welcome to "newsline." it's thursday october 27th, 8:00 a.m. in tokyo. i'm catherine kobayashi. the european union summit tops headlines this thursday morning. we go straight to business news this hour with ai uchida. >> thanks, catherine. and welcome to "newsline" business. leaders of the eu have officially agreed to boost the capital of banks in the region. however, discussions still continue among the euro zone member nations on asking european commercial banks to reduce their greek debt holdings to a sustainable level. the eu leaders gathered in brussels on wednesday to follow up a meeting that was held on sunday. they're discussing comprehensive measures to address the

sovereign debt concerns that are posing a threat to the global economy. eu leaders agreed to ask european banks to raise their core capital ratios to 9% by the end of june 2012. the meeting of euro zone members continues with talks on the specifics of a greek debt write-off -- writedown, rather. and details of an expansion in the bailout fund. but the leaders and banks do not seem to have reached an agreement on reducing greek debt and on the planned expansion of the european financial stability facility leaders are still talking about how to acquire the money from outside of the euro zone. the announcement of the details on these measures may be postponed. investors are keen to see how the market will react to the ongoing eu summit. so let's go to ramin mellegard now. he's standing right in front of the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, what can you tell us? >> reporter: very good morning

to you, ai. as you said, there are concrete measures about greek debt exposure to major banks still ongoing. but as you mentioned, there are some agreements as to the recapitalization for banks. but let's have a look at the currency markets now. just under an hour ahead of when the nikkei and the topix are due to kick off. we can see some levels here. 76.18-23 for the dollar-yen. 105.66-72 for the euro-yen. euro-yen relatively pretty much where it was this time yesterday. but the dollar-yen is quite sensitive and still trading at historically high levels. and in fact, hit 75.71 during london trading hours. and investors here in japan today are going to be keenly focused on whether japanese authorities do step in to the markets. now, let's have a look also at stock markets and the dow jones industrial average, which did end higher, largely on the back

of the positive sentiment from an agreement to recapitalize european banks. you can see there 11,869, up 162 points. also, the australian stock markets have been up and running for the last few minutes. the s&p/asx200, which is currently trading up. now, i'm going to have a full update on how the nikkei and the topix kick off in just under an hour. and i'll have all of the details for the stocks and also how currency markets will be reacting and how stocks will be reacting to all of that news as well. but for now back to you. >> all right. ramin mellegard, thanks a lot for that. and as ramin said, we will be closely watching how the markets here in tokyo will kick off the open in just under one hour. so sti with us. we'll see you next hour. back to catherine now. >> thanks very much, ai. the united nations says the world population will mark a milestone next week. come monday, 7 billion people will be sharing the earth's resources.

the u.n. population fund released an annual report on wednesday. the number of the people on the planet has more than doubled in the past 50 years, from 3 billion in 1959. forecasters say the figure will surpass 10 billion this century. asia, the world's most populated region, is expected to reach 5.2 billion people by the middle of the century. africa's population will triple and climb to an estimated 3.6 billion by 2,100. developed countries including japan and european nations are expected to see their populations shrink. falling birth raits are largely to blame. the u.n. reports say the global population increase will accelerate urbanization and spread poverty mainly in developing countries. it also says water shortages will worsen and developed countries will have difficulty maintaining economic growth and social security systems because of aging populations.

the report calls on governments to respond by drawing up plans and investing appropriately. starting next month, japanese politicians will be putting their money where their mouths are. prime minister yoshihiko noda and his cabinet are going to take a salary cut to help pay the cost of rebuilding after the march 11 disaster. the decision announced on wednesday will see noda return 30% of his salary while his ministers will return 20% each. they are taking the action to win public understanding for reconstruction tax hikes that are under discussion. it's estimated that more than $118 billion will be needed to rebuild the devastated areas over ten years. the government also hopes to enact a bill that will cut by an average of 7.8% the wages and bonuses of government employees until the end of fiscal 2013.

