more to come here on nhk "newsline." so stay with us. >>> vietnam is a country covered in dense forest and tropical jungle. but beneath the surface is a hidden world. in 2009, a team of cavers explored a vast cave beneath the hills of northern vietnam. the following year, it was certified as the largest cave in the world. now they've returned, hoping to map the last 500er

edition of "newsline." more to come here on nhk, so don't go away. >>> india's new prime minister is getting down to work at home and abroad. >>> and reporters target a state-owned bank. they work for state-owned media. what's the catch? >>> hello. you're watching "asia biz forecast." i'm yuko fukushima. india's prime minister, narendra

welcome to "newsline." >>> japan's prime minister is traveling to three countries, new zealand, australia, and new guinea. >> translator: i want to make adjustments all at once. there will be significant revisions. i'm appointing a new minister to be in charge. abe said the legislation would cover issues related to collective self-defense to gray zone incidents. the term refers to infringements that are not recognized immediately as hard to tax. >>> last tuesday cabinet members agreed to reinterpret the constitution. the right to collective self-defense. abe said the sole purpose to best prepare japan, protect the citizens and the peaceful way of life under the constitution. abe is seeking other ties with economic issues and security. he's left japan for a week-long tour of three countries new zealand, australia. abe is scheduled to meet with prime minister toni abbott on tuesday. the two leaders plan to sign an economic partnership agreement and a deal to develop defense equipment. >> translator: two countries share in similar values and a strategic interest. i hope to develop a special

welcome to "newsline." >>> japan's prime minister is going to create a ministerial post to help realize his government's new security policy. he will be in charge of legislative changes needed to bring the policy into effect. >> translator: i want to make wide ranging legislative adjustments all at once. there will be significant revisions. i'm planning to appoint a new minister to be in charge. >> abe said the legislation would cover issues ranging from matters related to collective self-defense to gray zone incidents. the term refers to infringements that are not recognized immediately as armed attacks. >>> last tuesday cabinet members agreed to reinterpret the constitution. the change would allow japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense. abe said the sole purpose of the decision is to best prepare japan, to protect its citizens and their peaceful way of life under the constitution. abe is seeking closer ties with other leaders on economic issues and security. he's left japan for a week-long tour of three countries in oceania, new zealand, australia and papa new guinea.

we'll keep you updated on all the world cup action right here on "newsline." more to come, but first, let's take a look at world weather. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> an annual event showcasing japanese pop culture is attracting huge crowds in the suburb of paris. young people wearing the costumes of their favorite characters posed for photos. the 15th japan expo has more than 700 booths. ♪ musicians played a fusion of rock and traditional tunes. some fans of japanese culture battled it out in a karaoke contest. they performed theme songs from anime hits. the organizers expect about 260,000 visitors. >>> so if you plan to be in paris today or tomorrow, do check out japan expo. for all of us here on "newsline," thanks for watching. >>> the kingdom of bhutan, a small landlocked country tucked away in the south eastern himalayans with a population of 700,000. before joining the united nations in the early '70s bhutan had virtually no diplomatic relations with the outside world. bhutan is the only country with tibetan buddhism and most are followers with prayer b

>>> hello and thanks for joining us here on "newsline." i'm james tengan in tokyo. >>> north korean leaders taking steps to show their probe into the fate of abducteded japanese nationals is serious. they've laid out their investigation plan and are calling for cooperation from counterparts in tokyo. negotiatorors in pyongyang announce they formed a special committee. they'll investigate the cases of abductees and other missing japanese said to be in north korea. >> translator: the purpose of a special committee is to investigate and clear all problems related to the japanese abductions this year. the team has an unprecedented amount of power. >> the country's envoy for normalizing relations with japan son il ho, said they have the authority to investigate all government institutions. he's calling for the two nations to share necessary information. he says the probe will require reciprocal interviews and trips too gentleman to japan. son says they're needed to speak with relevant people and see pertinent places. analysts say his request is

