gunmen stormed the consulate in libya on tuesday. they killed ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. the gunmen fired into the consulate in the city of benghazi. they threw handmade bombs into the compound, sparking fires. demonstrators in inn libya and elsewhere in the middle east have staged protests against a film made in the u.s. protesters say it blasphemes the prophet muhammad. >> the united states condemns in the strongest determines this attack. we will work with the libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people. >> obama said the attack will not break the bonds between the countries. the president of libya's national assembly apologized at a news conference in tripoli. mohammad garias acknowledged that film insulted the prophet muhammad. still, he said retaliatory attack cannot be tolerated. the film at the heart of the protests has angered people across the middle east. it depicts the prophet muhammad and includes scenes of sexuality. hundreds of egyptians protested for a second day in front of the u.s. embassy in cairo. authorities have sent in more security forces to watch them. >> translator: i'm deeply hurt, seeing the prophet insulted. the u.s. should give consideration to the sentiment of muslims. >> the protests spread to tunisia, jordan, and morocco. part of the film is now online. many muslims consider any depiction of the prophet muhammad offensive. the wait is over for those queueing up to see the latest lineup of products from apple. for more on that, we go to the business desk. r rahim, i have my suspicions but what's the mood like? >> a lot of excitement and people at apple really hoping they can keep a grip on the smartphone and tablet markets. apple's new iphone hits markets next week. it's bigger, faster and lighter, but will it be a hit? >> today, we're going to introduce iphone5. >> u.s. technology giant unveiled iphone5 at an event in san francisco. apple has changed the size of the iphone for the first time since launching the original in 2007. the screen is bigger and the body of the phone is slightly longer. the new model is also thinner and 20% lighter than the previous phone. with high-speed lte communications it transmits movies and other large-volume data files faster. the phone's new operating system enables better voice recognition and features an apple original mapping service. >> iphonef and ios6, the biggest things to happen to iphone since iphone. >> apple will start selling the phone on friday next week. the basic model in the u.s. will be priced around $199. now checking in on the markets. u.s. stock prices inched higher while european markets extended mixed in overnight trading. and that's investors remaining a little wary ahead of the u.s. central bank meeting which ends on thursday. now for more details we go to ching lee tour at the new york stock exchange. germany approved the eurozone bailout fund but markets still looking a little cautious. >> that's right. markets jumped after germany's court approved the european stability mechanism but pulled back somewhat after the -- on some caution ahead of the u.s. central bank meeting that takes place later today. let's take a look at how tokyo markets are opening this thursday morning. as you can see, both the nikkei and topix slightly lower. nikkei 8940. the topix down 0 2% at 740. the nikkei was at a 1 1/2-week high atyesterday's close as a weaker yen helped exporters. with the launch of the apple new iphone as you mentioned earlier, we may see iphone-rated stocks move today. as well as iphone partsmaker ramato manufacturing. >> if the u.s. central bank does take further easing measures, are we going to see a rally this week? >> ramin, most analysts are expecting the fed to take some action this time round but some analysts say that could take a form of the extension of zero interest rates for another year until 2015. that may disappoint some markets that are expecting more bond buying and assess purchases. let's take a look at how that's moving the currency markets right now. the dollar/yen is 77.77-85. euro/yen 100.38-43. the dollar is under some pressure against the yen on expectations of quantitative easing measures. the euro is higher against the yen following germany's approval the eurozone bailout fund. for the european central bank's bond buyout to work the countries involved do have to agree to reforms and supervision. italy and spain have so far found those terms unacceptable. if they don't apply for bailout assistance, the european bailout fund could prove to be ineffective and concerns of the credit crisis could resurface. for now it's all eyes on the fed's policy meeting later today. that will also affect the bank of japan's policy meeting next week and whether they take further monetary easing measures. >> thank you very much, ching lee tour at the tokyo stock exchange. income gaps may sway the outcome of the u.s. presidential election in november. 15% of americans earn a very low income and that's for a second straight year. the census bureau said on wednesday that 46.2 million people lived below the poverty line last year. that's defined as an annual income of $22,811 for a family of four. the poverty rate has been on the rise since 2007 when financial woes began to spread in the united states. the median household income was $50,054. that's down 1.5% from the previous year. it fell for a fourth year in a row. data on income distribution also shows that the richest 5% earn more than 20%, 22%, beg your pardon, of the country's income. this indicates the gap between the top and the bottom is getting wider. the jobless rate is hovering at over 8% and the wealth gap is expected to be a major issue in the presidential campaign as the economy continues to stagnate. and that's all for biz news for this hour. i'll leave you with a recap of the markets. foreign ministry officials from japan and china have met to discuss their row over islands in the east china sea. the japanese government bought the senkaku islands tuesday from a private japanese owner. japan controls the territory. china and taiwan claim the islands belong to them. the head of the japanese foreign ministry's asian affairs bureau met for two days in beijing with his chinese counterpart. a