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Transcripts For KCSMMHZ Newsline 30min 20130305

james, in addition to these political appointments, delegates are also discussing a range of issues, one made international headlines has been the air pollution. what's the air been like since you arrived? >> reporter: well, it's only my third day here, gene, but i've already seen a huge contrast in the air quality. on monday the sky was blue and the air seemed clean but this morning it was hazy and i could actually taste the pollution. you know, this is one of the most visible side effects of china's rapid development over the past 30 years. a leading chinese specialist in respiratory diseases said last month the air pollution here is more dangerous than sars because nobody can escape it. smothered in soot, a thick haze engulfed beijing just days before the opening of china's most important annual political meetings. swirling around the smog are fine particles called pm2.5. chinese weather officials warned last week that levels of the hazardous pollutants were 10 to 20 times higher than world health organization safety standards. >> translator: i can't breathe well and my throat is sore. i feel like i'm not inhaling oxygen but poison. >> reporter: the u.s. embassy's pollution reading right now is 222, considered very unhealthy for humans. you can see the haze and it seems like i've got chalk in my mouth. but most people consider today a relatively good one because back in january the readings went up to 1,000. the worst in living memory. that's prompted even life-long beijing residents to take self-defense measures. they're flocking to pharmacies to buy face masks that are supposed to filter out pm2.5, but the supply can't seem to keep up with the demand. the pharmacy we visited only had children's masks in stock. >> translator: we've seen this fog-like weather quite often this year, so people are paying extra attention to their health. i think that's why demand for masks has surged. >> reporter: so people shopping around are shopping online. face mask sales on this website catering mainly to foreigners in china jumped eight-fold between january and february. >> because they don't know necessarily where to buy these pollution tested products and there's a trust issue as well. they want to know the products are safe, therefore they're going to do what they say on the box. >> reporter: people in china have gone online to vent about the bad air. many are demanding action from government leaders. authorities have put some measures in place. they're restricting the number of vehicles on the road and developing more sources of clean energy. but clearing the air permanently will be a long and arduous process. so, in the meantime, days like this are likely to continue across china for some time. and masks will continue to sell. >> james, tell us about what mpc delegates are planning to do about the pollution. >> reporter: you know, gene, during the 2008 summer olympics, the beijing government had some success in clearing the skies. it passed strict regulations that took half the vehicles off the roads on any given day and shut down factories before and during the games. mpc members are looking for long-term solutions. they're talking about improving laws to prevent air pollution. they say they'll strengthen supervision to make sure people abide by those laws. plus, they want to drop specific control measures on major pollutants and vehicle emissions. in january china's environmental protection ministry set a timetable for major cities to meet the national air quality standard by 2030. but over the weekend, one chinese official urged speedier action. he said people cannot wait that long for clean air. >> air pollution is one of the major issues mpc members will be discussing. their meeting opened today. how did things start off? >> reporter: outgoing premier wen jiabao outlined the accomplishments in the past decade and the challenges that lie ahead. i went to the great hall of the people to listen in. officially it was the government work report. but this was also wen jiabao's swan song, the last time he would greet the national people's congress. >> translator: we see it as necessary and appropriate to set this year's target for economic growth at about 7.5%. the goal we will have to work hard to attain. >> reporter: wen addressed public frustration with china's widening wealth gap and corruption. >> translator: we are keenly aware that we still face many difficulties and problems in our economic and social development. in particular, unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development remains a prominent problem. >> reporter: observers say wen jiabao's biggest move was shifting the government's main priority away from economic growth and refocusing it on improving people's lives. wen said people face serious pollution in air, water and soil. and he said leaders should adopt effective measures to prevent and control environmental degradation. mpc members considered other business on day one of their congress. they went over china's annual budget, defense spending increased by more than 10% to about $120 billion. it's seen double-digit growth almost every year since 1989. but this was premier wen's day and he set the tone for the year ahead. now china's new leaders face the challenge of achieving the goals he laid out. xi jinping is widely expected to be confirmed as president next week. that would give him the top three posts in china. leader of the government, the military and the communist party. wen is likely to pass the job of premier to current vice premier li keqiang. our beijing correspondent joins us. you were on hand at the mpc. premier wen talked about pollution and set goals for economic growth. what other points did he touch on? >> he looked back over the past decade and out lined the government's achievements. one he said making china the world's second largest economy. >> translator: china's productive forces and overall national strength have improved significantly. people's living standards and social security have made remarkable advances. our international status and influence have also improved significantly. >> but as we heard, wen says chinese leaders need to address a number of challenges moving forward. >> reporter: premier wen is seen as a supporter of political reforms. did he make any references to that? >> wen has spoken about political reform in the past but he didn't today. instead he focused on corruption and said government leaders must change. however he has raised questions about how he has behaved as a politician. a next times investigation last year suggested corruption during his time in office. they recognize the allegations. >> reporter: what about the increases in defense spending, how are the chinese leaders justifying that? >> they intend to boost the capability of their navy to protect china's interests at sea, including shipping lanes and maritime resources. they say chinese leaders are trying to modernize their armed forces. that includes development of a new fighter jet. government officials insist their defense quality is based on peaceful and defensive approach and that it should not be perceived as a threat to other nations. some experts point out, however, that both the breakdown of the defense budget and the objective of this increase in spending remain unclear. this spending comes as china continues to increase its presence in the east china sea and the south china sea. the country is involved in territorial disputes with japan and a handful of other nations. government leaders in asia are keeping a close eye on china's defense budget. >> reporter: thank you very much. delegates to the national people's congress are already discussing the issues premier wen raised and the budget plans for this year. on wednesday we'll hear from several top departments, including the national development and reform commission. that should give us a better idea of the direction the xi jinping administration could take. there are concerns about air pollution in china affecting the southwestern part of japan. officials in kumamoto prefecture have issued a health alert for the first time. the officials said the level of pm2.5 rose to 100 micrograms per cubic meter, higher than the government's daily safety standard of 70 micrograms. officials warned residents to stay indoors unless they have an urgent reason to go outside. some kindergartens were keeping children indoors. >> translator: we're not going outside today, okay? >> translator: boring! >> officials said many residents are asking how to check pollution data. several cities in near by yamaguchi prefecture have noticed high levels. cradle of culture, economic powerhouse, many enjoy the fruits of prosperity along the path to a new china. but millions are still missing out. and public discontent is growing. against that backdrop officials are choosing a fresh slate of government leaders. "newsline" correspondents will bring you full coverage of incoming president's new administration. don't miss "china, change and challenge" at 8:00 p.m. japan time. north korean military leaders are raising stakes in their on going show of defiance against south korea and the u.s. they're vowing to scrap the arm sift signed in 1965 that ended the korean war. they're responding to joint south korea-u.s. military drills that are currently under way. a senior military official with the korean people's army made the announcement on state-run tv. the statement denounces the joint drills which began last friday and will last two months. it says the armistice will no longer be in effect as of march 11th. it also says north korean representatives who are stationed at the demilitarized zones dividing the two koreas will spend their activities as liaison officers. the statement says authorities in pyongyang are willing to take substantial measures against the south korea-and u.s. drills. the korean warm ended with an arm stist leaving them technically in a stast war. government officials in venezuela say president hugo chavez's condition is worsened. he is fighting new complication after cancer surgery. he has a weakening immune system. supporters are praying for his recovery at a chapel in the hospital. the president underwent his fourth operation in cuba in december. he returned home last month. protesters took to the streets raft weekend providing the government provide information on the president's health. chavez was re-elected in october. his inauguration ceremony was scheduled for january but has been postponed. panasonic is planning to use money from the sale of their building to strengthen their financial base. panasonic signed an agreement to sell 294-story building to two tokyo based companies for about $530 million. it plans to remain in the building under a lease contract. the company is expected to post a net loss of over $7 billion in the current fiscal year that ends this month. this will be the second straight year for the firm to report such a loss. sony also said recently it will sell its u.s. headquarters building in new york. it suffered losses for four consecutive years. the company announced sale in the stake of dna, a operator of game web sites for mobile phones in japan. japan plans to shoehost a conference with african nations in may to discuss developments of natural resources like rare earth. it is to provide a stable supply of natural resources. economy traded industry minister says ministers responsible for the development of natural resources in 15 african nations will gather in tokyo. these countries include south africa and mozambique that are rich in natural resources. the participants will consider issues such as how japanese firms can help increase infrastructure investments in africa. they also plan to discuss measures to train experts in the field. government officials know this is the first time for japan to host a conference of this kind to discuss natural resources development as major topic. now, the outcome of the conference will be reported to the tokyo international conference on african development, which will be held in june. people who have trouble walking may be getting some help from robots. japanese doctors have developed a robotic suit for patients are weak legs. researchers will begin testing the suit on wednesday. 