>>> hello and welcome to "newsline." i'm james tengan in tokyo. >>> israeli military officials have resumed offensives in the gaza strip. they say hamas militants ignored a 24-hour humanitarian cease-fire requested by the united nations. the israeli military issued a statement saying it will resume aerial naval and ground activities. nhk crew in the area report they hear heavy shelling from several locations. >> translator: i want the two sides to make a truce. the current situation is critical. >> translator: the hope for a truce, which gives us an ordinary life. we don't want a short truce. >> the two sides entered a u.n.-brokered 12-hour truce on saturday. israeli leaders decided to extend that until the end of sunday or 2100 utc. but israeli forces continued checking underground tunnels during the cease-fire period. hamas resumed firing rockets towards israel. a spokesperson for the group says they will not accept another truce unless israel withdraws its troops. more than 1,000 people have been killed in gaza since

edition of "newsline." >>> welcome to "viewers choice." today we bring you an encore broadcast of "living beyond boundaries: japan and china." here's a message from a viewer in vietnam. "not only are the stories featured in the program well selected and provide insight into the lives of citizens who live across borders, but the opinions and lessons learned from the stories are thought provoking as well." thank you. and here's the show. >>> asia is growing rapidly. while economic ties deepen, new political tensions are also on the rise. this program focuses on individuals who live beyond nationalnd

we'll keep you updated on all the world cup action right here on "newsline." more to come, but first, let's take a look at world weather. >>> an annual event showcasing japanese pop culture is attracting huge crowds in the suburb of paris. young people wearing the costumes of their favorite characters posed for photos. the 15th japan expo has more than 700 booths. ♪ musicians played a fusion of rock and traditional tunes. some fans of japanese culture i battled it out in a karaoke contest. they performed theme songs from anime hits. the organizers expect about 260,000 visitors. >>> so if you plan to be in paris today or tomorrow, do check out japan expo. for all of us here on "newsline," thanks for watching. >> welcome to "cool japan." so what do you think? >> so, today, i have a gift for you from all of us to show our great aappreciation for you always doing a great job. you just guessed it right. the rapid culture of japan is extremely cool. so, today's theme is wrapping. >> okay, but you know, these books seem awfully light. does it happen to be an empty

welcome to "newsline." cease-fire in gaza strip is still holding several hours after going into effect. the 12-hour truce between israeli forces and members of hamas began saturday morning. israeli media say the cease-fire is designed to help people in gaza get medicine and other humanitarian aid. they say israeli forces continue to search for tunnels built by hamas fighters for military purposes. health officials in gaza say more than 900 people have died in israel's current military campaign. they say most of the victims have been civilians. >> translator: the missiles have destroyed everything. i can't see where my house is. >> talks on establishing a longer cease-fire have been held in paris. u.s. secretary of state john kerry was joined by foreign ministers from britain, france, germany, italy, turkey, qatar, and the european union. at this point israel and hamas reportedly remain wide apart. hours before the cease-fire took effect an israeli air strike hit a residential building in gaza. rescuers succ

this is "newsline." >>> pro-russian militants in eastern ukraine are hampering government rescuers in their efforts to recover the bodies of victims of the downed malaysian airliner. countries are urging russia exert its influence over the militants who control areas around the site. 298 people from more than ten countries were on board the flight. the ukrainian government says the rescuers confirmed finding 192 bodies. but there are no reports on whether any of the bodies have been brought to a facility set up by the ukrainian government in the eastern region of kharkiv. ukrainian and u.s. officials say pro-russian militants shot down the plane with a soviet-era ground-to-air missile. they say the strike would have required a high degree of precision so the militants likely received support from russia. australia lost 27 of its nationals in the crash. prime minister tony abbott attended a memorial service for the victims on sunday. in an interview with reporters, he expressed frustration about the situation at the crash site. >> i made crystal clear my concerns and dissatisfaction wi

"newsline". >>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline". >>> foreign ministers and world powers are launching a new push to resolve a complex problem, before time runs out. they're joining stalled talks on iran's nuclear program in a bid to break the deadlock. delegates from iran and six nations have been meeting in vienna since earlier this month. they've been trying to hash out a final agreement by a deadline set for july 20th. iran's deputy foreign minister, abbas araqchi, said negotiators have agreed on more than half of the details. but he said they've made little progress on the toughest issues. araqchi said the sides remain at odds over how far iran should reduce its uranium enrichment program and disagree on the schedule for lifting sanctions that have hurt iran's economy. u.s. secretary of state, john kerry and his counterparts from britain, france and germany will join the talks. >> secretary kerry is coming is to sit down with the iranians and gauge whether they are ready to take some of the really critical choices they're going to have to take here. >> harf said kerry will then ad

edition of "newsline." more to come here on nhk world, so don't go away. >>> the commonwealth of dominica. it is said that it was named after the day in the able of discovery when columbus saw it. it was a sunday or domingo in spanish. dominica is a small island country stretching 50 kilometers from north to south and 20 kilometers from east to west. with a population of about 70,000, its major industries are farmg