chinese foreign ministry statement says china urged japan to immediately correct what it called a mistake. the statement asks that they return to mutual understanding and resolve the dispute through dialogue. japanese embassy officials say the chinese insist that diplomats agree to shelf the dispute 40 years ago during talks on normalizing ties. the japanese say the chinese may want them to acknowledge the existence of a territorial dispute to allow the situation to cool down. demonstrators in beijing and shanghai have staged repeated protests and millions of people have posted comments on the internet criticizing japan. the japanese embassy is call is on residents and tourists to stay away from the demonstrations. people in japan have been debating nuclear energy since last year's fukushima disaster. the government is promising to review how the country sources its power. the draft of the new energy policy insists on using nuclear reactors as a transitional measure. the draft says the government will take various measures and direct resources so all reactors in japan will be halted by the 2030s. this implies that the government will do its best to promote renewable energy. the government's future energy policy will be based on three principles. limiting the operation of any nuclear plant to 40 years. the resumption of operations of plants to only those confirmed to be safe by the nuclear regulatory panel. and no building of new reactors. the draft also says reprocessing plants for spent nuclear fuel in northern japan will continue to operate. it adds that the government will find a location for the final disposal of nuclear waste. subcontractors at the stricken fukushima daiichi nuclear plant are struggling to get regular medical checkups. the health ministry halted subsidies for the checkups last december. that's when the government declared that the plant's reactors had been stabilized. during the depths of the crisis, the ministry designated the fight to bring the reactors under control as emergency work. it said plant workers were at risk from high levels of radiation. a subsidy program for subcontractors was set up to pay for the checkups. the december declaration removed the emergency designation. that disqualified workers from getting the subsidy if their accumulative level of radiation stayed below government-set levels. new workers are not covered either. but more than one 180 workers were exposed to a cumulative radiation dose as of july after the declaration. many cannot get the checkups without financial support from their employers. this worker is in his 30s. his cumulative radiation dose is 60 millisieverts. but last december it was 15 millisieverts so he's disqualified from the health checkup subsidy. >> translator: the ministry must think workers are dispensable. nobody would want to start working at the plant. >> the health ministry says jobs at the fukushima plant can no longer be considered emergency work. that means workers should be treated the same as at any other nuclear plant. a team of japanese experts is in myanmar to look at how to modernize the country's dilapidated railway system. it includes a loop line in the largest city and another linking the capital. officials from japan's land and transport ministry began a four-day survey with transport policy experts on wednesday. the team was briefed by myanmar officials at a national railway system. the officials explained that a lack of money and staff causes accidents and technical problems. they said trains are old and run infrequently. the team leader, a senior professor of the national graduate institute for policy studies, called the transport system situation bleak. but he said japan can help. >> translator: it's wonderful that japanese technology can help another country. >> back in japan, the team will work out a basic plan for providing help and seek ways to promote the export of railway infrastructure. north korea has refused an offer of emergency relief supplies from south korea. much of the north was inundated this summer after torrential rains and a typhoon caused widespread flooding and damage. there was also loss of life. more than 500 people were killed or remain missing. north korea informed the south about the refusal on wednesday. south korea's unification ministry had offered emergency supplies worth about $9 million. they included 10,000 tons of wheat and 3 million packages of instant noodles. north korea said in a statement it does not need the assistance. it said it wasn't satisfied with the items. north korea refused an aid offer from the south after a similar disaster last year due to dissatisfaction with the offered items. south korea apparently hoped to use the aid to initiate dialogue with the north and improve relations, but there now seems to be no such prospect after the refusal by the north. people in japan are working to find closure on an issue that dates back to world war ii. thousands of japanese died in what is now north korea. but more than half of the remains have not been repatriated. so a civilian group has flown to the reclusive nation to inspect burial sites in an effort to move things forward. nhk went with them. >> reporter: this man is 83. he's leading a civilian group of japanese expatriates from the korean peninsula. before the war ended, he lived in what is now north korea. he's visiting a district with a detention center known for its inhumane conditions. i'm in a corn field about a five-hour drive from pyongyang. last year, the north korean authorities discovered some remains of japanese people who died around the end of world war ii. an excavation uncovered the remains of at least one person. a coin dated 1941 was also unearthed. masaki is convinced there are more japanese remains here. >> translator: i waited for this opportunity for a long time. my wish has finally been fulfilled. we will remember the victims and offer prayers for them. i pray that you all may rest in peace. >> reporter: japanese from the korean peninsula around the end of the war could hardly take anything with them. about 20,000 are believed to still be buried in north korea. some japanese families want to visit the site and repatriate the remains of their relatives. yasushi kawamura