some people living in japan's devastated northeast feel no one is answering their calls for help. they're not eligible for government benefits after the march 11th disaster. so they're not sure how to make ends meet. nhk world's jun yotsumotu has that story. >> reporter: ryu harei's factory was busy at this time last year. now it's empty. he runs a company that processes and ships scallops nationwide, has done for 24 years. the tsunami shut things down. it washed away all the scallops and farming facilities. now the 62-year-old has no income. >> translator: the sea would have been bustling right now with fishermen harvesting scallops if it had not been for

the tsunami. it's tough to think about it. >> reporter: workers won't be able to harvest scallops again for at least two years. until then mori's business will remain closed. he says he's worried he and other scallop processors will go out of business for good if things don't change. >> this is the most bountiful fishing area. it would have been unbearable if we couldn't deliver quality scallops to our customers. >> reporter: 37,000 people in iwate prefecture are unemployed. over 13,000 live in temporary housing. all of them need some sort of help. i'm on a site at a dentist in tono city in iwate prefecture. aid supplies from all over the world are being gathered in a

warehouse here. gaku uchikoshi delivers essential goods to survivors. >> translator: there's a big gap. there are places where people receive no supplies. we still get many individual requests. >> reporter: uchikoshi's group focuses on helping people who lost their businesses and have no income. the government offers aid to people who have lost relatives or homes. it doesn't cover damage to every business. workers are not eligible for unemployment benefits.

that includes this man, who lost the shop he ran for 30 years. >> translator: now i'm about to run out of savings. i'm worried about food. i'm afraid we won't have enough if we don't ration what we eat. >> reporter: sakai's ramen shop used to stand here. nothing is left except payments on the ten-year loan. sakai can't get any help from the government. he says he feels alone and desperate. sakai met gaku uchikoshi and the people at project next. now he says he's feeling more positive. sakai will need some of these things to reopen his shop. people all over japan donated

the supplies through project ne next. >> translator: this kind of stockpot is indispensable to a good ramen chef. it gets me excited, making me feel like okay, i'm ready. i can't get anything from the government. not even one yen. so i really appreciate the kindness of people. >> translator: the official benefits system is creating inequality. we're still small. but we do our best to cover the loopholes. >> reporter: many people who have survived the disaster have become impoverished. it is necessary to expand the safety net to help these people so that they don't have to suffer anymore. jun yotsumoto, nhk world,

ofuna ofunato, iwate. "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. "nuclear watch" brings you insight and information on the impact of the fukushima daiichi crisis, and "the road ahead" examines japan's efforts to recover and rebuild. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline." a drop in property values has sparked protests in cities around china. angry homeowners say they paid too much for their properties and they want their money back. the real estate market in china began to overheat as housing units became targets of speculative trading. but prices began to drop sharply after the government introduced restrictions on speculative purchases. chinese media report that residents in shanghai, beijing, and elsewhere are demanding that their contracts be nullified or they be refunded. they say the price they paid for

their properties was too high. some of the protests have gotten out of hand. on saturday protesters invaded a property developer's office on the outskirts of shanghai which they proceeded to demolish. about 400 protesters gathered at the same office on wednesday. the vandalism follows the developer's announcement that it will slash housing prices by 25%. the chinese government faces the difficult task of cooling property prices while discour e discouraging protests. there has been a major political shake-up in south korea where an independent has become mayor of the country's capital, seoul. the win marks a major loss for the ruling grand national party, which has held seoul for most of the past decade. nhk world's hyoji ito has more on that. >> reporter: the new mayor, park won-soon, won broad support from younger voters by pledging to fight inflation and create jobs.

his refusal to join any party and decision to campaign as an independent was also backed by voters disillusioned with the existing political parties. [ applause ] >> translator: i solemnly declare this a victory for all the citizens of seoul. we chose to begin a new era in the capital. >> reporter: a liberal reformer, park won 53% of the votes, beating that kyung-won of the grand national party by about seven percentage points. park was backed by an alliance that opposed the ruling grand national party. na lost despite having the backing of the grand national party.