>>> hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> afghan electoral officials have released preliminary results for the presidential runoff. they say former finance minister ashraf ghani is leading the race to replace hamid karzai. officials say ghani has more than 56% of the votes. they say former minister abdullah abdullah has just over 43%. abdullah got the most votes in the first round of the election but fell short of an outright majority. he's accused electoral officials of fraud. he says he won't accept any result unless there's a full investigation. commission officials have admitted that senior members of the security forces and high-ranking government officials engaged in vote rigging. they say they'll announce final results after an investigation. the two candidates have different ethnic support bases. a disputed result could widen the country's ethnic rift. >>> iraqi lawmakers have postponed the next parliamentary session. the body is under pressure to form a national unity government amid vio

>>> hello and welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. >>> a malaysia airlines jet has gone down in eastern ukraine. russia's interfax agency reports the ukrainian interior ministry is saying the plane was shot down. flight mh17 was flying from amsterdam to kuala lumpur. the boeing 777 jet had 280 passengers and 15 crew members onboard. it left amsterdam shortly after noon local time on thursday. the airline says the plane's last known position was over eastern ukraine about 50 kilometers from the russian border. russia's state-run media has aired footage it says was taken at the crash site. it shows fires and debris scattered across a rural area. images also show the red and blue stripes of the airline's logo. russia's interfax agency quotes a top leader from the pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine as denying any involvement in the attack. he added they do not possess any we commercial airliner. but ukrainian media say a high official from the s national security council says the rebels a

this is "newsline." it's been three days since the malaysian airliner was shot down over ukraine. frustration is mounting among families as pro-russian militants have been hampering recovery efforts, but now they have agreed to turn over the bodies they recovered from the crash site. there were 298 people aboard flight mh 17. all are believed to have perished in the crash chld pro-russian militants are accused of using a soviet missile to bring down the plane. they say that they likely received support from russia. 192 bodies have so far been found. pro-russian militants took 30 bodies to a town and refused to turn them over. they agreed in principle to turn over the body. the head of the investigation says that the bodies will be kept in freezers so that relatives can identify them. australia lost 27 citizens in the tragedy. international criticism is mounting over the slow progress in recovery and identification of the remains. >> i make crystal clear my concerns and dissatisfaction with the way this is being handled. russian-controlled territory, russian-backed rebels, quite li

"newsline," on the hour every hour from nhk world. ♪ nhk world tv from japan. >>> you're watching "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> an earthquake with struck off the coast of fukushima prefecture on saturday. the meteorological agency issued a tsunami advisory for coastal areas.

>>> thank you for joining us on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. >>> hundreds of thousands of people in southern and western japan are taking cover under the threat of a powerful typhoon. >>> iraqi lawmakers can't agree on a way forward even as they face a threat of militants pushing towards the capital. >>> and u.s. and chinese officials are getting ready to sit down together to narrow their differences over trade, security, and spying. >>> japanese weather officials say it may be one of the worth storms in decades. typhoon neoguri is bearing down on okinawa. the warnings are in effect for the main island of okinawa and me yak coa island in the south. local authorities issued an evacuation advisory for 480,000 residents throughout the prefecture. officials at the okinawa power company say 22,000 households were without try trystity on tuesday morning. airline companies have cancelled all flights to and from the islands. the typhoon has also forced public schools to close. let's get the details from mai sh

>>> hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> indonesians have cast ballots to choose their next president. the official results aren't in, but the two frontrunners have both claimed victory. the standoff is raising concerns of instability in the country. nhk world's jun yatsumoto reports. >> reporter: just a few hours after voting closed, joko widodo claimed victory in front of a large crowd. as joko has appeared waving to the crowd, so many supporters are here cheering, celebrating his victory. >> reporter: and his rival candidate, prabowo subianto, celebrated his own win. >> reporter: indonesia's election commission will take about two weeks to officially declare the results. and the new president will not take office until october. for now, both candidates are relying on independent, quick counts. the tallies are from sample votes cast around the country. outgoing president susilo bambang yudhoyono urged both sides to restrain themselves. he also asked not to allow their supporters to declare vic