30 patients are muscular dystrophy and other chronic muscle or nerve diseases will wear the device. motors connected to leg braces help the wearer stand and walk. the motors are activated by sensors that detect signals on the brain. >> translator: we hope to confirm the suit is safe and effective for helping patients become able to walk again. >> similar suits for the elderly are already in use in japan. prosecutors arrested a japanese real estate tycoon who once appeared on "fortune" magazine's rich list. the authorities say the man owes more than $9 million in taxes. he owns and rents dozens of businesses in entertainment and shopping districts in tokyo. prosecutors said he hid $30 million in rental income over three years. he denies allegations of tax evasion. "fortune" magazine listed him as a billionaire after he bought property after property in hawaii. he still has substantial real estate holdings in the u.s. in japan people are slowly people are reminded daily of what they experienced in 2011. the tsunami took away homes, loved ones, entire communities. survivors are moving ahead but they still face obstacle tez damaged nuclear plant and all along the pacific coast. "newsline" will bring you their stories. don't miss "path to recovery: two years on." efforts to decommission crippled reactors continue at the fukushima deeaaiichi plant. nhk reporters are the first media staff to enter areas previously off-limits. >> reporter: we're near the number one reactor. debris and shattered glass lie as they film. hoses used to fight the fires also remain. the decommissioning of all the damaged reactors is scheduled to take 40 years. the high radiation keeps delaying the work. we entered the control room to purify the contaminated water. employees are now allowed to work without masks here. they have to monitor radioactive water around the clock. as it continues to build up in the basement of the damaged nuclear reactors. contaminated water increased by 400 tons a day as groundwater is sleeping into the buildings. these tanks are designed to store the water. each is 11 meters high and can hold 1,000 tons. but it takes only 2 1/2 days to fill it one time. experts say space will run out in 2 1/2 years. we then visit the number four reactor. work is under way to prepare for the removal of over 1,500 spent fuel rods from a damaged storage pool. tepco engineers plan to start the removal of the rods in mid-november as a first major step of the decommissioning process. a tepco executive says they face many challenges. >> translator: we will have to resolve a number of technological issues before we can start removing a large number of spent fuel rods and extracting the melted fuel. we need to develop remote controlled robots that can work where humans can't because of extremely high levels of radiation. >> reporter: the japanese government has targeted the decommissioning process to end within 40 years. but the high levels of radiation and the damage still left by the tsunami and hydrogen explosions are making it unclear what lies ahead. in japan people are slowly getting rid of their down jackets. it's warming up in other parts of east asia as well. rachel ferguson is here with the weather. >> hi, gene. looking pretty good over the next few days. dry skies lots of sunshine and considerably warmer. warm winds coming up from the southwest will be impacting japan as well as northern china and the korean peninsula. take a look at the next few days. highs, we have 18 degrees on wednesday in tokyo, but moving up to 20 oiday. now if we actually do get that forecast high of 20 that will be a record breaking temperature for march 8th. beijing reaching 20 on friday and 16 for you in seoul. now i should mention as well that along with these warmer temperatures while it's pleasant we can also see the dangers of avalanche and flood and that's because the snow pack will be melting just as quickly as we see that warm up. there's also some very strong winds coming in, and the yellow sand we see at this time the year that comes across the gobi desert moves from china into mongolia then japan. it's on its way right now. if you have respiratory issues could it be a problem for you so take those precautionary measures. now into the u.s. we have a storm which is moving into the western coast. this one will be bringing you maybe 60 centimeters of snow into the cascades and nevadas. watch if you're on the roads or flying in and occupant of the area check your flights before you head off to the airport. high pressure is giving these nice and clear, lots of sun as well all the way in through the central plains there. but out east you can see snow to the north and then thunderstorms here to the south. some of these storms are going to be pretty severe, there's even the potential of tornadoes touching down and of hail as well to develop. to the north it's going to be snow and we have the slow moving system. that's pushing into northeast. new york city, snow coming to you on wednesday. so watch out for that. certainly is going to be another dose of winter before you see any spring like conditions out east. all right. temperatures then, 9 degrees in oklahoma city. even far down here to the south we're seeing a little bit of a cooling trend. houston 21. not bad but it's quite a drop from your monday. all right let's head now into europe. again, spring is really trying to burst through here. we're seeing a great temperature rise here over the next couple of days. but down towards the southwest we have a couple of lows moving through. this is a pretty well developed storm system bringing hail to northern portions of africa as well as to southern portions of the iberian peninsula. that will be skirts towards italy. thunderstorms come urge way and gusts reaching up to 90 kilometers an hour. watch out for that. a second system just offshore beginning to impact the british isles as well as bringing another dose of windy and wet weather to the iberian peninsula. 10 degrees in london. 14 in paris rising up to 18 degrees in lisbon and 15 in vienna. check out what's happening in warsaw. double figures. moscow around the freezing point but that's a big improvement and just in the space of 24 hours. should be feeling the benefits of that. i'll leave you now with your extended forecast. >> north korean military leaders are raising the stakes in their ongoing show of defiance against south korea and the u.s. they are vowing to scrap the british police have gotten some help from a comic super hero. a man dressed as batman handed over a criminal suspect then vanished without revealing his identity. police say the man showed up in the wee hours of the morning last week at a police station in the central city of bradford. he brought in a man suspected of theft and fraud. the super hero is a bit chubbier than the batman of legend. police say the caped crusader told them i've caught this one for you and then disappeared into the darkness. we're back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

Transcripts For WHUT Newsline 20130220

reported to have led the attack. he's known as being from niger. he phoned media outlets throughout the siege. >> reporter: he is on the video that is believed to have been recorded in northern mali in 2010 or 2011. he and other militants showed their hostility towards western and arab nations. >> reporter: the people in the media were from different parts of africa. they trained with various types of weapons. from anti-tank rocket bombs to anti-aircraft artillery. security experts say many of the weapons came from libya. they say different groups took the arms across the border after the fall of moammar gadhafi. the video shows the transit end life the militants led in the desert. they moved frequently from one location to another. this is one of the senior members shown in the video. he has links to al qaeda. analysts believe he's the mastermind behind the attack in algeria. algerian officials say the militants prepared well. they say that the group gathered in southern libya and then crossed the border. what's not clear, though, is how the fighters managed to penetrate the military security forces and private guards to take control of the plant. this journalist follows the militant group in northern mali last year for two weeks. >> translator: they had their way in the desert. they were free. no one bothered them. the algerian attack got their message across. any country could be the next target at any time. >> reporter: the man from niger who led the attack died when the algerian military stormed the plant. but the whereabouts about the top leader is not known. meaning the threat of more terror attacks in the region looms. and we could be seeing more evidence of the threat referred to coming from cameroon. french tourist were abducted in the west african country. islamist insurgents from neighboring nigeria are responsible. french media said the abductees are from the same family. reports say they were returning from a visit to waza national park. armed men drove up on motorcycles and took them away. >> translator: they were taken by a nigerian based terrorist group. the greatest likelihood is they were taken to any gearia. >> an islamist group may be behind the kidnappings. there's