>> translator: i humbly accept the result as the will of seoul's citizens. i only hope the new mayor will work for the future of seoul. >> reporter: the grand national party has held the mayor's seat in seoul for nine straight years. call for the party executive to accept responsibility for the defeat will likely grow. the grand national party now faces the task of rebuilding ahead of a general election next april, and the presidential election in december next year. ryoji ito, nhk world, seoul. and now we go to our bureau in bangkok. patchari raksawong tells us what's making headlines in the region. flood waters have penetrated several vulnerable parts of

bangkok. the government has warned that it's struggling to cope and fears are rising that the crisis could spread to central areas of the capital. nhk world reports. >> reporter: at partly submerged airport in northern bangkok the flooding crisis is deteriorating. more than 1,000 people already evacuated once have had to flee again to several areas. >> translator: we have decided to leave the evacuation center because we fear that more severe flooding may cause blackouts. >> reporter: despite the rising water, the thai government has decided against moving its flood relief operations center out of the airport. with the runway already partly under water, the two airlines operating there canceled all

services until the end of the month. the floods have already killed at least 373 people nationwide. thailand's prime minister gave a televised address on tuesday. she warned that the government might not be able to protect central bangkok. this map shows the worst case scenario as predicted by a management expert. it shows that parts of bangkok could be inundated by up to two meters of water during the weekend. that's when a springtime may slow moving flood waters from the north.

as residents of bangkok watch the fluctuating water levels in and around the city, they continue to prepare for the worst. nhk world, bangkok. and in afghanistan at least ten civilians were killed and more than 30 wounded after a fuel tanker exploded on a road near the largest american air base in the country. the blast happened in pawan province about 40 kilometers north of the capital kabul on tuesday night. officials quoted by reuters say a small bomb stuck to the side of the tanker exploded first, creating a whole. leaking fuel then ignited in a large blaze. the incident took place just three kilometers from bagram air field. local officials have placed the blame on insurgents. in northern india the mountainous ladak region has long attracted tourists with its

centuries-old tibetan-style houses. but the area close to china is now threatened by an outflow of residents that has left many of the traditional structures at risk. nhk world's jahangia buhari has more. >> reporter: the city of leh is surrounded by peaks soaring over 6,000 meters. the town dates back to the 17th century. it used to be the capital of an ancient kingdom. the townscape is reminiscent of ancient times and infused with a tibetan touch. it draws more than 100,000 tourists a year. the traditional structures are made with sun-dried bricks and mud. some are up to 400 years old. for generations the residents have repaired the walls to stop them from crumbling. >> when you're inside the

buildings and the streets and it seems to be in the old time. >> reporter: but the town is changing. many of the homes are vacant. residents who can no longer afford to maintain the structures are moving into new houses outside the town. the abandoned structures have become homes for stray dogs. >> this is -- you can see -- see, the tourists come here and if they see all this garbages i'm sure they'll go back to their respective countries and respective region and send a message across. >> reporter: alarmed by the change, a local ngo has stepped in to restore the town. its members check each and every empty house. >> if we wait two or three years, this is dangerous. this fall down. >> reporter: the ngo tracks down the owner and negotiates whether

repairs can be done. the group shoulders half the restoration cost if it is done with traditional sun-dried bricks and mud. the total is around 19,000 u.s. dollars. so far nearly 20 structures have been restored. a campaign is also under way to use the restored structures for tourists. the ngo rented this one and turned it into a cafe that has become popular with foreign visitors. >> an ancient traditional atmosphere here. very comfortable. >> relaxed. >> and relax. this place. >> translator: we realize the importance of protecting the

historical structures. a number of them need repairs. >> reporter: the ngo has now embarked on a new approach. it's organizing a tour of reborn structures. one more step towards preserving the town for future generations. janangir buhari, nhk world. >> a good example of transforming a crisis into an opportunity. and that's going to wrap up our bulletin. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. in other news, a new survey shows that cyber attacks targeting the government and industry are on the increase in japan. nhk surveyed 18 government offices on computer security. 16 ministries and agencies say their employees have received malicious e-mails, but they report no damage nor leaked data. the national police agency says