>> it's time now for "newsline." u.s. president bbarack obama is searching for who's responsible for the plane shot down by pro-russian separatists. >> evidence in the case that the plane was shot down by a surface to air missile that was launched by russian-backed separatists inside of ukraine. over the past several weeks, they have shot down a plane and a ukraine helicopter. >> the plane was carrying 219 people and all are believe today be dead. nearly 70% of the passengers were dutch. >> president obama suggested rebels in ukraine have the ability to bring down an airliner. >> this includes arms and training. >> obama said russia, the russian-backed separatists in ukraine should adhere to a cease fire to allow international investigation. >>> a spokesperson says it was shot down using a russian-made missile. they've unvailed a video carrying a truck towards russia soon after the crash. they say the truck was heading to the russian border in the lohansk region. they're reported analyzing the pictures. they've posted a m

. >>> thank you for joining on this edition of "newsline." i'm raja p rchl adahan with the news from tokyo. >>> ukrainian authorities and pro-russian separatists accuse each other of shooting down malaysia airline plane. flight mh-17 with 298 onboard went down in eastern ukraine on thursday. officials in kiev say the plane was hit with a surface missile launched by separatists, but the separatists say it was ukraine's fault. nhk world's kurando tago reports. >> reporter: the charred wreckage of the boeing 777 is scattered over a large area. search and rescue crews are combing through the site, but no survivor has been found so far. malaysia airlines officials say the plane was carrying 283 passengers and 15 crew members. the passengers were from at least ten countries, including the netherlands, malaysia, and australia. flight mh-17 left amsterdam on thursday headed for kuala lumpur. in the eastern ukraine region of donetsk where the jet went down, government forces and pro-russian separatists have been fighting since april. on july 14th, ukr

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> aviation authorities have lost contact with an air algerie passenger aircraft. flight ah-5017 was en route from the capital of the west african nation of burkina faso ouagadougou to algiers. airlines officials say the plane went missing while passing over the country of mali. they say the jet changed course to avoid a possible crash with another plane in bad weather. the plane disappeared from radar 50 minutes after it took off early thursday morning local time. the airliner is reported to be carrying 110 passengers and six crew members. the air algerie aircraft is a mcdonald-douglas md-83. >>> world leaders are struggling struggling to broker a deal to end the conflict enter gaza. israeli troops are pushing their offensive in the area. palestinian authorities say the death toll from the fighting is climbing above 700. u.s. secretary of state john kerry met with palestinian president mahmoud abbas to associate a cease-fire. he also met face to face with i

"newsline." it's monday, july 21st. a national holiday japan. i'm catherine kobayashi tokyo. >>> ukrainian government officials are trying to piece together how a malaysian passenger plane was shot down over eastern ukraine. they say the flight recorders are critical to their probe and the russians say they will not hand them turnover ukrainian authorities. investigators have tri to the crash site of f mh-17, but pro-rusan separatists who co in eastern ukraine hav blocking their access. the separatists lead donetsk said what the separatists think are recorders are being ke securely under their con they told a news c the so-called black only be given to experts >> translator: we are hand over to the inter aviation organization. >> ukrainian governmen officials fear that if pro-russian separa the flight recorde destroy the evidence.yi 298 people onboard all of them are believ dead. ukrainian deputy prime grossman said that 219 have so far been found crash site. he said most of them h put on a refrigeration train. but the militant train move. >> tr

>>> hello and welcome to nhk world "newsline." i'm raja pradhan with the news from tokyo. >>> israeli leaders have given a nod to a cease-fire plan proposed by egypt to end the conflict in gaza, but members of the islamic fundamentalist group hamas say they won't accept the plan before their demands are met. the israeli military has carried out air strikes on gaza for a week. military officials say the targets include locations where hamas militants fire rockets toward israel. palestinian authorities say 183 people were killed, many of them were civilians. the egyptian government presented a cease-fire plan on monday. it urges both sides to halt all attacks within 12 hours from 9:00 a.m. local time on tuesday. it also calls for negotiations to bring about a long-term truce. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and members of his cabinet held an emergency meeting on tuesday morning. >> translator: we agreed to the egyptian proposal in order to present an opportunity for the demilitarization of the gaza strip, the missiles, the