is 80 now. he and his family returned to japan from north korea when the soviets invaded. kawamura was 13 years old. his father was drafted into the imperial army and was never seen again. malnutrition killed his sister when she was 1. >> translator: i vividly remember my sister being miserably hungry, craving and begging for food. she was starving. for 67 years she has been buried in north korea. during the severe cold. no one comes to visit her. she must have been weeping all these years. >> reporter: masaki visited four sites that would have japanese remains. he and the other members are hoping that it leads to repatriation of remains and visited to burial sites by japanese relatives. >> translator: there are so many others waiting to visit burial sites and pray for souls of their relatives like us. all i hope is that things move in the right direction. a whi flower called edelweiss was once in danger of being wiped out but conservation efforts have them growing again. now the flower's being used in cosmetics and medicine. >> i'm here at an altitude of 2,000 meters in the alps. as you can see, there's an edelweiss growing in the cliff. edelweiss and other flowers color the european alps. the name means "noble white" in german. a hit song mentions the flower, making it popular. around 12 million people come here every year to go hiking and enjoy the flowers. wolfgang bideu enjoys the mountains. he spent over 50 years guarding the edelweiss. the flower only grows in the wild above 2,000 meters. picking the flowers in the alpine region is prohibited. despite the ban, numbers fell at one point due to rampant picking. >> translator: we have been trying to stop anyone from stealing the flowers. some people even tried to attack us. >> reporter: before bedau joined his patrol, they had already been monitoring the edelweiss from 1935. the division has kept an eye on the flowers every day since then during the blossoming months of july and august. years of conservation activities led to a recovery of edelweiss numbers in the alps. about ten years ago, researchers began studying artificial cultivation. but growing the flowers was difficult outside the natural mountain conditions. researchers finally found a way. >> translator: i can now grow the ideal edelweiss through artificial cultivation. >> reporter: many products use the flower as an ingredient, now that it can be mass-produced. this cosmetic product uses edelweiss extract. some studies have found that the flower has whitening and anti-aging properties. 35,000 of the cosmetic products have been produced since it went on sale last year. >> translator: i didn't know there were cosmetics made from edelweiss but it seems like a good idea and worth trying. >> reporter: edelweiss is starting to draw attention for its medicinal properties too. researchers say the flower contains substances that can prevent cancer and hardening of the arteries. >> translator: the edelweiss is a very special flower for people living in the alpine region. it has a lot of potential. i'm sure it has other useful properties yet to be discovered. >> reporter: maybe a new song will be sung about the potential of the small mountain flower that has bloomed back to life in the harshountain ranges. nhk world, vienna. waves along the east coast of the philippines are getting choppy due to a typhoon. sayaka mori gives us the details in the world weather forecast. >> the outer band is starting to affect us. you're starting to see rain as well as rough sea conditions across the east coast but it will stay over the water so it's not going to make a direct impact on the philippines. it looks like it's going to move toward the north over the next few days and become a very strong typhoon and then reach the okinawa islands by sunday morning local time and head towards the korean peninsula or western japan. so stormy conditions are in the cards across the southern islands of japan as well as taiwan over the weekend. as for rainfall the bulk of the heavy rain should stay over the waters. but samba could inherent the typho typhoon, so intensifying showers the next couple of days. as for the rest of east air shark a tropical depression to the east of japan is dissipating so it's not going to produce any rain to japan. out toward the west a long rain band stretching from southeastern russia through the korean peninsula down toward southern portions of china. today the heaviest rain can be found 150 millimeters of rain has been reported over the past 24 hours. it looks like the system will slowly make its way towards the east. on and off showers will remain in the similar regions. temperatures are as follows. summer-like conditions in tokyo, 33, 6 degrees higher than where they should be this time of year. 22 in seoul. heading into the americas. we can see a long band stretching from quebec through the western great lakes down towards the four corners region, underneath the system. you are seeing heavy rain as well as thunderstorms. down towards the south we've got a newly developed tropical storm to the south of mexico. this will stay over the waters but bring ample moisture to much of mexico over the next several days. temperatures are as follows. you're going to see a sharp drop in temperatures in chicago. only 22. that's about 8 degrees or 7 degrees lower than tuesday. cooling down also in oklahoma city, 25. but out towards the east and west, looking like mid-summer. 31 expected in los angeles. 27 in seattle. out toward the east, 31 atlanta. and 29 in washington, d.c. finally, let's go over to europe. mostly wet and windy across the northwestern corner of europe. this is remnants of tropical storm leslie which made landfall in atlantic canada yesterday. it will move towards northern british isles as well as norway the next 24 hours. down toward the south we've got a more potent storm affecting italy. thunderstorms, gusty winds and even hail are possible into tomorrow. temperatures are looking like this. berlin cooling down to 17 degrees. and vienna only 12 degrees expected. still on the hot side in lisbon, 33 expected on your thursday. that's it for me now. here's your extended forecast. that concludes this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. thanks for joining us.