been repeated attacks on the christian community in nigeria. they strengthened their activities after linking up with al qaeda. tunisia's first post-arab spring prime minister has announced his resignation. he is stepping town after his party refused to back his plan for a cabinet of independent technocrats. >> translator: i promised that if my initiative did not succeed i would step down as prime minister. this is what i did a short time ago when i met the president of the republic. >> he was trying to form a nonpartisan government to quell public protests. tunisians have been demonstrating since the assassination of an opposition leader earlier this month. members of the ruling party have to pick a new prime minister but night not find it easy. analysts at a u.s. cyber security firm are accusing the chinese military of spying on american corporations. they say one unit stole information from more than 100 companies. officials in the obama administration have their own concerns. analysts at virginia based firm released a report identifying the people's liberation army. they say members of one unit have attacked more than 140 organizations over the past seven years. they believe the hackers are based in shanghai. state department spokesperson said such attacks are threatening u.s. economic and national security interests. >> we've raised our concern at the highest level about cyber threats from china including the involvement of the military. >> china's defense ministry has dismissed the u.s. allegations as groundless. the state-run news agency quote ad defense ministry spokesperson as saying the military has never been involved in online espionage. he said china is a victim of cyber attacks because the ip addresses are often stolen and misused. many attacks come from the united states but china has never blamed the u.s. people who work for u.s. computer giant apple say hackers hit them too. the attack resembles one of employees of facebook. spokespersons for apple said some employees visited a site for software developers. they infected their computer. the spokesperson said no user data got out. technicians have started distributing software to detect and delete the malicious software. apple managers say they are cooperating with the fbi to identify those responsible. a japanese man has won a top u.s. award for helping make cell phones possible. the prize is seen as the nobel of engineering. he is the first japanese to win the prize from the national academy of engineering. he won it for his contributions to the way radio waves can be relayed. he was a top researcher for japanese telephone giant ntt. one much his achievements was to divide a wide service area into smaller cells containing many antennas and then enabled mobile cell phone users to communicate despite a weak radio signal. he determined antennas in close proximity could create interference. he solved the problem by allocating different frequencies to antennas that are lose together but using the same frequency for areas far way. he conducted field experiment to measure changes in signal strength due to buildings or mountains. his research resulted in what's known as field strength curves. they are used all over the world to establish mobile phone service. it led to the first cellular telephone network in 1979. it was an automobile communications system. >> translator: i just worked hard and tried to do my best. i'm glad that my efforts turned out to be useful for society. and humanity. >> 38 engineers have received the prize for developments such as the internet, fiber optics and other technologies. four of the winners later won the nobel prize. when it comes to getting rid of terrorists japanese manufacturers want i want as they can sell more products overseas but farmers and others in the agricultural business are against the idea mean being exposed to stiff competon. prime minister abe is facing tough decisions in his upcoming trade talks. ron madison is here with the details on that. >> you're talking about the ttp. at least a couple of other prers in the prior administration had to deal with it. now prime minister shinzo abe has to take it up. he'll decide whether the japan will join the free trade deal. that decision will be made before the summer. abe told a diet committee on wednesday that what matters is whether the u.s.-led tpp talks are based on the pre-condition altar arrives will be removed without exception. the tpp is expected to be one of the main issues when abe meets president obama later this week. >> translator: at the meeting i will not mention individual items to exclude from the tariff ban. i will confirm whether an all out ban is an absolute precondition to join the free trade talks. >> abe said he recognizes the removal of tariffs without exception is not a requirement for joining the tpp negotiations. he will consider the impact of japan's participation before making a final judgment. 11 pacific rim countries are now working to conclude the free trade deal by the end of this year. japan's trade balance has shown its largest monthly deficit ever. that's based on comparable data that was compiled since 1979. the weak yen has caused an increase in the cost of fuel imports. the ministry official said the trade deficit for january came to about $17.4 billion. the balance has now been in the red for seven months in a row. japan's exports rose by 6.4% from a year earlier in yen terms. that's the first rise we've seen in eight months. imports also with a gain for a third consecutive month this time up by 7.3% from a year earlier. demand for crude oil and liquified natural gas used in generators. we spoke with an economist at rbs securities japan to get his outlook for japan's trade balance. >> imports increased at faster pace because of commodities rises and weaker yen. demand for smartphone contributed to the increase of imports. looking ahead while the continuous weakness of japanese imports to china and europe led to rising commodity price could put pressure on trade balances. dubai's oil prices increased 1.8% month to month one january and it dritd 4.3% in february to date. >> let's ron gettelfinger caught up with market. markets edged higher following overnight gains in the u.s. and europe. south korea outperformed the region though with a key index rising 2%. technology stocks there led gains on expectations that sales growth in the eurozone will be better. tokyo's nikkei average ended at the highest close in four years and five months. that's as the yen remains weak and we're seeing hopes now for mormon tear easing by japan's central bank. shanghai stocks with a rebound of .6% today as expectations for china's stimulus measures supporting sentiment there. here's a picture at europe at this time. we're seeing fairly mixed picture right now. gains in london. ftse 100 up .4%. got gains as well for the dax in frankfurt up .2%.ou see currenc now we're going to bank of japan to buy foreign bonds. others are betting the bank of japan will have mormon tear easing. foreign investments in to china dropped from a year ago. that's a decline now for an eighth straight month. a chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said the country attracted not over $9 billion of foreign direct investment last month. down 7.3% from the same month last year. investments from european nations were up more than 80%. a sharp rebound from last year's tumble when there was the impact of the eurozone debt problems. influence from japan fell20% souring bilateral relations havd determination to implement the new democratic state. >> the revision allows foreign investors to be exempt of corporate taxes for five years instead of three years. it let's them lease land up to 50 years. japanese companies are behind chinese and south korean businesses in their investments into myanmar. all right that's going wrap it up for biz this hour. let's close things out with the markets. japanese prime minister abe and u.s. president obama are flipping through their notes on some shared challenges. they will meet on friday at the white house. officials there say the leaders will discuss economic issues as we've been talking about. the u.s. japan security alliance and their approach to north korea. north korean officials launched a robert in december. they said they put a satellite into space but western leaders said they were testing technology for a ballistic missile. such a missile could reach the u.s. west coast and carry a nuclear payload. scientists carried out another underground test last week. japanese government officials said abe and obama will discuss the deployment of a radar. u.s. personnel at a self-defense base in japan already use that system. one government official says another would make it possible to track missiles aimed at japan or the u.s.. north korea leaders are praising scientists and engineers involved in the nuclear test. the state-run news agency says the workers party is inviting them to celebrations in pyongyang. the korean central news agency says the group will visit the mausolom of kim jong-il. the agency says the scientists will enjoy the privileges for demonstrating national strength to the world. authorities in the capital have already hosted scientists and engineers involved in the rocket launch two months ago. kim jong-un attended a banquet in their northern and authorities decorated them with medals during a visit that lasted three weeks. the people trying to clean up after the disaster in fukushima have faced no end of challenges. they've struggled to remonth radioactive substances from all the water used to cool the waters. experts said doing that efficiently would be difficult bath scientist from egypt is well on his way. >> reporter: the professor works at the research institute north of tokyo. the egyptian scientist has developed a new substance that removes radioactive cesium from water. during the crisis the nuclear plant at fukushima produced massive quantity. >> i am using this technology for fukushima. >> reporter: this is where he works the national institute for material science. this is what was developed. the powder place significant role in extracting radioactive materials from water. an expert in nanotechnology, he is studying a material called h.o.m.. the particles are invisible to the naked eye as are its many holes. each about one millionths of a millimeter in dimt. he developed a technology to separate cesium from other materials by having radioactive substance absorbed into these holes. the h.o.m. is added to cesium contaminated water. this magnet attracts these h.o.m. particles holding the cesium. >> clean water. >> reporter: he came to japan 12 years ago after receiving his ph.d.. he was keen on researching the latest technology for treating water. that's because in his home country and the