>> welcome to "newsline." >>> people in japan began their day with an earthquake and news of a possible tsunami that struck off the coast of fukushima prefecture. the japan meteorological agency has issued a tsunami advisory for the coastal areas of fukushima, iwate and miyagi prefectures. the earthquake struck at 4:22 a.m. and shook a wide area of eastern japan. meteorological officials issued a tsunami advisory. they're warning other earthquakes could follow and urging to be cautious. agency officials are urging people to be cautious. height of up to 20 centimeters reached the prefectures. no reports of abnormalities of the fukushima plant. the officials in fukushima prefecture report three people fell during the earthquake. the government says it has no reports of abnormalities at the fukushimi daichi plants. the prefecture government opened evacuation centers. 550 people evacuated to safer places including higher ground. >>> he had been in touch with world leaders, including the u.s. president, barack obama. he had no international pressure. he said no international pressure will pr

>>> hello you're watching "newsline." video footage of the self-proclaimed leader of islamic militants in iraq has been posted on the internet. the video was release on saturday and allegedly shows the leader of the muslim community, he's wanted by the u.s. government for involvement in a number of militant attacks. the footage was reportedly shot on friday at the mosque in mosul and shows him ordering all muslims to obey him as the leader of an islamist state. the militant group claims includes parts of iraq and syria. local media say he may have been injured in a government air raid near the border with syria. security experts say the speech is apparently seen as an tempt to encourage supporters and the man in the video may be an impostor 46 indian nurses that successfully returned to their home country after being caught up in a fierce battle between islamic militants and government forces in iraq. a special civilian flight on saturday brought the nurses home to the city of kochi in southern india. their arrival and re

>>> hello, and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm ross mihara in tokyo. >>> u.s. president barack obama has turned up the pressure on russian president vladimir putin over his ties to the people suspected of shooting down a malaysia airlines jet. he said putin must show he supports a full and fair investigation. obama said the russian leader has an extraordinary influence over separatists who are blocking the work of investigators at the crash site. >> given its direct influence over the separatists, russia, and president putin in particular has direct responsibility to compel them to cooperate with the investigation. >> obama also said it's time for russia to pivot from the strategy they've been taking and get serious about ending the hostilities. u.s. secretary of state john kerry on sunday said there was evidence of russian complicity in the attack. >> we are not drawing the final conclusion here, but there is a lot that points at the need for russia to be responsible. >> russian president putin released a video statement on monday warning leaders of other coun

>>> welcome to "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. leaders in tokyo are keeping a close eye on north korea's probe into its abductions of japanese nationals. they say they may send officials to check on the investigation. leaders in pyongyang announced they'd formed a special committee. investigators will investigate the fate of abductees and other missing japanese thought to be in north korea. the country's envoy for normalizing relations with japan son il ho said they have authority to investigate all government institutions. the japanese government responded by lifting some of its sanctions. leaders will keep a close watch on the investigation. they're expecting the north koreans to issue their first report in late summer or early fall. they'll establish communication channels with north korea and they'll consider whether to send a team to interview sources and visit relevant locations. >>> iraqi prime minister nuri al maliki is vowing to seek a third term in power. he's defying a chorus of critics demanding he step down. some iraq

welcome to "newsline." palestinian officials say five days of israeli air raids in the gaza strip have left more than 100 people dead. the israeli military carried out air attacks at more than 60 sites in gaza on saturday. the number of attacks has reached more than 1,100. health officials in gaza say the number of deaths caused by the attacks has risen to 114. about 900 people have been injured. israel says it is not targeting civilians. however, gaza health officials report that civilian casualties continue to rise. more than 200 houses have been destroyed by air raid explosions. they say a facility for the handicapped was bombed on saturday, killing two people. >> translator: there's almost no ordinary life in gaza. people go to prayers, but nobody goes to work. >> hamas and other palestinian militant groups continue to launch rocket attacks against israel. local media say a rocket fired from gaza hit a house in the southern israeli city on friday. an 80-year-old woman was seriously wounded. israel is am