it received 172 e-mails. that's 172 e-mails that contain viruses in the 2 1/2 years through september. police looked at 29 such messages and found that 14 were designed to access servers in china. the economy trade and industry ministry says some of its computers were infected when 20 employees opened files attached to malicious e-mails last november. the defense industry says it's monitoring its computer network around the clock. the government is stepping up security efforts. it launched a system on tuesday to share information on cyber attacks with companies. officials from japan's lower house and computer security experts are trying to find out who hacked into the chamber's network servers. a task force held its first meeting on wednesday. the server was found in august to have been illegally accessed. this apparently happened after lawmakers' pcs connected to it

were infected with a virus. representatives from network security firms and an observer from the national police agency took part in wednesday's meeting. the officials explained how the server was hacked and discussed what security measures should be taken. an interim report on the investigation is due out on friday. and now let's take a look at the global weather forecast with sayaka mori. hello. time now for your weather update. let's start off with east asia. crisp and clear weather is blanketing much of japan. lots of sunshine for you. meanwhile, widespread showers can be found across inland area of china. some of the rain will move eastward and could become heavier. down toward the south and north monsoonal flow continues to bring rain across vietnam as well as the southern end of the indo-china peninsula.

and as for bangkok there is a slight chance of thundershowers today. temperatures are looking like this. another cool day for you in tokyo with 18 degrees. and the same goes for seoul. manila is expected to be 34 degrees with mainly clear skies. heading over to central america, then, hurricane rina has been downgraded into a category 1 system that's still packing winds of 140 kilometers per hour. it's moving in a northwesterly direction, and it's expected to hit the northeastern end of the yucatan peninsula by thursday. after it makes landfall, it could become tropical storm and head toward western cuba. right now hurricane warnings have been issued along the northeastern corner of the yucatan peninsula. torrential rain and fierce winds are going to affect the coast starting wednesday. as for rainfall accumulation, we are talking about 200 to 400 millimeters by friday. and strong winds could create a

dangerous storm surge as well as destructive waves. so watch out for coastal flooding. we will keep you posted on the situation. meanwhile, cold air continues to invade southward and is creating heavy snow across colorado as well as new mexico. up to 40 centimeters of snow are possible in the higher elevations by tonight. and we are seeing scattered thunderstorms as well as rain from the mid mississippi valley all the way up to the northeastern states. and that will move eastward. temperatures are looking like this, very cool in denver, with 6 degrees and 10 in chicago and 6 in toronto. but the southern portions are still on the warmer side. 26 in houston and 29 in miami. finally, let's go over to europe. a line of rain showers is stretching from the southern scandinavian peninsula through italy. the heaviest rain can be found across southern italy. there is severe thunderstorms popping up here. but things are gradually

weakening. so that's good news for you. down toward -- out toward the east a very severe and powerful low pressure system is moving across the iberian peninsula bringing torrential rain as well as fierce winds. and strong winds have created high waves along the east coast. and some precipitation is falling across the southern uk. and the rain will also spread to southern france in the next 24 hours. meanwhile, it stays dry and settled across eastern europe. temperatures are shaping up like this. very warm in rome. we have 23 degrees. and 18 in athens. but there is moss kuo with 6 degrees and 9 in stockholm with re rain. all right. that's all for me now. and here's your extended forecast. ♪

♪ and that's all for this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us.

♪ in northeastern japan's iwate prefecture, where the tsunami caused severe damage, bob james played with a local big band. he composed a new piece of music in the hope of raising the spirits of the people of iwate. our second pick looks at how the active participation of women in society is stimulating growth in mongolia. mongolia is known for a gender

parity in science, law, and other professions. almost 80% of enterprises are owned by women. this program studies how women are supporting the country's economic growth. finally, we meet a japanese ballet dancer who has received global acclaim. we'll explore the world view of miyako yoshida, a former principal guest artist with the royal ballet, who is still royal ballet, who is still aiming high despitebump] ♪ >> this week on dialogue the quarterly report; big questions america's schools.