other african nations ground water often contains a toxic chemical. in japan he had been studying ways to remove it from water. in march 2011 the nuclear accident overwhelmed the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. he and his family fled japan immediately at the instructions of the egyptian government. but a few days after he arrived in egypt he received an e-mail from his boss. >> what happened for the japanese friends it will happen to us. >> reporter: one week after the e-mail he was back at work in japan. since then he's been develop new materials to extract radioactive contaminants from water. he developed new absorbents for radioactive iodine. then he finished developing the new type of h.o.m.. now it was possible to remove cesium from water more efficiently. until then expert had considered that process very difficult. . japanese water treatment and chemical companies are showing a lot of interest in his message. >> translator: this material seems to be highly effective. we're hoping to see how much of the process can be developed. >> i am in the middle of actions, so i'm like you guys all and i hope it will be success. to be finalized and' safe for fukushima. >> reporter: the nuclear accident changed his life. he says he now wants to do more research into technologies that solve japan's environmental problems. before the method is used in the clean up he has to give a trial demonstration in the affected area and then have network with chemical companies and the government. clear skies in tokyo but there's heavy rain in the philippines. rachel ferguson is here with the latest. rachel? >> yes there has been some really torrential rain in the philippines over the last 48 hours. it has resulted in some extensive damage, flooding as well as mudslides, damage to homes even fatalities. now the rain is going to continue here and actually spread across towards indochina as this system makes its way towards the west. now, there isn't any real organization in this storm just now but there is potential for it to become a tropical storm. right now it's a depression. whether that happens or not there certainly is going to be a lot of rain here down across the philippines and as i said moving on into vietnam. maybe even as much as 200 millimeters in the central coast. flooding definitely going to be a continuing risk as we head on into the next couple of days. looking more dry now across much of the continent, the shanghai region you'll be seeing a little bit of fog. the fog will make you unable to see. toward japan snow. reduced visibility here as well with all the winds kicking up this snow and so much of it is coming down. the next 24 hours you can see anything from 50 up to 60 centimeters of fresh snow. that's in hokkaido as well as tohoku. let's get you and up where date on your temperatures as we head on into thursday. 3 degrees in seoul with 8 in tokyo and 9 in shanghai. we're recovering nicely here at 13 degrees. should feel more comfortable for you in chongqing. next mozambique, a storm has been impacting the nation. we'll start off with a video showing you what conditions look like here. this storm had haruna affected the nation. caused catastrophic damage resulting in a death toll now climbing over 110 at this time, over 300,000 people have been affected by the storm, many losing their thunderstorms rising waters. as haruna continues to gather moisture to the southeast flooding is still high risk through the remainder of the week in this area. if we pull back, we'll see what the storm is doing next. heading down towards madagascar. it's expected to make landfall on thursday and friday. expect storm surge, high waves as well as the rain to come in over the next few days, in fact through the weekend and then after that it should move towards the southeast and away from any large land masses. okay. let's take a look lastly at what is happening across the united states and canada. there's a storm brewing here in the four corners. it's spreading snow across into the central plains and even places like low-lying areas could see up to 30 centimeters of snow, in kansas you can see about 40. then we have warm winds coming in from the south. that's creating an area of severe weather, mostly focusing on texas and coming up into oklahoma. loom to the north and east you'll be seeing freezing rain, dangerous stuff here. also affecting arkansas and up into kansas too. temperature wise, it's not looking brilliant for you even up here in new york city. 1 degree. 3 in d.c. you're feeling the effects of a storm that's blowing through. minus 6 in chicago. minus 18 for you in winnipeg. here's your extended forecast. earlier in the story of foreign investment to china we've shown a japanese investment to china last month was up, the figure was actually do u20% on the screen. we're back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo. for all of us here at nhk world thanks very much for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.

Transcripts For KCSMMHZ Newsline 30min 20130220

our sho beppu brings us the story. >> reporter: this man is reported to have led the attack. he's known as abdel rahman from niger. he phoned media outlets throughout the siege. >> reporter: abdel rahman is on a video that's believed to have been recorded in northern mali in 2010 or 2011. he and other militants showed their hostility toward western and arab nations. >> reporter: the people in the video were from different parts of africa. they trained with various types of weapons, from anti-tank rocket bombs to anti-aircraft artillery. security experts say many of the weapons came from libya. they say different groups took the arms across the border after the fall of moammar gadhafi. the video shows the transient life the militants led in the desert. they moved frequently from one location to another. mokhtar belmokhtar is one of the senior members shown in the video. he has links to al qaeda. analysts believe he's the mastermind behind the attack in algeria. algerian officials say the militants planned and prepared well. they say the group gathered in southern libya and then crossed the border. what's not clear though is how the fighters managed to penetrate the military security forces and private guards to take control of the plant. mauritanian journalist, mohammed mahmud abu ah-ma'ali, follows the militant group in northern mali last year for two weeks. >> translator: they had their way in the desert. they were free. no one bothered them. the algerian attack got their message across. any country could be the next target at any time. >> reporter: the man from niger who led the attack died when the algerian military stormed the plant. but the whereabouts of the belmokhtar, the top leader, are not known, meaning the threat of more terror attacks in the region looms. sho beppu, nhk world, mauritania. and we could be seeing more evidence of the threat sho referred to coming from cameroon. men abducted seven french tourists in the african country. the president of france says islamist insurgents from neighboring nigeria are responsible. french media say the abductees are from the same family. four children are among them. reports say they were returning from a visit to waza national park. armed men drove up on motorcycles and took them away. >> translator: they were taken by a nigeria-based terrorist group, which we know about. the greatest likelihood is they were taken to nigeria. >> alain said an islamist group may be behind the kidnappings. members of the group have staged repeated attacks on the christian community in algeria. an american security firm is accusing chinese of spying on american corporations. analysts at virginia-base firm mandiant published a report monday, which identified the people's liberation army and say members of one unit have attacked more than 140 organizations over the past seven years. they believe hackers are based in shanghai. unit 61398 of the people's liberation army has its headquarters. the unit is believed to engage in electronic intill jones. ity ip addresses used by the group match the addresses used by the military unit. the hackers are probably operating from the -- from inside the unit. state department spokesperson victoria nuland said such attacks are threatening u.s. security and american business interests. >> we are concerned about the involvement of the military. >> china's defense ministry has addressed the u.s. allegations as groundless and a defense ministry spokesperson is quoted as say the military has never been involved in military espionage. the country's ip addresses are often stolen and misused and he said that many attacks come from the united states, but china has never blamed the u.s. people who work for u.s. computer giant apple say hackers have hit them too. the attack resembles one last month on employees of social networking company facebook. spokespersons for apple said some employees visited a website for software developers. software designed to attack the company's network infected their computers. the spokespersons say no user data got out. technicians have started distributing software to detect and delete the malicious software. apple managers say they're cooperating with the fbi to identify those responsible. a japanese caller has won a top u.s. award for helping make cell phones possible. the prize is seen as the nobel of engineering. yoshihisa okumura is the first japanese to win the annual charles stark draper prize from the national academy of engineering. he won it for his contributions to the way radio waves can be relayed. okumura was a top researcher for japanese telephone giant, ntt. one of his achievements was to divide a wide service area into smaller cells containing many antennas. this enabled mobile phone users to communicate despite a weak radio signal. he also determined antennas in close proximity could create interference when sharing the same frequencies. he solved the problem by allocating different frequencies to antennas that are close together but using the same frequency for areas far away. okumura also conducted field experiments to measure the changes in signal strength due to buildings or mountains. his research resulted in what are known as field strength curves. they are used all over the world to establish mobile phone services. the research led to the first cellular telephone network in japan in 1979. it was an automobile communications system. >> translator: i just worked hard and tried to do my best. i'm glad that my efforts turned out to be useful for society and humanity. >> 38 engineers have received the charles stark draper prize for developments such as the internet, fiber optics and other technologies. four of the winners later won the nobel prize. britain's prime minister has acknowledged one of