>>> hello, and welcome to "newsline." palestinians are expressing outrage over news detaining how a kidnapped teenager died. the results of an autopsy suggest that the boy was found alive. a senior justice official with the palestinian authority says the 16-year-old boy was alive when someone set him on fire. the boy was kidnapped and killed on wednesday, in israel controlled east jerusalem. palestinians suspect it was an act of revenge for last month's murders of three israeli teenagers. israeli security officers beating a 15-year-old boy. the boy does not resist as the officers attack limb. the video said that being shot in east jerusalem one day after the murder. the boy's believed to be a cousin of the palestinian teen who was murdered. israeli authorities reportedly arrested the boy, a u.s. citizen of palestinian descent. fighters have set fire to hundreds of tankers outside kabul, afghanistan's capital. the group said in a statement that they targeted the trucks because they belong to nato forces. people reported he

. >>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." this is the latest at this hour. 46 indian nurses returned home after a fierce battle between islamic militants and a government force in iraq. >> a flight on april, it brought the nurses home to southern india. now the reunion broadcast live on television. the nurses were working in a northern iraqi city in tikrit. indian foreign ministry officials say the nurses were captured by an unknown group on thursday. government negotiators worked through diplomatic channels and local parties who secured their release. >> i'm so happy because i saw my children and they were so very happy. >> many indians worked in iraq. they are paying close attention to the escalating conflict. people living in china autonomous region are marking a somber anniversary under tight security. they are remembering an anti-government riot that took place five years ago. they deployed police officers around local markets. they also stationed kroops in a city center. ouigers staged a rally that turned into a series

>> hello, welcome to "newsline. >>> a human rights group said for than 250 prison fers have bn put to death. the group says government forces have killed 255 june any prisoners in six villages since june. eight of the victims were under the anyone of 18. the group says government fighters are said to carry owl the killings in retaliation. human rights watch says atrocities committed by the government should receive the same don dem nation as though carried out by insur gants. they're denying the killings say the report is inaccurate and unfair. >>> two old fields have been seized in northern iraq. the iraqi oil ministry said they took control of production facilities at the bai hassan and kirkuk oil fields. it denounced the action and urged them to immediately withdraw. the forces took control last month. this was after shia-led forces withdrew after an assault. for residents on whether to referendum to declare their independence. the iraqi state disintegrated. the government faces a sunni-led insurgency. >>> corn is growing worldwide that the conflict in the gaza strait may escalate.

"newsline." >>> the japanese government says north korea fired two ballistic missiles from the southwest near kaesong and travelled in a northeastern direction and likely fell into the sea of >> north korea fights from the facility southwest in the currentry. they likely fell into the sea of japan after traveling about 500 kilometers. this is the fifth time this year north korea has launched missiles. government officials briefed prime minister abe on the launches. abe has told officials to gather information and closely monitor the situation with the united states and south korea. >> translator: these launches violate u.n. security council resolutions so the japanese government lodged a stern protest with north korea. >> abe says he wants north korea to continue looking into the fate of the japanese nationals abducted by the north. the latest launches will not affect japan's efforts to resolve the issue. >>> diplomatic efforts to negotiate a cease fire are gathering support as the number of civilian casualties continues to rise as in enclave of the gaza strip. >>> former prime minister

>>> hello, you're watching newsline. i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. he is wanted by the u.s. government for involvement in a number of militant attacks. the footage was reportedly shot in a mosque. it shows him ordering all the muslims to obey him as the new leader of an islamic state. he declared the establishment of an islamic state last week. the claims include part of iraq and syria. security experts say the on-camera speech is apparently seen as an attempt to get supporters. >> 46 indian nurses have successfully returned to their home country after being caught up in a fierce battle between islamic militants and government forces in iraq. >> a special civilian flight on saturday brought the nurses home to the city of kochi in southern india. their arrival and reunion with family members were broadcast live on television. the nurses were working in a hospital in the northern iraqi city of tikrit when the violence intensified. indian foreign ministry official say the nurses were captured by an unknown group on thursday. government negotiators worked through diplomatic chan

us here on "newsline." north korean leaders are taking steps to show their probe into the fate of abducted japanese nationals is serious. they layed out their plan and are calling for cooperation from their counter parts in tokyo. negotiators in pyongyang said they have a committee. they'll investigate those thought to be in north korea. >> the purpose of the special committee is to discuss all problems related to the japanese abductions. the team has an unprecedented amount of power. >> the country's envoy for japan said they have investigating all government institutions. he's calling for the two nations to share necessary information. the probe will require interviews and trips to japan. the visits are needed to speak with relevant people and see pertinent places. leaders in trying to show that their probe is credible. past investigations have revealed that a set of remains returned by north korea were not those of an abducted japanese national. >>> leaders in tokyo are keeping a close eye on the north's

