highly sophisticated and the system does not work against a highly sophisticated missile. why are we spending the money? i will let those of you who vote for this answer this question. i think we should be concerned about the deficit and we ought not on necessarily spend defense money. i yield back the time that was kindly given to me. >> the chair now yields to mr. langborne. >> i could not disagree more. we have heard some of the same briefings although we have not all

denies sending special forces to spy inside north korea but the journalist who want to cover the story says the pentagon is on a mission of damage control. this is r.t. with me rory sushi welcome to the program wiki leaks founder julian assange now looks set to be extradited to sweden after losing an appeal in britain supreme court he's wanted in the scandinavian country for questioning of a sex crime accusations which the whistleblower himself strongly denies. the details from outside the courthouse in london. chilliness orange wasn't actually in court today when that judgment was passed rejecting his appeal against that extradition to sweden but it's not over yet he's being granted a fourteen day extradition stay with us while his legal team try to get an appeal to reopen cases now that is a key point told us some of the point that were made in the judgment that they say they haven't had time to respond to you say that's the immediate steps that you're going to see taken if that fails then you could see julian assange and then put on that plane to sweden but it's very likely that you

he denied suggestions they are cooperate with counterparts in north korea on such a project. the president acknowledged officials in myanmar, bought conventional weapons from north korea before the two countries restored diplomatic ties five years ago. >>> she works in paint. the brighter, the better. has a passion for flowers and fruit and brings freight containers to life. those are the broad strokes of this week's "road ahead." the story of a shop designer who is adding a splash of color to a troubled town. >> reporter: dazzling oranges. luscious apples. this cheerful cafe is an oasis of color. in a town turned gray, this is a temporary shopping mall in rikuzentanaka. a shop designer has come to town. naoko is from iwate prefecture. she oversaw the cafe renovation. her mission is to brighten up the disaster area, one shop at a time. >> translator: i want customers to feel excited as they approach the shops and see all the bright colors. i want staff and customers to feel good when they see them. >> reporter: other shop owners are interested in using her talents. they gathe

envoy for north korea glyn davies spoke about the matter in tokyo with tokyo's abduction issue minister. davies says the six party talks on the north's nuclear development program should also deal with the abduction of japanese nationals. his country could provide humanitarian aid to north korea if authorities in the reclusive nation resolve the long-standing issue. he says bringing the abductees home has become a race against time for their aging relatives. davies says the u.s. will support japan's efforts to find closure. korea state run central news agency published a commentary indicating the north is not planning to conduct a test. the test was apparently -- the text was apparently a reaction to talks between japan, china and south korea in beijing. leaders from the three countries agreed to cooperate to prevent what they call provocative actions by the north. a similar decision was taken during a recent g-8 summit in the united states. the comment describes japan's actions as following hostile u.s. policies towas north korea. >>> the security situation in afghanistan is deteriorat

in zimbabwe we want to intervene in north korea while all along to starting to sound a lot like sarkozy some analysts point out that there may be no real teeth to such rhetoric this time around telling that he will only act with a u.n. mandate. it is. nothing nothing because though the. china and russia. we can be sure that he can he can do anything and as far as french people are concerned they don't care about the point but you see they'd rather their new president do something to put out the economic fire in their own backyard first and foremost tesser cilia r.t. brussels it's a good to have you with us here on r t today and still ahead for you in this program fact or fiction we speak with the author of an article which accuses the u.s. and south korea of deep level surveillance in north korea or even or a shooting in spies to report back on alleged underground military facilities. and president putin makes his first trip abroad since his recent inauguration heading for better or worse after ditching the g eight summit earlier this week. it's ten past here in moscow voters in ireland

the exercise is likely aimed at putting pressure on north korea. the annual drill called max thunder began on monday, west of the korean peninsula and will run through may 18th. south korea and the united states hold drills twice a year to prepare for possible air battles with north korea or attacks on military bases. a south korean defense ministry spokesperson says the exercise involves more than 60 aircraft including fighter jets, surveillance planes with early warning systems are also involved. south korea says it has deployed cruise missiles that can strike any part of the north, just after north korea's failed attempt to launch a long range missile last month. the north claims it was a rocket carrying a satellite. >>> in the off season, japanese born baseball star yu darvish moved to the major league team the texas rangers. baseball fans in japan and the u.s. have been watching his exploits. but they're not the only ones because darvish's father is from iran. he also has a small but keen following there. nhk world has more. >> reporter: in lat

south korea of deep level surveillance in north korea or even parachuting in spies to report back on the underground military facilities. that president putin makes his first trip abroad since his recent inauguration heading for better or worse after ditching the g eight summit here this around. ten past the hour here in moscow voters in ireland heading to the polls today and the referendum to decide whether or not to approve the european union's fiscal treaty driven by germany and controversially plan strict central control of the national budgets of member states who have signed up but opponents see it as a permanent austerity charter with many angry about surrendering power and sovereignty to brussels or smith reports. it's hope since choice ireland has two options is it goes out to vote on a fiscal pact with. e.u. to say yes to writing austerity into law and cede precious sovereignty to brussels say no and incur the wrath of the european central bank and potentially kissed goodbye to e.u. bailouts and it looks like it's going to be close the reason i'm voting yes this time is tha

invaded by where we were going to intervene in north korea while all along to starting to sound a lot like sarkozy some analysts. point out that there may be no real teeth to such rhetoric this time around yes turning that he would only act the u.n. mandate. it is nothing nothing because. china and russia. we can be sure that they can do anything as far as french people are concerned they don't care about foreign policy they'd rather their new president do something to put out the economic fart in their own backyard first and foremost yes or sylvia r.t. brussels. and still have for this hour here on our team facts or fiction part he speaks with the author of an article which accuses the u.s. and south korea of deep level surveillance and north korea even parachuting in spies to report back on on the ground military facilities. and president putin makes his first trip abroad since his recent inauguration having four bellers after ditching the g eight summit earlier this month. voters in ireland head to the polls today in a referendum to decide whether or not to approve the european uni