the dark moments of his country's colonial rule over india. patchari raksawong has details. >> prime minister david cameron paid his respects at the scene of a notorious massacre that took place in 1919 when india was a british colony. the first serving british prime minister to visit the site, he labeled the incident deeply shameful. cameron has on a visit to india aimed at forming deeper economic ties. cameron laid a wreath at the memorial of the massacre in northern india. in april 1919, a group of british soldiers, without warning, opened fire on an unarmed crowd after a period of popular unrest. british reports said 379 people were killed and 1,200 wounded, but india's pro-und pen dense movement said the real death toll about was 1,000. many historians considered the massacre to be a turning point that undermined british rule, inspiring ghandi and the independence move tonight embark on a path of civil disobedience. on wednesday, cameron wrote in the visitor's book that the bloodshed was deeply shameful but he stopped short of making an apology. >> translator: we want him to apologize to the families of those who were killed in the massacre because the bullets killed so many innocent people. >> according to our culture in india, we welcome our guest. and if he were to apologize, then to a certain extent, our wounds would be healed. >> wednesday was the final day of cameron's visit to the india. observes were closely watching how he would address the two countries' shared but troubled history during the three-day trip. his acknowledgment of past wrongdoing will likely be broadly welcomed in india. for britain, a formal apology would have risked opening door the to demands for similar treatment by other former colonies. farmland in sing support scarce and under constant pressure from urban sprawl. the country depends on imports for 90% of its food. with more mouths to feed each year as a result of immigration. nhk world's yuko fine any zacky has been to visit an innovative new farm that may provide a solution. >> reporter: modern sing support field of skyscrapers. the island nation knows how important it is to put every square inch of land to use. that doesn't only apply to how people live and work. the quest for space is also changing the way singapore gets its food. this is the very first commercial farm in the world it goes up nine meters high and produces vegetable for singapore. inside this massive greenhouse grows three kinds of leaf vegetables, including a variety of chinese cabbage. the cycle lasts eight to 12 hours. plants bask in sunlight along the way. and the bottom, at the get soaked in water. vegetables produce here are popular for their flavor and freshness. the singapore government wants to make the country more self-sufficient for food. four years ago, shelter thatted developing vertical farms in collaboration with the private sector. vertical farms are less prone to environmental disruptions such as droughts or typhoons. they make it possible to produce large amounts of food, even on the small plot of land. the world's first commercialized vertical farm is made possible thanks to the secretive device. >> i cannot explain what work inside. >> reporter: the operator also introduce ecofriendly technique, including the use of recycled ground water. together, they have sharply lowered consumption of water and electricity. the vertical farm is roughly five times more produce than the conventional farm of the same size. it produces 500 kilograms of vegetable each day to supermarkets in singapore. the farm has plans to quadruple by next year. the operator says the resulting capacity will be enough to supply 4% of the leaf vegetables consumed in the country. >> firstly, produce is fresh. secondly, very low, what we call low food miles. down t you don't have to transport the food from the city. right now, we import food from thousands of miles away. >> reporter: the vertical farm is attracting attention from other nations that, like singapore, are strucking ingst feed their growing populations. it is an innovation that seems likely to take road. yuko fine nah tacky, nhk world, singapore. >> and that wraps up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. an activist in hopping congress could face jail time and a fine for sailing to a group of disputed islands in the east china sea. japan are ounce the senkaku islands, china and taiwan claim them. a senior member of a group owns a fishing boat that took them there. government officals banned the boat was banned from sailing outside hong kong territorial waters. the vessel had been used for political activities before, despite its registration as a fishing ship. a court indicted the owner for violating the order. he must appear on march 14th. if convicted, he could face a sentence of two years in prison and a fine of $32,000. local media say the indictment is aimed at warning the group from returning to the islands and increasing tensions between japan and china. japanese prime minister foreign investment he is into china for january dropped for a year ago -- from a year ago that is a decline for an eighth straight month. chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said the country attracted over $9 billion in foreign investment last month. that's down 7.3% from the same month last year. investments from european nations were up more than 80%, a sharp rebound from last year's tumble when there was the impact of the eurozone's debt problems. but investment inflows from japan fell 20%. souring bilateral relations have apparently discouraged japanese firms to invest in china. looking ahead, the spokesperson said there have been no signs of optimism yet regarding cross-border investments. japan's trade balance shows the lowest margin ever. the weak yen caused an increase in the cost of fuel imports. finance ministry officials says the trade deficit for january came to about $17.4 billion. the balance has been in the red for seven months in a row. japan's exports rose by 6.4% from a year earlier in yen terms. higher demand for crude oil and liquefied natural gas was a major factor. there are for use in thermal power generators. being ready for disasters is part of life in japan but it's an ever-evolving process. the march 2011 erik and tsunami exposed some weaknesses and so ever since then, people across the country have been working to be even better prepared for the next time disaster strikes. nhk world's mets co-con niche how is wa has startry. >> reporter: people livinging on japan's east coast are preparing for the worst. >> reporter: officials issued a tsunami warning immediately after the erik and kept broadcasting the alert using you the public radio system. still, tsunami as high as 7.6 meters washed away 15 people. a third, bigger wave hit two and a half hours after the quake. it swept them away. officials want to encourage residents to stay away from the coast until it is safe. now armed with a public radio system, they will use digital displace and loud speakers that carry sound two to three times fartherer than conventional ones. they will also send their warning directly to schools on the coast. they will also send warning directly to schools on the coast. people who took part in the drill heard the alerts loud and clear and fled to higher ground. about 400 participants managed to evacuate within 13 minutes. >> translator: i could hear the alarm well. >> translator: we need information to reach both our eyes and ears. i hope the visual and audio warnings will be effective when an actual erik occurs. >> reporter: they are determined to keep reminding citizens about the danger of second and third tsunami. which can be more dang rouse than the first we have as. >> translator: saving lives is our top priority. we would like to continue efforts towards that end. >> reporter: people here know the risk they face living by the ocean to, but they also know they can minimize that risk by being better prepared and listening to the local officials in times of crisis. mets sue nish could you wa, nhk world, japan. clear skies in tokyo but there's heavy rain in the philippines. rachel ferguson is here with the latest. >> there has been torrential rain in the philippines resulting in extensive damage flooding as well as mudslides, damage to homes and even fatalities. the rain is going to continue here and actually spread across towards indochina as this system makes its way towards the west. now, there isn't any real organization in this storm just now. but there is potential for it to become a tropical storm. that could prove problematic with travel. looking at temperatures now, it will be just about 8 degrees in tokyo, 3 degrees in seoul and about 6 degrees in beijing. improving temperatures here in central china as well, shanghai up to about 9 degrees. let's head into the americas. we were talking about blowing snow in japan. widespread snow here to the central plains. in canada, you could get up to 40 centimeters of snow. very heavy in the gray. south of here, severe thunderstorms, and moving through texas, and out of texas fairly quickly to the western gulf states, eastern gulf states and then this part here in northern arkansas, this is going to be an ice storm. expect power outages with that. we know that ice storms can be dangerous indeed. if that's you, take care. here are your temperatures, minus 5 in toronto. looking at really frigid digits. minus 6 in chicago. minus 18 in winnipeg and 4 degrees in oklahoma city. all right. on into europe we go, fairly quiet. british isles through western russia. a small low here, weakening, just a little drizzle of snow heading out towards the east. and that will be winning down. it will stay very unsettled for southern locations. one system coming through the balkans will bring snow to the upper elevations and heavy rain that could result in flash flooding. the next round of moisture from the atlantic to the iberian peninsula. temperatures, minus 4 in stockholm. zero in kiev. a 14 in athens, not too bad here and 16 in lisbon. here's your extended forecast. a horse from michigan has gone viral on the internet after a video showed she is an expert escape artist. 9-year-old mare, mariska, taught herself how to open the latch on her stall and be set free. she can open the stalls of the other horses and even open the refrigerator to get a snack. she has attracted 800,000 views since being posted last month. >> we believe that mariska's motivation to opening the latch and doing her houdini trick, she basically thinks with her stomach. she had a snack in the grain room, then the motivation is to get outside to the grass. >> it looks like a case of locking the gate after the horse has bolted. we're back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us. have a great day, wherever you are.