you're watching "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. people in northeastern japan started their saturday with a jolt. a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit eye watt ta prefecture. it was an after shock of the massive temblor that struck in 2011. the earthquake hit miyako city at 7:42 a.m. on saturday. officials at the agency say it was 49 kilometers beneath the pacific ocean off the coast of iwate. they say the quake measured 5.9 on the intensity scale of 0 to 7. no tsunami warnings were issued. the strongest quake since a 7.2 struck in december 2012. the quake on saturday temporarily suspended services of the tohoku train line. >>> leaders are keeping a close eye on north korea's probe into its abductions of japanese nationals. they say they may send officials to check on the investigation. leaders in pyongyang announced they'd formed a special committee. members will investigate the fate of abductees and other missing japanese thought to be in north korea. the country's envoy for normalizing relations with japan son il ho said they have auth

this is "newsline." >>> the israeli military has launched a landing operation early on sunday. the israeli military officials say troops landed in northern gaza to destroy a launching facility for long-range missiles. four israeli troops were wounded. though blocked the landing, but three of the fighters were killed. in a televised message, hamas warned the israelis of further attacks. they fired nine rockets toward tel aviv. es real is stepping up efforts to eradicate the launch areas in gaza. >> translator: i didn't want to leave, but my house was burned down in an israeli military attack. >> the israeli air force dropped leaf lolets warning people to evacuate by sunday afternoon. in gaza, authorities say more than 1300 israeli air strikes have killed 160 people and injured another 1,085 since last tuesday. they say many of the wounded are women and children. on saturday, an israeli war plane flattened the home of a gaza police chief and damaged a nearby mosque as evening prayers ended. at least 18 people were killed and more than 30 others were wounded in that attack. the is

>>> hello and welcome to nh krk nhk "newsline." >>> the israeli military has launched an offensive. they conducted a landing operation early on sunday. israeli military officials say the troops landed in northern gaza to destroy a facility for long-range rockets. the soldiers exchanged fire with hamas militants. four israeli troops were wounded. palestinian media say hamas blocked the landing, but three of its fireghters were killed. in a televised message on saturday, hamas warned israelis of further attacks. the islamist militant group fired nine rockets toward israel's largest commercial city, tel aviv. experts believe israel is stepping up its efforts to eradicate the launch sites in gaza in response to the palestinian offensive. >> translator: i didn't want to leave, but my house was burned down in an israeli military attack. >> the israeli air force dropped laef lets warning palestinians in northern gaza to evacuate to the south before sunday noon. this has raised speculation that israel will carry out a major offensive on northern gaza. >>> the number of civilian casualties c

>>> welcome back to "newsline." i'm kanako sack know. russian president vladimir putin is touring to bolster trade and security ties with the region. his visit may strengthen russia's influence over countries that are geographically close to the united states. he met castro on friday. he says russia has written off 32 billion d of cuba's debt from the soviet era. they account for 90% of cuba's total debt to russia. putin says the remaining 10% will be used for investment in cuba. the two leaders agreed to step up economic cooperation. putin then traveled to nicaragua nicaragua. he discussed ways to strengthen security cooperation with nicaragua's leaders. he's the first russian president to travel to the country that's known for anti-u.s. stance. on saturday the russian president was in argentina. he signed a deal with argentine leaders on building nuclear plants in the country. putin's next destination is brazil. he will take part in a summit of the group of emerging economies. >>> ukraine's president has canceled his planned visit to b

>>> hello and welcome to nhk "newsline". i'm keikichi haneda. 46 indian nurses that successfully returned to their home country after being caught up in a fierce battle between islamic militants and government forces in iraq. a special civilian flight on saturday brought the nurses home to the city of kochi in southern india. their arrival and reunion with family members was broadcast live on television. the nurses were working at a hospital in a northern iraqi city of tikrit when the violence intensified. indian foreign ministry officials say the nurses were captured bid an unknown group on thursday. government negotiators worked through diplomatic channels and local parties to eventually secure their release. >> i'm so happy, i tell my children and they were so very happy. >> many indians work in iraq and therefore friends and relatives are paying close attention to the escalating conflict. >> people living in china's uyghur region are marking a somber anniversary under tight security. they're remembering deadly anti-gover