Transcripts For WHUT Newsline 20130219

call on the chinese to help adopt a new u.n. security council resolution, authorizing more sanctions against north korea. he's also expected to ask to persuade north korean authorities not to conduct anymore nuclear or missile tests. the problem is chinese leaders urge their allies to hold off on the test, but president north koreans did it anyway. now some people in china want their government to rethink their relationship. here's more from beijing. >> reporter: north korea conducted the nuclear test while people in china were celebrating the lunar new year. a spokesperson for china's foreign ministry criticized the action. >> translator: we have released a strong statement regarding north korea's nuclear test. we have made it clear that china is resolutely opposed to this kind of action. >> reporter: this footage was shot in a city in northeast china. people can be seen strolling and going about their business across the border in north korea. the close proximity of the two countries raises concerns in china that its neighbor's nuclear program could undernine security. xi jinping has opposed the nuclear tests. he discussed peace and security on the korean peninsula with a special envoy from south korea. he said china continues to maintain that eliminating nuclear arms and prevents per forrations of mass weapons. >> translator: china should be tougher on north korea. nuclear weapons are deadly. i think we should solve this problem by imposing diplomatic sanctions. >> translator: china is too lenient on north korea. our national security and interests are at stake. we should stand more firmly against the north koreans. >> reporter: but many of china's newspapers took relatively cautious positions on the issue. one called for tightening sanctions against the north. china has not shared close ties with its neighbor, but now that china has achieved the world's second largest gdp, it's got priorities to maintain steady economic growth. tensions created by north korea's nuclear program could threaten that goal. >> we spoke with our reporter in beijing and asked how china is reacting. >> chinese officials seem stunned and bitter. a chinese expert on security issues explains. >> translator: right up to the last china's foreign ministry had tried to talk the north out of the test. north korea's action amounts to a diplomatic challenge against china. china has lost face diplomatically. it's an extremely troubling incident for chinese officials. >> there is only so much china can do to influence what north korea decides, but china can still have some influence with its exports and food aid. for instance, after taking into account international reaction, china could cut energy supplies and limit trade. this would result with provocative pressure against the north. but harsher sanctions are believed to be a long way off. he's the professor again. >> translator: it's the north korean people who would have to pay the price for sanctions. spring will soon arrive in north korea. it will be an off-crop season, and the supply of crude oil will be tight, so china will carefully study what sanctions to take. >> chinese officials want to avoid driving the north korean regime into a corner. that would result in the country's collapse. they fear that would cause a massive number of north koreans to pour into the northeast. the result would be chaos. the chinese are seeking a negotiated settlement to the north korea nuclear program through the six-party talks. the chinese are long-time allies of north korea. they also share the talks. china will try to bring a peaceful settlement to the nuclear program. ron madison is here with the latest on the data that's out. >> yeah, trade between the two economic power houses really taking a hit, gene. in fact, japan posted a record trade deficit with china last year. that is due to strained bilateral relations and also a slow down in the chinese economy. officials at the japan external trade organization say that the trade deficit came to more than $44 billion. that's just about double the amount in 2011. the shortfall topped the previous record set in 2005. exports to china amounted to nearly $145 billion. that was down more than 10% from the previous year. it was the first drop in three years. now, falling exports of cars and construction machinery were the main factors here. on the other hand, imports from china rose 3% to roughly $190 billion. that was attributed to growing imports of smart phones and food products, including meat. let's see what happened on the markets here in asia. stocks were pretty mixed this tuesday. not a lot of clear direction out there today. the nikkei shed 0.3%. shanghai stocks down 1.6% today while hong kong shares lost 1%, sinking to a one-month low. european shares are looking like this. they are trading higher today on better business sentiment data out of germany. london is up by 0.3%. we have gains of 0.75% in france. the dollar is losing ground against the yen after the japanese finance minister denied the central bank would buy foreign bonds. the dollar/yen right now at 93.50. the japanese companies are teaming up to win a contract for taking part in a giant offshore oil development project in brazil. they have set up a joint group to build a huge oil rig. the group includes five machinery makers and shipbuilders. >> translator: we have established this group hoping to provide a place where enthusiastic engineers from various companies can come and work together. i hope they will pool their knowledge and ideas and help develop the technology that we need. >> well, as a first step, the group will develop technology for building a facility called the logistic hub off the coast of rio de janeiro. that's where the brazilian government's $100 billion oil development project is under way. this oil field is located some 2,000 meters under the sea and several hundred kilometers offshore. they're hoping to build a rig the size of three soccer fields combined. it would be equipped with living quarters for 200 workers and big storage facilities for equipment. the development of seabed resources is in progress around the world on the back of strong economic growth in emerging countries. already companies in south korea, china, and other countries are participating in overseas offshore oil development projects. this is the first joint effort by japanese companies to win a contract for such a project. fewer visitors came to japan from overseas in january. the japan national tourism organization estimates that about 670,000 tourists and business people visited japan last month. that's down 2.4% from a year earlier. the first year on year decline since february 2012. officials say the number dropped because this year's lunar new year fell in february and not january, like it did last year. mean while, visitors from australia, thailand, and vietnam set a record high for january. officials note the yen's decline was behind the rise. the commissioner of japan tourism agency says they knead -- need to try to increase tourists from southeast asia. >> translator: southeast asia is a region where the population will grow, and there will be more middle class people who can afford to travel abroad. and the people responsible for promoting japan abroad are trying to sell it as a land of endless discovery. officials in some communities are finding ways to help overseas people experience it and get their share of the tourists. >> reporter: north of tokyo is trying to bring in more foreign travelers. the area has many historic sites. >> translator: a noted buddhist priest is enshrined here. >> reporter: this is part of a tour for people living in the area. the group also tried some local specialties. from deep fried potato cutlets to ramen noodles. these items may be local favorites, but will foreigners like them? city officials want to win more foreign visitors and turn tourism into a key industry. the city's tourist numbers are down to one-third of what it was before the 2011 earthquake. but the city has much work to do to prepare for more overseas guests. >> translator: foreigners who can't speak japanese won't understand the guide's explanations. it won't be fun for them. >> translator: it would be helpful if historic sites had information in english too. >> reporter: the tour participants have given the city a lot to think about to improve its tourism industry. >> translator: japan is aiming to have 10 million visitors this year, but we realize our city needs to make a lot more effort to welcome foreign travelers. >> reporter: around the country, local governments are trying to think of new ways to welcome people from abroad. officials in tokyo hope to make the area's large number of traditional public baths a key attraction. >> translator: hi, i'm boris. i've just arrived in japan. have you ever taken a japanese public bath? >> reporter: they're producing a promotional video to give foreigners key tips on japanese bathing manners. there are some rules to observe. it is traditional in japan to wash the body thoroughly before taking a dip in the tub. the owners of over 50 public baths in the ward gathered for a seminar. >> please make sure to deposit any valuables at the reception. >> reporter: what should the bath operators do if foreign visitors do come? the managers practice some key phrases that should come in handy. is. >> translator: i'd be happy if i could express my appreciation to foreign customers in their own languages. >> translator: by raising awareness among public bath managers, we hope to attract more visitors from abroad. >> reporter: the industry is realizing it needs to be more internationally minded. local communities are taking the initiative in creating new ways of attracting overseas visitors. >> all right. that's going to wrap it up for biz this hour. let's check in now on the markets. people in central russia need more time and more money to deal with the damage caused by last week's meteor crash. shattered glass injured hundreds of residents. government officials say repair work will take nearly a month to complete and cost millions of dollars. the meteor exploded on friday before hitting the ground. the resulting shock wave blew out win dose adows and damaged . officials estimate the damage at around $33 million. they say workers are replacing windows at schools, but they know walls aremain severely damaged. the governor has told officials to buy glass and other building materials to buy materials from nearby areas to speed up the work. >> translator: if larger fragments are found, it will be of great interest for people who research asteroids and comets. >> the excitement isn't limited to scientists. residents of a village nearby are rushing to the fields around their homes, hoping to cash in. many villagers say they saw small objects falli ining from sky after the meteor exploded. they say they found meteorites in the snow-covered field. they say the fragments are magnetic and gave off a burnt smell. after radiation readings seemed normal, they collect the the meteorites. >> translator: i saw the meteor coming, and it fell over there. it was this big and was already cooling down when i found it. >> translator: i want to sell it while people are still interested. i will use the money to buy milk for my baby. >> people have been trying to sell the meteorites online. they've also seen collectors visit their village looking to make purchases. laboratory tests are usually needed to determine their awe then -- authenticity. western end arab nations are leading donor, but the present level of financial assistance is insufficient to meet their needs. palestinians are now turning to asia. they believe they can gain knowledge and experience from the region, which will lead to economic growth. >> reporter: these people in the gaza strip are jubilant after being provided new homes. saudi arabia financed the construction. nearly half of the 4.3 million residents in palestine are refugees. they lost their land and homes through the establishment of israel and during arab-israeli wars. many nations have provided money through u.n. organizations for those in difficulty. assistance has built schools and hospitals, but palestinians want to change their dependence on foreign aid. last year the u.n. general assembly upgraded palestine's status to that of a non-member state. this has motivated residents to try and stand on their own, even under israeli occupation. the spotlight has shifted to the experience and technology from emerging nations in asia, which have achieved economic growth after winning independence. >> money is important, but what's more important is education and knowledge. and we need to know how you have done that. we need to duplication your experience. >> reporter: this man is a farmer in the west bank. he crushes date palm leaves that grow in abundance in palestine. the leaves once had no use. >> translator: we just burnt them and threw them away before. >> reporter: but now he ferments them to feed cattle. they learned the method last year from experts who had joined a study program in malaysia. japan provided the know-how to the country in the 1990s. it now costs him almost nothing to feed his cattle. he no longer buys expensive feed from israelis. he says that his sheep produce more milk and better quality meat. >> translator: it's important to learn from experience as well as to receive financial support. experience created more income. >> reporter: malaysian officials are now holding training courses for palestinians. the japanese government supports the efforts of countries that it helped in the past as they assist other nations in need. this man is a consultant who is assisting palestinians. >> translator: providing technology rather than goods and developing human relations are very important. japan is good at this type of assistance. it's rewarding and gives us a great sense of achievement. >> reporter: still, the israeli occupation casts a shadow over these efforts. it affects over half of the west bank. israel imposes restrictions on construction involving palestinians. assistance from asia still faces many hurdles to clear. these barriers may turn into a path that lead palestinians to stand on their own feet once again. nhk world, the west bank and gaza strip. many expected rain, but lower temperatures led to snow in tokyo. rachel ferguson has more. >> hi there, gene. we saw a little snow, but only enough to reduce visibility that there were some delays and cancellations at the airport. that precipitation is pulling away, but there will be heavy snow to come towards the north. maybe as much as 40 sent mecent in some places. there was some heavy snow yesterday. there were some snowstorm warnings. let's go and show you some video of what happened when that heavy snow came down. headaches for commuters doling with the results of that snowstorm. 17 centimeters fell, forcing traffic to just crawl along. the airport also closed during the height of the storm, resulting in cancellations of various flights. students probably weren't complaining. they got an extra day of vacation as the city postponed classes from tuesday to wednesday. now, things are looking like they're clearing up, which is good news for you. maybe not good news for the students, but there are going to be still some sleety showers continuing here for the next couple days, though temperatures will generally be gradually improving. down to the south we go. let's talk about the heavy rain impacting the philippines. this is actually a tropical depression. it's going to be joined by very strong winds as well. in addition to in the next three day, almost about 200 millimeters of rain in some places. you'll see waves reach about five meters on the east coast. shanghai rising to 6 degrees tomorrow. tokyo getting up to about 9 degrees. seoul in for a chilly day, just struggling to rise above the freezing point. as we head into the americas, there will be a low-pressure system moving to the south along the pacific coast. it'll be bringing you mountain sno snow. pretty significant, in fact. in the south, showers reaching down into the california peninsula. very well-developed snowstorm here moving across the great lakes and also into ontario. you could see anything up to 25 centimeters of snow. certainly icy roads and dangerous travel made worse by the strong winds gusting up to 70 kilometers an hour. along the cold front it's going to be thunderstorms quickly moving towards the atlantic coast, so we should be seeing conditions recovering for many of you in the east. however, temperatures are going to be sinking. anywhere you see in this purple, this is going to send a little bit further towards the south. chicago, minus 6. that's your high today. minus 23 in winnipeg. ahead of that storm, new york city rising up to 8 degrees today after a very chilly day on your monday. let's go now to europe. things are looking fairly quiet once again for the british isles and france. there is a low-pressure system down he down here. the storm just arriving over the atlantic. that'll arrive on thursday. lots of snow here across the northern tier of the continue tent. it is light. down towards the south over the balkans and heading into turkey, there will be upper-elevation snow, rain, and thunderstorms for you. here are your temperatures. we have 0 in stockholm. minus 7 in moscow. towards the south, some temperatures in the lower teens. athens, 13 for you. 15 even in lisbon. here's your extended forecast. we're back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.

Transcripts For KCSMMHZ Newsline 30min 20130219

authorities not to conduct anymore nuclear or missile tests. the problem is chinese leaders urge their allies to hold off on the test, but president north koreans did it anyway. now some people in china want their government to rethink their relationship. here's more from beijing. >> reporter: north korea conducted the nuclear test while people in china were celebrating the lunar new year. a spokesperson for china's foreign ministry criticized the action. >> translator: we have released a strong statement regarding north korea's nuclear test. we have made it clear that china is resolutely opposed to this kind of action. >> reporter: this footage was shot in a city in northeast china. people can be seen strolling and going about their business across the border in north korea. the close proximity of the two countries raises concerns in china that its neighbor's nuclear program could undermine security. xi jinping has opposed the nuclear tests. he discussed peace and security on the korean peninsula with a special envoy from south korea. he said china continues to maintain that eliminating nuclear arms and prevents perforations of mass weapons. >> translator: china should be tougher on north korea. nuclear weapons are deadly. i think we should solve this problem by imposing diplomatic sanctions. >> translator: china is too lenient on north korea. our national security and interests are at stake. we should stand more firmly against the north koreans. >> reporter: but many of china's newspapers took relatively cautious positions on the issue. one called for tightening sanctions against the north. china has not shared close ties with its neighbor, but now that china has achieved the world's second largest gdp, it's got priorities to maintain steady economic growth. tensions created by north korea's nuclear program could threaten that goal. >> we spoke with our reporter in beijing and asked how china is reacting. >> chinese officials seem stunned and bitter. a chinese expert on security issues explains. >> translator: right up to the last moment, china's foreign ministry had tried to talk the north out of the test. north korea's action amounts to a diplomatic challenge against china. china has lost face diplomatically. it's an extremely troubling incident for chinese officials. >> there is only so much china can do to influence what north korea decides, but china can still have some influence with its exports and food aid. for instance, after taking into account international reaction, china could cut energy supplies and limit trade. this would result with provocative pressure against the north. but harsher sanctions are believed to be a long way off. he's the professor again. >> translator: it's the north korean people who would have to pay the price for sanctions. spring will soon arrive in north korea. it will be an off-crop season, and the supply of crude oil will be tight, so china will carefully study what sanctions to take. >> chinese officials want to avoid driving the north korean regime into a corner. that would result in the country's collapse. they fear that would cause a massive number of north koreans to pour into the northeast. the result would be chaos. the chinese are seeking a negotiated settlement to the north korea nuclear program through the six-party talks. the chinese are long-time allies of north korea. they also share the talks. china will try to bring a peaceful settlement to the nuclear program. people across japan have seen the picture of the smog that's covered beijing. they've heard suggestions that pollution is headed their way. some people aren't waiting to prepare for the worst. more from nhk world. >> reporter: residents of tokyo opened their doors to find something obscuring their view. turned out to be snow. still, they are worried about something else in the air. >> translator: i'm scared of the fact that it's difficult to protect myself. >> translator: i hear that it's much smaller than pollen and could go inside my body. so i'm very concerned. >> reporter: people across china have returned home after the new year. their cars are pumping out fumes of exhaust and factories are spewing their own emissions. chinese authorities are warning about fine particles in the air. they say the levels will likely increase in some areas later this week. people across japan fear all the pollution is making its way here. many are picking up appliances to clean the air they breathe. like this electronic store in tokyo, people usually buy air cleaners for hay fever but air pollution is giving customers another reason to look at them. >> translator: we've been receiving lot was calls from customers asking which air cleaner model can deal with the fine particles. >> reporter: air cleaner sales are up 30% this month compared to the same period last year. others have their own interests in the appliances. executives from a south korean appliance company paid a visit to a japanese manufacturer. japanese workers produce an air cleaner that generates static electricity that can absorb even fine particles. >> translator: we haven't achieved this level of technology, high performance equipment is in hot demand in south korea, so we would like to introduce it. >> translator: people are getting more nervous, not just in japan but also in china and south korea. a number of inquiries we're getting from those countries have been increasing. >> reporter: official from the japanese environment ministry are working on early warning system. they collect data from around the country every warning and issue warnings if necessary. >> translator: the public's concern is growing. the ministry will deal with the issue properly. >> reporter: ministry officials plan to introduce guidelines by the end of the month to try to prevent any related health problems. they say they want to be prepared for whatever comes. japan posted a record trade deficit with china, due to strained bilateral relations and a slowing economy. it is just about double the amount of 2011 the shortfall topped the previous record set in 2005. exports to china amounted to $145 billion, down more than 10% from the previous year. the first drop in three years, falling exports of cars and machinery were the main factors. imports rose roughly $190 billion, attributed to smartphones and meat. fewer visitors came to japan in january. the number dropped for the first time in 11 months. people in japan's northern most island say they don't want a nuclear plant near them. they asked the government to stop building the facility. electric power development company is constructing the plant in oma. the town is 23 kilometers by sea from hokkaido. work was stopped after the 2011 quake. it was resumed in 2012. cities submitted their request to the central government. >> translator: i don't think there's any need for the construction to go forward. >> the mayor also said people are worried about the safety of the plant because it's just across the water. city officials say they are considering filing a lawsuit to demand a stop to the construction. japanese companies are teaming up to take part in an off shore development project. they sent up a joint group to build a huge oil rig. the group includes five machinery makers and shipbuilders. >> translator: we have established this group hoping to provide a place where enthusiastic engineers from various companies can come and work together. i hope they will pool their knowledge and ideas and help develop the technology that we need. >> well, as a first step, the group will develop technology for building a facility called the logistic hub off the coast of rio de janeiro. that's where the brazilian government's $100 billion oil development project is under way. this oil field is located some 2,000 meters under the sea and several hundred kilometers offshore. they're hoping to build a rig the size of three soccer fields combined. it would be equipped with living quarters for 200 workers and big storage facilities for equipment. the development of seabed resources is in progress around the world on the back of strong economic growth in emerging countries. already companies in south korea, china, and other countries are participating in overseas offshore oil development projects. this is the first joint effort by japanese companies to win a contract for such a project. shocking reports have emerged about the voyage of a group of asylum seekers whose boat was rescued off slri lanka. we have more details from bangkok. >> almost 100 people died during the two month ordeal from starvation and dehydration. survivors said there were muslims from near the border between myanmar and bangladesh. the boat was found drifting in waters off of sri lanka. survivors appeared weak and thin. others in the group were not so fortunate. a police spokesperson told reuters the captain and 90 others died. their bodies were thrown into the sea. the group reportedly set off with one month supply of food and water but they were adrift for double that time after the ship's engine failed. survivors said they were hoping to reach indonesia or australia. they identify themselves as muslims. the united nations has estimated that some 800,000 refugees were living in myanmar. refugees from myanmar are living in thailand. they cross the border to free persecution by the former military regime. the japanese government last month decided to provide vocational training for refugees. about $100,000 have been earmarked for the program. this is april camp for myanmar refugees on the thai border. they have high hopes for their country's democratic reforms. maintenance for agricultural machines and computer skills are two of the subjects. the goal is to help refugees lead independent lives after they return to myanmar. machine maintenance training began on monday. a group of refugees learned how to handle small engines used in tractors and other machineries. the 14 trainees come from seven different refugee camps in thailand. they have been instructed to pass on their knowledge to others living in the tents. >> translator: the skills i learned will help me in the future. i want to pass on what i acquired to other refugees. >> translator: people who lived for so long in refugee camps may finally get the chance to return to their homeland. the japanese government decided to fund the job training scheme, so refugees will be better equipped for their life back in myanmar. >> reporter: the japanese government hopes the training project will enable refugees going home with less discouragement and for the refugees the lessons they learn will help them contribute to society when finally they can return. a plan for the first cross border high-speed railway in southeast asia has been officially unveiled. it will connect singapore to malaysia's capital city in 19 minutes. competition to win orders for construction will be fierce. >> it's going to be a game changer. it will transform the way people interact, the intensity of our cooperation and the degree to which we become interdependent on each other and have stakes on each other's success. >> our two countries will look at each other differently and the opportunities are boundless between our two countries. >> singapore's prime minister and his counter part announced a plan on tuesday. japanese firms would likely step up efforts to win the contract but will have to compete against rivals from germany, south korea and china. that wraps up our bulletin. home remains a dangerous place in afghanistan. nearly 3,000 civilians died last year because of armed conflict and terror attacks. there is a decrease of 377 from 2011. it marks the first decline since u.n. officials began to survey six years ago. they attribute the drop to few irsuicide bombings and a decline in aerial attacks. about 80% of victims died in attacks by the taliban and other insurgents including roadside bombings. attacks by multinational forces or afghan security troops were responsible for 316 deaths or about 11% of the total. western and arab nations are leading donors to palestinians. but due to the current economic down turn, the present level of economic assistance is insufficient to meet needs. palestinians are turning to asia to gain knowledge and experience from the region which will lead to economic growth. we explain. >> reporter: these people in the gaza strip are jubilant after being provided new homes. saudi arabia finances the construction. nearly half of the 4.3 million residents in palestine are refugees. they lost their land and homes through the establishment of israel and during arab/israeli wars. many nations have provided money through u.n. organizations of those in difficulty. assistance was built schools and hospitals. palestinians want to change their dependence on foreign aid. last year, the u.n. general assembly upgraded palestine's status to nonmember state. this has motivated residents to try and stand on their own, even under israeli occupation. the spotlight has shifted to the experience in technology from emerging nations in asia, which have achieved economic growth after winning independence. >> money is important. but what's more important is education and knowledge, and we need to know how you have done that, and we need them to share their experience. >> reporter: this farmer in the west bank crushes date palm leaves that grow in abundance in palestine. the leaves once had no use. >> translator: we just burnt them and threw them away before. >> reporter: but now he ferments them to feed cattle. he learned the mess method last year from experts who joined a study program in malaysia. japan recently provided the know how to the country in the 1990s. it now costs the farmer almost nothing to feed his cattle. he no longer buys expensive feed. he says that his sheep produce more milk and better quality meat. >> translator: it's important to learn from experience, as well as to receive financial support, experience creates more income. >> reporter: officials are holding training courses for palestinians and the japanese government supports efforts of countries that it happened in the past as it assists other nations in need. this man is a consultant assisting palestinians. >> reporter: providing technology rather than goods and developing human relations are very important. japan is good at this type of assistance, rewarding and gives us a great sense of achievement. >> reporter: still, the israeli occupation still cast as a shadow. israel imposes restrictions on construction involving palestinians. assistance from asia still faces many hurdles to clear. but these barriers may turn into a path that lead palestinian to stand on their own feet once again. wohei tsuji, west bank, gaza strip. many expected rain, but lower temperatures led to snow in tokyo. rachel ferguson has more on what to expect in japan and the rest of the world. rachel. >> snow showers certainly going to be a thing of the past as we head into wednesday. the system bringing showers pulling the way toward the east. however, much more significant snowfall will be coming to you in tohoku and hokkaido. as much as 40 centimeters in the next 24 hours. millimeters of additional rainfall. you are seeing that in the red. temperatures, 21 in taipei. 6 in shanghai. started to warm up a little bit in eastern china. tokyo, 9 degrees and seoul, fighting to get above the freezing mark there. okay. on to the americas we go. a low pressure system moving down along the pacific coast, and it's going to be bringing some snow to you in the four corners, travel inland, and see 30 centimeters on the upper elevation. another snowstorm over the great lakes region and pushing on there ontario into quebec. this one also very, very strong winds. you could see significant snow. but it will be starting to settle down. i might add it heads further to the northeast. you will be seeing snow in new england and quebec as well. it is going to be quieting down a little bit in intensity there. you will notice some temperatures feeling very intense indeed. especially in the northern plains and the upper midwest. chicago, minus 6 is the high. and minus 23 in winnipeg. up to 8 degrees today, we expect to see that fall once again as the system comes in. on we go into europe, and it's quite a quiet day for you in the british isles and france. down to the south of iberia, weakens off to the east. another round of precipitation by thursday. snow across poland and germany, fairly light. 5 centimeters, but quite widespread. a slightly more aggressive system from the balkans to turkey. that will bring you snow and thunderstorms. here are your temperatures on your wednesday. minus 2 in stockholm. minus 7 in moscow. and freezing point in moscow and kiev. and here is your extended forecast. back in 30 minutes with more of the latest. i'm gene otani in tokyo. from all of us here at nhk world, thank you for joining us.

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